HORSE RACING

• Jackson Bend tops Holy Bull Stakes field

  
  

  Hallandale Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito has entered highly regarded three-year-old Jackson Bend in Saturday's $150,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

  The chestnut colt will take on eight rivals in the one-mile event.

  Jackson Bend, owned by Jacks or Better Farm, will be ridden by Jeremy Rose from the far outside post. The chestnut colt is the top money earner in the field with $477,820.

  Sent off as the favorite in his last three starts, Jackson Bend has won five in a row including three straight Florida Stallion Stakes at Calder.

  In that last start Jackson Bend defeated Thank U Philippe who will break from the inside post for the Holy Bull. Trained by Marty Wolfson, Thank U Philippe will have Eddie Castro in the saddle.

  Owned by Kramer Stable and Will Rosenfeld, Thank U Philippe will be trying to snap a four race losing streak which includes three straight second place finishes.

  The colt has won just once in eight starts, but has $155,470 in earnings.

  "He's a big, heavy horse and needs to run," said Wolfson. "Eddie (Castro) suggested last year that blinkers might help him and we're going to put them on him for Saturday." Another well regarded three-year-old in the Holy Bull is Todd Pletcher's Aikenite.

  Owned by Dogwood Stable, the colt will be ridden by John Velazquez from post eight.

  In his last start Aikenite was fifth to Vale of York in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, beaten by just 2 1/2 lengths. He was second behind Noble's Promise in the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland in October and in September at Saratoga was third to Dublin in the Hopeful Stakes.

  "He's coming up to the Holy Bull in great shape, but it is a very tough field - seemingly one of the toughest in recent times," note Dogwood president Cot Campbell on Monday. "We would love to win it, but we are looking on it as the first step in our objective, which is to get to the Kentucky Derby. Aikenite has not had a race in almost three months and we're looking for - and expecting - a good effort. I hope we win it, but we don't have to, to be pleased with the start of the journey." Here is the full field for the Holy Bull in post position order: Thank U Philippe, Eddie Castro; Homeboykris, Edgar Prado; Litigation Risk, Alan Garcia; Piscitelli, Kent Desormeaux; William's Kitten, Julien Leparoux; Winslow Homer, Ramon Dominguez; Wild Lime, Jose Lezcano; Aikenite, John Velazquez and Jackson Bend, Jeremy Rose.

  01/20 16:46:00 ET