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The 2023 Kentucky Derby trail returns to Aqueduct with the Jerome

By NY Hot List staff | Friday, January 6, 2023

The $150,000 Jerome Stakes is the third official qualifying race in New York for the 2023 Kentucky Derby. The one-turn mile at Aqueduct, which will be run on Saturday, drew a field of eight 3-year-olds where the top five eligible finishers will earn Derby qualifying points of 10-4-3-2-1.

A pair of New York-breds are the favorites and both are Hot List “A” horses. Arctic Arrogance is the 8-5 morning line favorite for Linda Rice. Chad Brown’s Neural Network was sired by Preakness winner Cloud Computing and is the 7-2 second choice.

“This horse is training quite well and he’s a horse we really thought a lot of,” said Brown. “He’s a New York-bred, but he trains like he can handle open company and it looks like the longer the better. He’s got some extra sentimental value being by Cloud Computing, who was a really special horse for us. We’re hoping he can do his dad proud and try and develop onto the Triple Crown trail through New York like his dad did.”

Here are the Hot List picks for the Jerome:

The $150,000 Jerome, Aqueduct, Saturday, Race 8.

(1) Neural Network (A) was an impressive debut winner for Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables in a NY-bred maiden special weight where he sat a stalking trip and drew off to win by five lengths at 5-1. A fast pace is expected which should be to the advantage of Neural Network as he goes an added furlong in this one-turn mile. (6) Arctic Arrogance (A) was also a first-time winner of a NY-bred maiden but he went on to finish second and then first in state-bred stakes. He won at a mile in the Sleepy Hollow and then set the pace in the Remsen (G2) and was beaten by a half-length going two-turns at Aqueduct earning four Kentucky Derby qualifying points. (4) Lugan Knight ships to New York from Kentucky for trainer Michael McCarthy. He broke his maiden in his second try at Keeneland and then was third in an allowance at Churchill Downs behind the horse that won the Smarty Jones on the Derby trail. (5) Andiamo a Firenze is projected to be on the lead once again from which he broke his maiden and won the Funny Cide at Saratoga. The mile distance is going to test his stamina.

The rest of the NY Hot List picks and the Special Saturday Pick 3 are available free of charge at this website.