NEWS
Jukebox Jury victorious in Preis von Europa
Posted: Sunday, September 27, 2009 8:38 PM
by Myra Lewyn
Jukebox Jury narrowly held back a determined late bid from Eastern Anthem to earn his first win at the top level in the IVG Preis von Europa (Ger-G1) on Sunday at Cologne.
The three-year-old Montjeu (Ire) colt led in the opening stages but was taken back to second by jockey Royston Ffrench and tracked pacesetter Enroller throughout. The gray colt seized command with a little more than two furlongs to run and repelled Nakheel Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-G1) victor and favorite Eastern Anthem, who charged from off the pace and was denied by a nose.
Jukebox Jury covered 2,400 meters (11.93 furlongs) in 2:29.56 on turf rated as good and provided Ffench, his regular rider this season, with his first Group 1 victory.
Forced out of the spring classics due to a stress fracture of the tibia, Jukebox Jury has earned two group stakes wins since his return in June. He landed the Totepool.com Rose of Lancaster Stakes (Eng-G3) by 1¼ lengths over Campanologist on August 8 at Haydock Park and defeated Pouvoir Absolu by a nose in the Lucien Barriere Grand Prix de Deauville (Fr-G2) on August 30 in his previous start.
“He's a very tough horse,” Jock Bennett, trainer Mark Johnston’s traveling head lad, told At The Races. “This horse never wins by a long margin, but when he gets in a fight he is very tough and very hard to beat."
Jukebox Jury will now be pointed to the 1½-mile Pattison Canadian International Stakes (Can-G1) on the turf at Woodbine on October 17.
Jukebox Jury’s win in the Preis von Europa marked the second in a group stakes on Sunday for an offspring of Montjeu, who is based at Coolmore Stud in Ireland. St Nicholas Abbey won the Juddmonte Beresford Stakes (Ire-G2) at the Curragh.
Jukebox Jury, who is out of Mare Aux Fees, by Kenmare, improved to five wins in 11 career starts, including his triumph in the 2008 Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes (Eng-G2) for owner Alan Spence. Johnston purchased the half brother to three stakes winners for $364,257 at the 2007 Arqana Deauville August yearling sale.
Myra Lewyn is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
