Jack and Jim stays clear late in Saturday’s Central Park Stakes. Coglianese Photos
By Paul Halloran
Graham Motion is not known for having his first-time starters cranked to the max – he clicks at 11 percent in that category in the last five years – so when one of them wins, it’s worth noting.
Such was the case with Jack and Jim, a Madaket Stables homebred who parlayed a maiden win Sept. 22 into a stakes score, closing from seventh after a half-mile to win the Central Park Stakes for 2-year-olds Saturday at Aqueduct. Jack and Jim was one of seven New York-breds in the open stakes.
“I never expect my horses to win first time, but he’s a horse we’ve always liked,” Motion said. “Did I expect him to win? No. But I thought he’d run well the first time.”
Manny Franco was content to sit well off the pace set by Not for Hire, determined to get to the lead despite going wide on the first turn of the mile turf race. He led down the backstretch through a quarter-mile in :23.20 and a half in :47.59. Franco stayed inside as long as he could, taking Jack and Jim off the rail on the far turn, which proved to be the winning move.
As the leaders bunched up at the top of the stretch, Franco got first jump on the other closers, including favorite Early Adopter, who made a wide, late move under Flavien Prat, and got to the wire a half-length in front in a final time of 1:36.42. Smooth Breeze was second, while Early Adopter settled for third.
“That was super,” said Motion, who added a ring bit after his horse’s debut. “He did it really nicely. I loved where he was down the backstretch and it kind of set up well for him. Manny was in the clear. We changed his equipment this time. He was a little more manageable and that really helped. What a pro. He just did it so nicely.”
Motion trained Jack and Jim’s dam, the French-bred Monette, in her two U.S. starts at the end of her career in 2018, saddling her to a second in the Matron Stakes at Belmont and an off-the board finish in the Jimmy Durante at Del Mar. By Slumber, an English-bred $1.4 million earner who sired Motion’s Grade 3 winner Sy Dog, Jack and Jim is the first foal produced by Monette.
“I was happy when we passed the five-eighths,” Franco said. “I had separation of the horses in front of me, so I say I’m going to put my horse in the middle of the track. I see what’s going on in the turn so I decided to stay outside and I think that was the best I could do. I knew that I was going to have the horses in front of me [beat]. I was a little worried for the closers.”
Motion said he would take Jack and Jim to Florida in the next month and point for race no sooner than February.
Slumber, who stands at Rockridge Stud in Hudson, has sired three stakes winners this year. – Grade 3 turf victor Fluffy Socks and Grade 1 steeplechase winner Jimmy P are the others. Jimmy P completes his 2024 season in Sunday’s Grade 1 Colonial Cup in Camden, S.C.
