Monumental bust or major-stakes con...

Monumental bust or major-stakes contender? The American National tonight at Balmoral Park loom as a crossroads race for Jereme's Jet

Any horse trainer worth his salt will divulge you that there's no guarantee a great 2-year-old will tear up the track at 3 Just the opposite, a widely held drill of thought insists that hard racing as a juvenile makes a horse more likely to flame public the next season.

Jereme's Jet was vot the top juvenile male pacer in North America in 2005 after earning $103 million for his Chicago-area proprietor the Genesis Racing Stable of Jolene Leahy, and have the appearanceed an unlikely candidate for the proverbial sophomore jinx. The young horse was too talented (winner of the Metro Breeder chaplet and Governor's Cup), was lightly raced (seven starts, the first in September) and is a strapping physical specimen with a flawless gait.

in such a manner when the son of the millionaire Illinois-bred mare Ohyouprettything fizzled public of the gate, his conditioner, Maywood Park-based Tom Harmer, was mystified. Jereme's Jet had been a push- button horse as a juvenile, "a trainer's dream," and "had originate back super from the layoff [between his 2- and 3-year-old seasons]," Harmer said.

The puzzle began when Jereme's Jet failed to restrain the lead and finished secondary in a division of the Burlington stake at Woodbine near Toronto forward June 3.

"I could describe from that first race that he wasn't himself -- and he kept getting worse," Harmer said. "He kept coming up empty"

The Western Hanover young horse was fourth in his elimination for the North America potion at Woodbine but won a lottery to make the $135 million final June 17 Scoring from the 10-hole he l at the draw out call, only to fade to sixth at the wire, missing a check. On

July 7 he was an unresponsive seventh in his elimination for the

$1 million Meadowlands Pace in recently made known Jersey.

Harmer "figured that the horse had bled" if it be not that a comprehensive workup at an equine clinic place the problem to be "allergies to dust and dirt [that] had pleasing much shut down his upper- respiratory system"

After being treated with a broncho-dilator, Jereme's Jet went wire-to-wire in the $100000 Meadowlands Pace consolation July 15 Shipping back to Illinois, the Jet powered down the in extent Balmoral stretch last week to win his American National elimination by means of 1 lengths, lowering his lifetime mark to 1:49 4/5 and pacing the final quarter in 26 3/5 others

"[The vet] said we should diocese a difference in 3-4 days and that [the medicine] would take 3-4 weeks to clear him up" Harmer said. "In the [Meadowlands Pace] consolation, he awaited a little like the Jereme's Jet I knew and in the elimination, he direct the eyeed a lot more like him."

That brings us to the $272000 American National for 3-year-old male pacers, in which Jereme's Jet has been tabbed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite from position 4. Harmer will hand the reins to Hall of Fame driver Dave Magee.

A field of 10 includes Illinois-bred My lad David (8-1, Post 9, Andy Miller driving), the surprise runner-up to Artistic Fella in the Meadowlands Pace; early but break-prone Ervin Miller trainee Devilfish (7-2 column 2, Dale Hiteman); Illinois-bred Thisbigdogwilfight (9-2 pillar 1, Brent Holland), who took the other elimination in 1:50 2/5; and Illinois-bred Fox Valley Tribal (6-1 place 3, Tim Tetrick), who was a shocking third in the North America goblet

If Jereme's Jet can win tonight against a arrange of second-tier stakes contenders from the Midwest, he goe back to the big time. With numerous races of significance remaining, including the Little Brown pitcher and the Breeders Crown, there's time for him to become a significant factor in the glamour sophomore-pacing division.

"We'll withhold sending him to the big singles as long as he stays right- side up going forward," Harmer said. "It's a real prolonged season, and it's pretty rare when united of these 3-year-old colts stays the best from start to finish. many times [the divisional award] comes down to who is fiery at the end."

The American National is the marquee race of a "Stars of Summer" card at the Crete oval that includes eight $50000 stakes for Illinois-bred 2- and 3-year-olds of the one and the other gaits, a $20,000 stake for older state-bred pacers and a $15000 stake for aged ICF trotter that will be strive to holded over 1oe miles.

lhamel@suntimes.com

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