2022 Jazil Stakes Contenders at Aqueduct

Forewarned, owned and trained by Uriah St. Lewis, is not to be overlooked in the $100,000 Jazil Stakes, a nine-furlong test for older horses at Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday, January 22.

Last out, the 7-year-old Flat Out bay rallied from seventh to collar returning rival Empty Tomb and post a 42-1 upset in the nine-furlong $125,000 Queens County on December 19 at the Big A.

Bred in Ohio by Preston Stables, the 10-time winner is rarely the favorite outside of his native state where he has won the 10-furlong Best of Ohio Endurance three years running at Mahoning Valley Race Course.

"Distance is his best friend," St. Lewis said. "He needs a mile and a quarter, but he can handle a mile and an eighth. It worked out fine for him last time - they went fast up front and that really helped him."

After winning the Best of Ohio Endurance as the mutuel choice in 2019-20, Forewarned went to post as the second-choice in this year's edition in October, besting the 4-5 favorite Wicked Warrior by 3 1/2-lengths.

"People in Ohio have been calling about him because he's been doing so good there and they would like to breed to him," St. Lewis said. "So, I think he might find himself a home there when he's finished."

Forewarned finished fourth in the nine-furlong Richard W. Small in November with Dexter Haddock up for the first time. Haddock retained the mount for the Queens County and utilized a patient ride, rallying five-wide to get the money.

St. Lewis said Haddock has earned his trust aboard the headstrong Forewarned, who trains without company.

"He comes to the barn every day and we talk. He sees him train because only the exercise rider gets on him. He has a lot of confidence in the horse," St. Lewis said.

Haddock will pilot Forewarned from post 7.

Klaravich Stables' Core Conviction, a lightly-raced 5-year-old American Pharoah gelding, will make his stakes debut for four-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.

Bred in Kentucky by Pollock Farms, Core Conviction graduated at second asking in November sprinting seven furlongs at the Big A with a 5 1/2-length score over Waxman, who has since won two straight races in impressive fashion. Core Conviction's gate-to-wire triumph garnered a 93 Beyer.

Core Conviction followed with a gritty three-quarter length score over multiple stakes placed Three Jokers on December 12, making every pole a winning one in a one-turn mile at Aqueduct.

The dark bay worked a half-mile in 49.49 seconds January 14 over the Belmont dirt training track.

Jose Ortiz retains the mount from post 5.

JKX Racing's Why Why Paul Why enters on a four-race win streak at Parx dating to a September 8 optional-claiming tilt and culminating with a post-Christmas gift with a 2 1/4-length score on December 28 in the one mile and 70 yard Kris Kringle.

Trained by Penny Pearce, the 5-year-old Archarcharch bay was claimed for $30,000 out of a sixth-place finish in June at Churchill Downs and has subsequently posted a record of 6-5-1-0 for new connections. His lone loss was in August to the in-form Shoo Shine, who exited that effort to capture an allowance tilt at Monmouth Park.

Why Why Paul Why breezed five-eighths in 1:03.15 Friday over the Parx main track.

Out of the Whywhywhy mare Precious Beauty, Why Why Paul Why was bred in Kentucky by Patchen Wilkes Farm.

Kendrick Carmouche will pilot Why Why Paul Why from the inside post.

John Grossi's Racing Corp.'s Empty Tomb will look to turn the tables on Forewarned for trainer Robert Falcone, Jr.

Empty Tomb was claimed for $80,000 from a third-place finish in a nine-furlong optional-claiming tilt in August at Saratoga. Following a pair of off-the-board efforts in stakes events, Empty Tomb posted a game three-quarter length score over Jazil rival First Constitution in a one-turn mile optional-claimer on November 28 at the Big A.

Last out, racing on three weeks' rest, Empty Tomb set a pressured pace in the Queens County, besting Backsideofthemoon by a head for place.

"He ran extremely hard," Falcone, Jr. said. "It's rewarding because he ran a great race to finish second and whenever they run good it's always fun.

"Props to the winner, Forewarned, but we had a couple challengers throughout the whole race and on top of having to turn them away, he had that one come on late," Falcone, Jr. added. "He ran as hard as he could. It was a great race but he did a lot of the dirty work and for him to keep running on and get beat was tough. He ran his heart out."

Empty Tomb will emerge from post 4 under Eric Cancel.

Don Alberto Stable, WinStar Farm and Twin Creeks Racing Stables' First Constitution enters in search of his first U.S. win.

The 5-year-old Constitution chestnut, who captured the Group 1 Gran Criterium Mauricio Serrano Palma in his native Chile in October 2020, was transferred to the care of Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher last year for a four-race campaign.

First Constitution garnered a career-best 98 Beyer with a runner-up effort to stakes-placed Speaker's Corner in October at Belmont traveling 1 1/16-miles ahead of his runner-up effort in November to Empty Tomb.

Pletcher's New York-based assistant Byron Hughes said First Constitution should appreciate the nine-furlongs.

"It doesn't seem like he has distance limitations by watching him train in the morning. His gallop outs are strong. He's a big scopey horse as well, so it should be something he should handle," Hughes said. "He's definitely run against some quality older horses in his past couple races. We haven't missed any training with him. He's coming into this spot nicely, so all we're hoping for now is that he runs to his training."

Jose Lezcano will guide First Constitution from post 2.

Rounding out the field are Splicethemainbrace [post 3, Abner Adorno] and Twelve Volt Man [post 6, Edwin Gonzalez].

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