OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Cyclone State made a successful stakes debut Saturday at Aqueduct, posting a front-running, 3 1/2-length victory in the $150,000 Jerome Stakes that ran his winning streak to three and likely will lead to another start in a Kentucky Derby points-scoring race.
Taking command three furlongs into the one-mile Jerome, Cyclone State, under Luis Rivera Jr., gradually built his lead to as large as eight lengths in midstretch and, with Rivera having to keep after him in the final sixteenth, he easily held a late-running Omaha Omaha at bay. It was 3 1/4 lengths back to Ican, who got third by a head over favored Studlydoright.
Mansetti finished fifth, followed by Georgia Magic and Enduring Spirit. McAfee, the morning-line favorite, was scratched due to a leg infection, according to his trainer Rick Dutrow.
The victory earned Cyclone State 10 qualifying points toward the May 3 Kentucky Derby. The Jerome has produced only two Kentucky Derby starters since it was moved to this spot on the calendar in 2013, the last being Firenze Fire, the 2018 Jerome winner who finished 11th in the Kentucky Derby.
Chad Summers, the trainer of Cyclone State, knows there’s more to do before he starts making hotel reservations in Louisville for May 3.
“Obviously, this was just a stepping-stone, but it’s the right stepping-stone and he did it the right way with what he was supposed to do against this field,” Summers said.
Cyclone State had won his previous two starts on the front end. Summers felt his horse was the fastest in the Jerome, but he was somewhat leery of Enduring Spirit, a longshot breaking from the rail. Rivera kept Cyclone State two paths away from Enduring Spirit down the backside. The two were heads apart through a quarter in 23.43 seconds.
When Enduring Spirit quickly retreated, Mansetti picked up the chase entering the far turn and was a length behind. But Cyclone State opened up a 5 1/2-length lead by the quarter pole after running six furlongs in 1:13.20. The advantage was eight lengths at the furlong marker. Rivera used the whip five times in the final furlong to keep Cyclone State to task.
On a track that was playing quite slow, Cyclone State, owned by Al Gold’s Gold Square Racing, George Messina and Michael Lee, covered the mile in 1:40.82, the second-fastest of four one-mile races run on the card. He returned $8.10 as the third choice and earned a career-high 84 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I wasn’t worried about [Enduring Spirit], I let him stay there and when I saw he wasn’t there I moved to the rail and by the quarter pole I asked him and he was there for me the whole way,” Rivera said. “He’s not used to being by himself, he’s always run with horses behind him and he feels them. But this time he was by himself, he got lost a little bit, but whenever I asked him, whenever I hit him, he started running.”
Summers said he plans to ship Cyclone State to South Florida next week to train and to evaluate where and when he wants to run Cyclone State next. One option is the $1.5 million Saudi Derby, a one-turn-mile race on Feb. 22 in Riyadh. Summers didn’t rule out shipping back to New York for the $250,000 Withers, a 1 1/8-mile race at Aqueduct on Feb. 1.
The Withers could be next for Omaha Omaha, who lagged well behind the field in Saturday’s Jerome before making a belated bid to finish a clear second. Trainer Michael Gorham was pleased with the result, realizing turning Omaha Omaha back to a one-turn mile was not going to be the best distance for the horse.
“I thought he ran great, he’s definitely crying for more ground,” Gorham said. “This was pretty much our only option locally, so we gave it a go. He showed he belongs, so maybe we’ll come back in a month for the Withers.”
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