BB Turf Champ Seventh Sense Wins Gr 1 Jockey’s Weapon

It looks like Seventh Sense will get to defend his 2010 Breeders’ Bowl Turf title after all.

Ranked number 17 last week in the long turf division overall, Seventh Sense rolled to an easy 2 ¾ length win Saturday in the 12-furlong Grade 1 Jockey’s Weapon Stakes in Italy this weekend.

The win jumped Seventh Sense up nine spots in the rankings to number 8 and just about locked up a spot for the Irish-bred horse from Tees Stables a spot in the Breeders’ Bowl Turf.

Seventh Sense dueled early on with 21/1 long shot Alphajest for the first three furlongs, before he quickly put that one away and then led the field all the way home for his first Grade 1 win since he captured the Breeders’ Bowl Turf title last November in Kentucky.

For Seventh Sense, it was his sixth grade 1 race in his last seven starts. It’s been nothing short of a grueling 2011 schedule for the four year old scratch-bred son of Montjeu who broke the $4 million dollar mark in career earnings with the $300,000 he collected for winning the Grade 1 Jockey’s Weapon Saturday.

But his connections can relax now and send the son of Montjeu back to Kentucky in four weeks to defend his 2010 Breeders’ Bowl Turf championship, should they decide to do so.

It was only the 22^nd start for the Seventh Sense, who’s got five graded wins in his career. He was the big three year old champion two years ago, when he won both the Grade 1 Derby De English and the Grade 1 Irish Derby before he went on to the Breeders’ Bowl to capture the Breeders’ Bowl Turf last season.

The win broke a string of frustrating races this season for the speedy Seventh Seventh Sense, who led the first three calls of both the Grade 1 Spring Cup in Japan and the Grade 1 Coronation Pilsner Cup before giving up the lead late in both those races. He finished second in that Grade 1 Spring Cup in Japan and third in the Grade 1 Coronation Pilsner.

But the outcome was never in doubt Saturday for Seventh Sense who rolled out to a big early lead and cruised to the Grade 1 Jockey’s Weapon win. He bounced out to as much as an 8 length lead before winning geared down late Saturday. He was never in danger of losing Saturday’s race, despite the furious late charges late from Curtinsforsirtin and River Barrow, who came from way back to pick up the second and third place checks this weekend in Italy behind Seventh Sense.

Curtinsforsirtin came from last place and 21 ¼ lengths off the lead to stage a pretty terrific late rally to finish second behind Seventh Sense Saturday.

River Barrow, who was also pretty far back early on, came from 16 ½ lengths off the pace to get the third place check in the big grade 1 event in Italy this weekend.

The Irish-bred Seventh Sense paid $8.40, $3.90 and $2.60 to his backers as the second favorite in the race. The 6-2 exacta with Curtainsforsirtain paid $44.70 and the 6-2-3 trifecta with River Barrow third paid $316.60.