I Know I Know Aiming to Go the Distance in Jerkens Handicap

$100,000 Feature Honoring Late Hall of Famer Offers 2-Mile Test

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Amy Dunne and trainer Patrick Biancone’s I Know I Know will venture into the unknown in Saturday’s $100,000 H. Allen Jerkens Handicap at Gulfstream Park, where the 3-year-old son of Jess’s Dream will be tested at the exacting distance of two miles.

I Know I Know has shown promise during his 13 starts that include three wins and three runner-up finishes, and he has been competitive in most of his stakes appearances without winning one. Biancone expressed confidence that the two miles of Saturday’s handicap for 3-year-olds and up will bring out the very best in his homebred, whose running style fits the profile of a horse suited for long distances.

“He’s a galloper. He never stops. He just keeps galloping,” Biancone said. “He’s a turf galloper.”

His sire Jess’s Dream, a son of 2007 and 2008 Horse of the Year Curlin out of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, raced only once but clearly demonstrated his breeding for distance by winning his 2015 debut at 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga.

Biancone identified I Know I Know as a horse who would improve with maturity.

“I know last year, I told my family, ‘This is going to be a nice horse. He’ll be a very good mile-and-a-half horse,’” said Biancone before adding with a chuckle, “Now, whether he is a two-mile horse, I don’t know.”

David Egan, a star in England who has ridden at Gulfstream for the past two Championship Meets during the off-season for flat racing in Europe, has the mount aboard I Know I Know, who is 10-1 on the morning line for the handicap named in honor of the late Hall of Fame trainer.

“He rode a few for me last year. His brother is good friends with my grandson,” Biancone said. “I think there are more races at two miles in Europe.”

I Know I Know will carry 117 pounds, including the three-pound weight allowance for 3-year-olds, four few than 121-pound co-highweights Summer Cause and Risk Manager.

Waterford Stable LLC’s Summer Cause is the only horse in the Jerkens field that has experience at two miles. The 5-year-old Summer Front gelding finished an even fourth in the John Forbes Memorial at Fair Hill, beaten 13 ¾ lengths, last time out.

Summer Cause ran his first 11 races on dirt, which included a stakes-placing in the 2024 Federico Tesio at Laurel, before winning his turf debut at Tampa in April. The Miguel Clement trainee has been winless in four subsequent starts.

Tyler Gaffalione has been named to ride Summer Cause, the 9-5 morning-line favorite, for the first time Saturday.

Case Chambers’ Risk Manager, who leads all Jerkens entrants with 11 career victories, has had a productive fall campaign while winning two-turn races at Ellis Park, Kentucky Downs and Aqueduct in a row before his chances of winning a fourth at Churchill Downs was compromised by a slow start.

Edgard Zayas will ride Mike Maker-trained Risk Manager, whose victory at Kentucky Downs came at 1 5/16 miles. The 7-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky is rated second on the morning line at 3-1.

Photos Finish LLC’s Belouni enters the Jerkens coming off a runner-up finish behind Risk Manager, beaten by a half-length. Formerly trained by Chad Brown, the 5-year-old French-bred gelding was making his first start off the claim by Fernando Abreu.

Edwin Gonzalez has the mount on Belouni, who is rated 7-2 on the morning line.

Imaginary Stables’ Padiddle has done his best running at longer distances in 2025. Although the son of Empire Maker has made it to the finish line first only once, he has achieved graded-stakes placings in the 1 ½-mile Pan American (G3) at Gulfstream, 1 3/8-mile Man O’ War (G2) at Aqueduct and 1 ¾-mile Belmont Gold Cup (G2) at Saratoga.

Miguel Vasquez has the call on Elizabeth Dobles-trained Padiddle, who is rated at 5-1 on the morning line

Belouni and Padiddle will both carry 119 pounds.

With only six career starts Mark Grier’s Coiled (115, 8-1) concedes a wide edge in experience to his rivals, but the 3-year-old son of Hard Spun demonstrated an appreciation for a distance of ground in his most recent start at Laurel, where he overcame early problems to win a 1 ½-mile allowance.

Jorge Ruiz has the riding assignment on the Arnaud Delacour trainee.

Michael Marks’ Ruddy Buddy (116, 20-1) and Starry Night Racing’s Dontsplashthepot (113, 20-1) round out the field.