Study Guide: 2025 Jerome Stakes

Dec 31, 2024 J. Keeler Johnson/TwinSpires.com

The third of six Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifiers taking place at Aqueduct is Saturday’s $150,000 Jerome S., a one-mile contest awarding Road to the Kentucky Derby qualification points on a 10-5-3-2-1 split to the top five finishers.

A competitive eight-horse field has turned out for the 2025 Jerome. Let’s take a horse-by-horse tour through the entries:

Download the FREE 2025 Jerome Stakes PPs here!

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Enduring Spirit

Start(s): 5
Wins: 1
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: R.T Racing Stable
Breeder: Carolyn R. Vogel
Trainer: Jose Jimenez
Jockey: Sofia Vives

Top Speed Rating: (88) when winning a Churchill Downs maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $75,197

Sire: Tiz the Law
Dam: Life Starts
Color: Bay

During the spring, Enduring Spirit posted a quick maiden victory sprinting five furlongs at Churchill Downs. But he’s been defeated by double-digit margins in three subsequent starts, so Enduring Spirit needs a rebound to challenge in the Jerome.

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Mansetti

Start(s): 3
Wins: 2
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: Al and Bill Ulwelling
Breeder: Jungle Racing
Trainer: Kevin Attard
Jockey: Sahin Civaci

Top Speed Rating: (82) when winning the Clarendon S. at Woodbine.
Total Earnings: $104,022

Sire: Collected
Dam: Gidget Girl
Color: Bay

Mansetti has shown promise over the synthetic Tapeta track at Woodbine, most notably wiring the six-furlong Clarendon S. If he handles the switch to dirt at Aqueduct, Mansetti has a chance to challenge for a top-three finish.

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Ican

Start(s): 3
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: FMQ Stables
Breeder: Jack Miller
Trainer: Rick Dutrow
Jockey: Manny Franco

Top Speed Rating: (83) when finishing second in an Aqueduct $80,000 allowance optional claimer.
Total Earnings: $38,725

Sire: Preservationist
Dam: We Love Lucy
Color: Chestnut

Ican stumbled at the start of an $80,000 allowance optional claimer on Dec. 6 at Aqueduct, but nevertheless rallied to finish second with a career-best 83 Brisnet Speed rating. He’s progressing in the right direction for Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Rick Dutrow (a 46% winner at Aqueduct this meet) and must be respected as a top-three contender.

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Omaha Omaha

Start(s): 4
Wins: 2
Place: 0
Show: 1

Owner: Nathan J. Nelson, Gary T. Carlson, and Shawn M. Sullivan
Breeder: On Your Left Racing
Trainer: Michael Gorham
Jockey: Raul Mena

Top Speed Rating: (83) when winning a Laurel Park $62,500 allowance optional claimer.
Total Earnings: $67,300

Sire: Audible
Dam: England Swings
Color: Bay

Omaha Omaha enters off back-to-back stretch-running victories racing one mile or farther. Last time out, he trounced a 1 1/16-mile $62,500 allowance optional claimer at Laurel Park by seven lengths. A son of 2018 Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Audible, Omaha Omaha is yet another entrant with a chance to finish in the top three.

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Georgia Magic

Start(s): 1
Wins: 1
Place: 0
Show: 0

Owner: West Paces Racing, Pavilion Racing, Brown Road Racing, Twin Sports Racing, and Cypresshead Racing
Breeder: Robert Losey and Good Magic Syndicate
Trainer: Raymond Handal
Jockey: Romero Maragh

Top Speed Rating: (75) when winning an Aqueduct maiden special weight.
Total Earnings: $49,500

Sire: Good Magic
Dam: Nightlife Baby
Color: Dark bay/brown

Georgia Magic led from gate to wire in his lone start to date, a six-furlong maiden special weight at Aqueduct. But the 75 Brisnet Speed rating he posted looks modest against the Jerome field, so Georgia Magic needs improvement to challenge against tougher competition.

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Cyclone State

Start(s): 6
Wins: 2
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Gold Square, George Messina, and Michael Lee
Breeder: H. Allen Poindexter
Trainer: Chad Summers
Jockey: Luis Rivera Jr.

Top Speed Rating: (87) when winning an Aqueduct $80,000 allowance optional claimer.
Total Earnings: $125,750

Sire: McKinzie
Dam: Chanel’s Legacy
Color: Bay

Cyclone State enters off two straight victories racing one mile at Aqueduct. He took a maiden special weight by 2 1/2 lengths with an 85 Brisnet Speed rating, then improved to an 87 when romping by 2 3/4 lengths over Ican in an $80,000 allowance optional claimer. Cyclone State is a serious win threat for hot trainer Chad Summers, a 36% winner at Aqueduct this meet.

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Studlydoright

Start(s): 7
Wins: 3
Place: 2
Show: 0

Owner: David R. Hughes
Breeder: Glenangus Farm
Trainer: John Robb
Jockey: Xavier Perez

Top Speed Rating: (89) when winning the Tremont S. at Saratoga.
Total Earnings: $279,680

Sire: Nyquist
Dam: Peach of a Gal
Color: Chestnut

Studlydoright has Road to the Kentucky Derby experience, having finished fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct. Cutting back to one mile should help Studlydoright’s chances, considering he won Aqueduct’s Nashua S. over this distance two starts back. That triumph yielded an 88 Brisnet Speed rating, stamping Studlydoright as the horse to beat in the Jerome.

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McAfee

Start(s): 2
Wins: 1
Place: 1
Show: 0

Owner: Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Judy B. Hicks, and Scott C. Rice
Breeder: Judy Hicks
Trainer: Rick Dutrow
Jockey: Jose Gomez

Top Speed Rating: (83) when finishing second in a Churchill Downs $50,000 starter allowance.
Total Earnings: $68,880

Sire: Cloud Computing
Dam: Sataves
Color: Dark bay/brown

McAfee has shown potential at Churchill Downs. He rallied to win his debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight by 3 1/4 lengths, then finished second by a head in a one-mile $50,000 starter allowance. A half-brother to 2024 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Thorpedo Anna, McAfee is progressing in the right direction for Rick Dutrow and may step forward again while making his first start on the New York circuit.

Hey @PatMcAfeeShow!

How about a horse with your name in the 151st @KentuckyDerby? McAfee is a 1/2 brother to Kentucky Oaks winner, Thorpedo Anna! pic.twitter.com/2eguiYjxIu

— Churchill Downs (@ChurchillDowns) November 1, 2024