1-5-5-6-1-5-4-8-4-7-1.
A win in the Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard in 2024. Five consecutive losses. A win in the Sheppard in 2025. Three straight losses. Jimmy P added his latest 1 to his string of Saratoga 1s with late a lunge to win the Grade 1 Beverly R. Steinman Stakes at Saratoga Wednesday. Owned by Madaket Stable and Molly and Paul Willis, the Kentucky-bred son of Slumber notched his third Grade 1 stakes win. All at Saratoga.
Why Saratoga?
“I haven’t a clue, I have no idea,” jockey Stephen Mulqueen said. “He comes alive here.”
“Ask him. I don’t know. I don’t know,” trainer Keri Brion said. “He just loves Saratoga.”
The 8-year-old didn’t appear to love Saratoga for most of the 2 3/8 miles of a messy opener. Harry Beswick departed from fifth choice McTigue at the first hurdle, Jamie Bargary exited third choice Ziggle Pops at the sixth. Loose horses ran wild, outriders chased wildly and the rest of the five runners stretched 22 lengths from leader Coutach to lagger Jimmy P. Under pressure from Mulqueen, Jimmy P was the first off the bridle and the last on the bridle, reeling in Rocket One in the final strides to score by a neck. Coutach held on for third.
“Never traveling. I wasn’t happy at all,” Mulqueen said. “Try to keep him interested. I gave him a belt with a lap to go and pulled him out for a bit of room and the room wasn’t working so I tucked him back in and just prayed. I knew when we turned in, I had him rolling. I joked and said I was always going to win but I knew I was going to get close. He’s a rogue, he’s a character, but he’s won three here now.”
Bred by Head of Plains Partners and Madaket Stable, Jimmy P made his career debut at Saratoga way back in 2020. He finished third, beaten 2 lengths by future Grade 2 winner Public Sector in a turf maiden. After one win in nine flat tries, Jimmy P was entered in a digital sale in 2022, scratched and wound up a jumper when the Willises partnered with Madaket. Jimmy P improved his hurdle record to six wins from 22 starts for $444,100. A cool $304,500 earned at Saratoga.
“Mental. All mental. We’ve messed about with the headgear. Blinkers, cheek pieces. He won here without anything, so we took it off again, it just depends on what form he comes up in,” Mulqueen said. “Keri texted me last night and said he got off the van here and was mad in the stable, he was trying to jump out over the door. That’s not him. If he keeps saving himself for here, I don’t mind.”
Brion saw the same energy at a schooling session earlier in the week.
“When he turned to school, he squealed and took off, he’s never done that, ever, in the four years of training him, he’s never done that,” Brion said. “He’s very businesslike. Stephen was like, ‘I don’t know. He could win.’ ”
At Saratoga, of course.
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