In his stakes win last December, Jeremiah Jack defeated French Assault by five lengths, with subsequent Southwest Stakes divisional winner Private Emblem 8 3/4 lengths back in third. James Lopez will be in the irons Saturday.Ocean Sound also worked Wednesday ahead of Saturday's race, breezing three furlongs in :37 2/5 under Calvin Borel, who will ride the Irish-bred colt in the Rebel.Also expected for the race, with jockeys, are: Bay Monster; Marlon St. Julien; Cope With An Image, David Nuesch; Dusty Spike, Cliff Berry; Interminable Gold, Luis Quinonez; and Windward Passage.
Jeremiah Jack is slated to make his first start since undergoing surgery to correct a breathing problem in Saturday's $100,000 Rebel Stakes (gr. II) at Oaklawn Park.In his most recent start, the Sam Houston Texan Juvenile Stakes winner finished fourth in the Lecomte Stakes, finishing only two lengths behind the winner (Easyfromthegitgo) while making his 3-year-old debut."My horse ran an unbelievable race that day," trainer Tom Amoss said. "He had to check sharply when a horse crowded him from the outside on the first turn, and he was under a drive from the five-eighths pole."He then skipped both the Risen Star (gr. III) and Louisiana Derby (gr. II) while recuperating from the surgery and the son of Patton has been training well for his return race, including a :48 3/5 half-mile under Eddie Martin Jr. Wednesday morning at Fair Grounds."You really don't know how a horse will respond after coming off surgery, so I can't make any grand predictions," said Amoss. "I just expect he will run well, and, if he does, he'll stick around for the Arkansas Derby."Amoss said Jeremiah Jack will also race with blinkers in the Rebel.Jeremiah Jack has three wins in nine career starts, but has three wins in five starts in races one mile or longer, suggesting the 1 1/16-mile distance of the Rebel should be to his liking."He's a talented colt, and there's no question he can get a distance," Amoss said.
