G1 Jaipur offers a 'Win and You're In' berth to the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

The 2026 edition of the Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur Stakes will feature the nation's swiftest grass dashers over 5 1/2-furlongs on Saratoga Race Course's Mellon turf, all competing for an automatic berth into the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on October 31, at Keeneland.

The Jaipur is slated as Race 9 on the Saturday, June 6th stacked 14-race Belmont Stakes Day card. First post is 10:45 a.m. Eastern

John the Beer Man Eyes Grade 1 Jaipur Stakes

May 16 - John the Beer Man (Michael Caruso and Michael Dubb) is under consideration for a start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur on Saturday, June 6, Belmont Stakes Day, at Saratoga Race Course.

The 5 1/2-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up offers a 'Win and You're In' berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in October at Keeneland.

Trained by Rob Atras, the 5-year-old More Than Ready gelding breezed three-eighths in 38.60 seconds May 10 over the Belmont Park dirt training track.

"He had an easy three-eighths last week and might do something tomorrow. We nominated to the Jaipur and will take a look at that and see," Atras said.

John the Beer Man made three starts for trainer Chad Brown as a sophomore, including a maiden win traveling 1 1/16-miles on firm turf in May 2024 at Belmont at the Big A that earned an 84 Beyer Speed Figure.

John the Beer Man missed his entire 4-year-old season but is undefeated in two turf sprint starts this year, earning a 100 Beyer for a frontrunning score over next-out allowance winner Murdock in March at Fair Grounds Race Course ahead of a prominent 2 1/4-length optional-claiming win on April 25 here.

Atras said they backed into turf sprinting with the chestnut after a route race at Fair Grounds came off the turf.

"There was only one other turf race for him before the meet was over at Fair Grounds and it was a sprint. I wasn't convinced he was going to be a sprinter," Atras said. "He worked good in the morning, and you could tell he was a nice horse, but turf horses can be deceiving sometimes in the morning on the dirt.

"I didn't know he was going to go the front in 21 and keep rolling along," Atras continued, with a laugh. "It was obviously a pleasant surprise."

Last out, John the Beer Man exited post 3-of-10 over yielding going to validate his strong seasonal debut, while earning a 97 Beyer.

"That race was a deep, tough field. There was speed in there too and we drew inside and the soft turf, so I wasn't sure how he was going to handle all that," Atras said. "They gave him another big number which was nice to see, and he handled the other speed and the soft turf - he overcame a lot and I thought it was just as good a performance as the first time."

The $160,000 purchase from the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale is out of the winning Giant's Causeway mare Trophy Wife. His third dam is Pleasant Home, winner of the 2005 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Belmont Park.

Ag Bullet breezes for potential G1 Jaipur title defense

May 16 - Ag Bullet, Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran's multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire is training towards a possible title defense in what would be her seasonal debut in the Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur on Saturday, June 6, Belmont Stakes Day, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Richard Baltas, the 6-year-old Twirling Candy grey worked five-eighths in 1:02.40 handily over the Santa Anita Park all-weather track in company with multiple graded stakes-placed Scipio - a possible contender for the Grade 3, $300,000 Poker, a one-mile turf test for older horses on Sunday, June 7, Closing Day of the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival.

"They went five-eighths together super-easy on the synthetic track and finished up nice. She knows how to run, she doesn't need to work fast," Baltas said. "Everything with her is just keeping her happy. She's had a rest, now it's time to get her ready.

"I'll give her one more good five-eighths and if she comes back fine, she might be ready to go there," Baltas added. "We'll nominate to the Intercontinental too, but we'll see how it goes. I don't like to push horses, but she's really close."

The Grade 2, $250,000 Intercontinental, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint for older fillies and mares, is slated for Thursday, June 4 at the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival - a race that Baltas has circled as a potential target for the appropriately named Saratoga Special.

Ag Bullet, who has banked $2,977,228 via a 17-8-1-3 ledger, was acquired for $220,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She secured her first Grade 1 win last year with a prominent score against the boys in the Jaipur, tracking from third position early before taking over at the stretch call and powering clear to a two-length score over My Boy Prince. The winning effort earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure which equaled her rating from a neck third in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in November 2024 at Del Mar.

"The Jaipur was a great day. The year before we were trying to win a Grade 1 with her the whole time and just couldn't get that Grade 1-win," Baltas recalled. "We gave her a rest and brought her back and we never thought we'd run her against the boys and beat them - but we did. I had a wonderful time last year. It was my first time back in Saratoga in umpteen years, and it was a wonderful experience."

The talented Kentucky-bred, out of the winning Forestry mare Noble Grey, followed the Jaipur with a successful title defense in the Grade 2 Ladies Turf Sprint in August at Kentucky Downs. She completed her campaign with a pair of Grade 1 starts in November at Del Mar with a second in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and third when stretched out to one-mile in the Matriarch.

"She has a lot of heart and grit. She's talented and fast - she can carry her speed," Baltas said. "She's got a lot of quirks. She can be a handful to saddle sometimes, but usually the times she's a handful to saddle, looking back, is oddly the times she runs her best race.

"We'll try one more year with her and then probably end up breeding her," he added. "We've been very fortunate with her. We bought her as a yearling, and she's given us a lot of great moments."

Reef Runner Points Towards G1 $500K Jaipur

May 10 - Reef Runner, Alex and JoAnn Lieblong's millionaire Florida-homebred, will point to the Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur on Saturday, June 6, Belmont Stakes Day, at Saratoga Race Course. The 5 1/2-furlong test for 3-year-olds and up offers a 'Win and You're In' berth to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in October at Keeneland.

Trained by David Fawkes, the 5-year-old son of The Big Beast returned to the work tab on Saturday at Gulfstream Park for the first time since a successful trip to the Middle East where he captured the Group 2 1351 Turf Sprint in February at King Abdulaziz Racecourse and landed a 1 1/2-length fourth in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint on March 28 at Meydan.

On Saturday, Reef Runner breezed a half-mile on the Tapeta in 46.90 seconds working to the outside of Send Cash, a maiden winner, who is entered on Friday at Gulfstream.

"He looks fantastic. I nominated him for the Jaipur. We're coming," Fawkes said. "He traveled unbelievable from Dubai. He got off the plane like I vanned him from Ocala to Miami. I gave him 3 1/2-weeks with Nick Esler in Ocala, who took great care of him for me. Nick called me and said, 'Dave, you need to bring him back to work. He's a wild man.'

Reef Runner posted a record of 10-3-2-3 last year for purse earnings of $378,065 but really turned a corner after a freshening and being gelded ahead of an August return in the Warrior's Pride Overnight.

"He came back to the track and looked like a different animal. I didn't recognize him," Fawkes said.

In the Warrior's Pride Overnight traveling five furlongs over firm Gulfstream turf, Reef Runner stalked from fifth position as El Apagon zipped through a half-mile in 43.53 seconds. Reylu Gutierrez tipped Reef Runner three-wide for the stretch run to take command inside the final sixteenth and score by one length in a final time of 55.10.

The winning effort earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure, but the way he did it impressed Fawkes.

"When he won the little race here at Gulfstream, I knew we were going somewhere. I called Mr. Lieblong the minute he crossed the wire and said, 'we're going to California for the 'Win and You're In,'" Fawkes said. "I told him that this was a different animal than the one I sent to the farm and gelded. That was a really good race in fast fractions. That's where we could see he had a bright future."

Reef Runner promptly shipped to Del Mar for the five-furlong Green Flash Handicap on August 30 which offered a berth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. There, he exited post 11-of-12 under Paco Lopez but came over soon after the start into Queen Maxima with Motorious being pinched back and steadied in the process. Reef Runner made a brave run up the rail and crossed the wire first by a nose over the closing Motorious, but a stewards' inquiry saw Reef Runner disqualified and placed second.

The talented bay made amends next out in the 6 1/2-furlong Grade 2 Eddie D on September 27 at Santa Anita Park, rallying from last-of-8 to score by a half-length over possible Jaipur rival Yellow Card.

Reef Runner registered a career-best 100 Beyer in the Eddie D and followed with a fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint in November at Del Mar before returning victoriously to Gulfstream in December to complete a productive campaign in the five-furlong Listed Janus over firm footing.

Reef Runner, with Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, put together a sensational run in the 1351 Turf Sprint to best the favored Lazzat by a neck, stopping the clock in 1:18.24 for 6 3/4-furlongs with a closer trip than usual over the good/firm course.

However, his last out run on the straight under William Buick in the six-furlong Al Quoz Sprint saw Reef Runner looking for a lane to run in over the good going. He dove to the rail late on and surged to finish fourth to the victorious Native Approach while a neck back of third-place familiar foe Lazzat.

"Irad couldn't have ridden him any better. That's why he's the leading rider in the nation. In Dubai, we were in the middle of a desert, and it rained for five day's straight. One thing I don't like about horse racing is sometimes it's just too much luck," Fawkes said, with a laugh. "The kid [Buick] said he was looking for a turn, but I think he was looking for a good spot to run. What they call good [going] and what we call good are two worlds apart."

Fawkes will be hoping for sunshine and firm ground in June at Saratoga, which is something Reef Runner failed to find in his lone previous outing at the Spa when a troubled eighth in the Listed Mahony over good ground in August 2024.

"We were at John Kimmel's yard, and it rained so hard his entire courtyard was flooded. I knew we were screwed," Fawkes said. "This time, he should be very strong as long as the weather is good. He doesn't like it soft."

Good weather and a good result would see the ultra-consistent Reef Runner [24-8-5-5, $1,902,580] surpass $2 million in career earnings.

"He's a cool dude. He's not a real big horse, but he's easy on himself. He's doing everything right so far," said Fawkes, who sent out Sheer Drama to win the 2015 Grade 1 Personal Ensign at the Spa.

Reef Runner, a full-brother to stakes-winner Big Paradise, is out of the winning Blame mare Paradise Bay - a half-sister to dual Grade 1-winning millionaire Paradise Woods. His third dam, Uforia, is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes-winner Mr. Greeley, who ran a neck second to Desert Stormer in the 1995 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Belmont Park.

OffTrackBetting.com - US Legal and licensed Saratoga OTB is a great way to bet horse racing at Saratoga Race Course in New York. Available to customers across the United States, OTB features both Thoroughbred and Standardbred racing from major racing venues in the US, as well as top international racing from Ireland, Italy, Japan, Australia and Hong Kong.