Having been involved in horse racing for decades, Kirk Robison knows how much luck plays a part in finding success. He admits as much. But perseverance also pays too, and Robison has finally seen the fruits of his labor pay off at the highest level of the game, with his undefeated Jackie’s Warrior (Maclean’s Music) set to head into the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as a heavy favorite, with a chance to solidify a divisional championship to boot. Wednesday morning, Robison joined the TDN Writers’ Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to discuss his emerging superstar, the breaking news of his deal with Spendthrift for the colt’s breeding rights and what it means to have a potential Breeders’ Cup or GI Kentucky Derby winner after all these years supporting the game he loves.

   Already with runaway victories in the GII Saratoga Special S. and GI Runhappy Hopeful S., Jackie’s Warrior added a devastatingly easy 5 1/2-length victory in the GI Champagne S. Saturday at Belmont.

  “I read that they’ve run the Champagne since 1867, and I appreciate the fact there’s a lot of horses that were in there that are in the history books,” Robison said. To win that race is just incredible. First Landing and Dehere were the only 2-year-olds in the last 60 years that swept the Saratoga Special, Hopeful and Champagne. And now our colt did it. So putting it in that perspective, I appreciate every one of these races.”

   Asked how early he knew his colt was a runner, Robison reflected on a conversation he had with a different Asmussen as the horse was being broken at the family’s Laredo, Texas training center.

   “I talk to Keith once in a while about how they’re doing,” he said. “He doesn’t get too ahead of the curve on who’s running well because he doesn’t do much with them as far as asking for speed. But I told him early on, like February or March, ‘I want to win the Hopeful someday with a 2-year-old.’ He actually said, ‘This might be your colt.’”

   Elsewhere on the show, in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment, the writers paid tribute to the great Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), who was retired from racing this week after an illustrious career. Plus they broke down the Ken McPeek vs. Matt Muzikar beef that stemmed from last week’s podcast celebrated the Grade I success of the show’s unofficial mascot, Harvey’s Lil Goil (American Pharoah). C