Hear No Evil’s exciting colt Jackson Bend made a solid 3-year-old debut on Jan. 23rd at Gulfstream Park, finishing a close second despite a wide trip in the $150,000 Holy Bull S. (G3).

Breaking from the far outside, Jackson Bend tracked four-wide down the backstretch of the one-turn mile while settling into a close stalking position. On the far turn the chestnut colt was forced to lose some ground but still put in a strong bid to forge past the three pace-contesting rivals to his inside.

But Winslow Homer had enjoyed a ground-saving trip in the second flight of horses and slipped through the inside in the stretch, which would prove to be the difference at the wire. The two colts battled the length of the stretch and separated themselves from the rest of the field. Jackson Bend finished three-parts of a length in second in a race that figures to prove as a key event early on the Derby Trail.

Now trained by Nick Zito, Jackson Bend swept the three FSS series of stakes at Calder last year as a 2-year-old and heads into a highly-anticipated 3-year-old campaign for owners Jacks or Better Farm and Robert LaPenta. His Holy Bull effort Saturday returned a solid Beyer Speed Figure of 90, and he owns a high-Beyer of 100 from his win in the In Reality S. at two.

Comment on this article