by Mike Curry

J Be K accelerated to the lead on the turn and left five challengers reeling in his wake in a visually impressive four-length victory in the $148,500 Jersey Shore Stakes (G3) on Friday at Monmouth Park.

The three-year-old Silver Deputy colt pressed a torrid pace from three wide under Garrett Gomez and seized command when ready en route to his third graded stakes win and fourth victory in six starts this season for trainer Steve Asmussen and owner Zayat Stables.

“Going into the race, I knew I had the best horse, so I really wanted to keep him in the clear and out of trouble. People don’t really think he has any speed, but if you look back at his two-year-old line at Saratoga, you see differently.” Gomez said, referring to his track-record-setting victory as a juvenile at Saratoga Race Course, where he blistered 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:03.13.

"He’s a great horse with a great mind and is maturing at a good rate. He’s like a teenager just getting out of high school and adjusting to everything the right way. He’s a very nice horse.”

J Be K spurted out of the gate but faced a stiff challenge early as four horses challenged for the lead with Go Go Shoot drilling an opening quarter in :21.46 in the six-furlong race for three-year-olds. J Be K took over early on the turn as the 2-to-5 favorite, steadily pulled away while opening a commanding advantage in early stretch, and coasted to victory in 1:09.10 on a track rated as fast.
 
“He’s a sharp breaker, so the plan was to just let him hop out of the gate and go from there,” said Toby Sheets, assistant to Asmussen. “I didn’t expect four horses to be going for the lead, but it all worked out well. 

“Garrett [Gomez] geared him down toward the wire, which should have saved something for his next race. He was real impressive today.”

Out of stakes-placed winner Major Wager, by Valid Wager, J Be K entered off a 5 1/2-length score in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G2) on June 7 at Belmont Park. He improved to five wins in seven career starts, including a win in the Bay Shore Stakes (G3) on April 5 at Aqueduct, and boosted his earnings to $427,200.
 
Runner-up Silver Edition was six lengths clear of third-place finisher Indy Joe.

For an Equibase chart, click here.

Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor