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News & Notes - Finish Wire
MONMOUTH PARK 2009
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News & Notes - Finish Wire MONMOUTH PARK 2009 |
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2009 MONMOUTH MEETING ENDS SHOWING GAINS IN ATTENDANCE, BUT FOLLOWS NATIONAL TREND WITH WAGERING DECLINES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Monmouth Park concluded its 2009 meeting Sunday showing a significant gain in average attendance, even as wagering followed what has become this year’s national downward trend.
During the 93-day meeting that opened on May 9 (the program of Friday, Sept. 11 was canceled due to adverse weather conditions), total attendance reached 646,268 for a daily average of 6,949, a gain of 6 percent over last year.
At the same time, wagering on Monmouth races from all sources totaled $293,019,640 for 93 days, a daily average of $3,150,749. The average daily handle was 5 percent lower than the 2008 average of $3,308,135. On-track handle was $38,072,385, a daily average of $409,380, down 4.9 percent from last year.
“Overall, we can clearly say that the Monmouth meeting was a success,” said Dennis Robinson, president and CEO of the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. “The numbers were what we expected and are in line with the national trend.
“To see an increase in attendance and only a slight dip in handle is proof positive that more people stayed close to home this summer, and in this economic climate had less discretionary money to spend,” Robinson said.
Monmouth’s midsummer promotion of “Dollar Days” every Friday during the month of July was declared the top summer sports deal in the United States by the Sports Illustrated website www.SI.com, on its list of best bargains in sports for summer of 2009.
“I’m proud of the events we put on this season,” Robinson said, “particularly Rachel Alexandra running in the Haskell, bringing the Vans Warped Tour to Monmouth Park for the first time, the tremendous success of this year’s crab cake cook-off, and the steeplechase festival late in the season. These events demonstrate Monmouth Park’s importance not only as a racing venue, but as a community partner in the region, and an economic engine for the state of New Jersey.”
Without question, the Thoroughbred star of the 2009 meeting was filly superstar Rachel Alexandra, who solidified her Horse of the Year credentials with an emphatic victory over colts in the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (G1), where she beat Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird by six lengths.
A crowd of 37,090 turned out to see racing’s reigning queen, a remarkable number given the fact that Aug. 3 was one of the worst weather days of the year in New Jersey, with fierce thunderstorms that brought rain, lightning and tornado warnings to much of the state.
Elvis Trujillo won his first Monmouth riding title, finishing with 129 victories. Eddie Castro was second, with Joe Bravo and Carlos Marquez Jr. tied for third.
Bruce Levine dominated the early part of the meet and cruised to a second straight training title, saddling 46 winners. Scott Volk was second and Jason Servis finished third in the standings.
Repole Stable was the leading owner for the second straight year with 24 winners, followed by George and Lori Hall and Patricia Generazio.
Live Thoroughbred racing in New Jersey shifts to the Meadowlands starting Thursday, Oct. 1, for a 47-day meet that runs through Dec. 5.
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TRICKY ME, FOUR SCHOOLS WIN JUMP STAKES AT MONMOUTH; THREE DAY RUSH, PROUD ZOE TAKE TAKE NATC FUTURITY DIVIONS
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Front-running upsets were the order of the day at the Monmouth Park-Meridian Health Steeplechase Festival on Saturday as Tricky Me, an 8-1 chance, captured the $70,000 Metcalf Memorial Novice Hurdle Stakes, and the 14-1 Four Schools took the $50,000 Helen Haskell Sampson Memorial Hurdle Stakes.
In Saturday’s two features on the main track, Three Day Rush, an 11-1 outsider, won the Colt Division of the $200,000 Monmouth Park-NATC Futurity before 7-10 favorite Proud Zoe captured the $200,000 Filly Division.
The parade of winning longshots resulted in no winning Pick 5 tickets, so that $9,934 will carry over to Sunday’s Pick 5 pool which will have a mandatory payout since it is closing day of the 2009 Monmouth meet.
In the Metcalf Memorial, Harold A. Via Jr.’s Tricky Me made it look easy as he never faltered on the lead and won by two lengths at the end of two and a quarter miles and 12 jumps.
Tricky Me, trained by Jack O. Fisher and ridden by William Dowling, completed the course in 4:24 2/5 and paid $19.40, $6.40 and $4.80 after holding off 4-5 favorite Left Unsaid in the final furlong.
Left Unsaid completed the $48.40 exacta and paid $2.80 to place and $2.60 to show. Nationbuilder, nearly two lengths farther back in third, paid $3.80 to show. Seer, who won the Monmouth County Hunt Cup in course record time (4:22.50) here last year for trainer Fisher, finished fourth.
This was just the second victory of the year for Tricky Me, a 4-year-old gelding by Unbridled’s Song who broke his maiden at the Percy Warner meeting in Tennessee in May.
Tricky Me is no newcomer to Monmouth Park, however. The Kentucky-bred made three starts here last year when trained by Alan Goldberg. His best finish was a third in a maiden race on the main track.
Tricky Me was second and fourth in two Saratoga novice stakes in his two starts over the summer.
“Just like Seer, we got this one from Alan Goldberg,” Fisher said. “He wasn’t jumping all that well at Saratoga. He kept missing the last jump, and in steeplechasing that’s a real big deal. He handled everything great today.”
Dowling said his trip worked out well.
“We got to the early lead and the field left us alone up there,” the rider said. “Nobody ran with us, so we were just going at our own pace. It didn’t feel like we were going too fast. This horse is getting more and more used to the jumps. Now that he is getting more comfortable, I don’t think he will need to be on the lead.”
In the Sampson Memorial, Mrs. George L. Ohrstrom Jr.’s Four Schools, the outsider in the race at 14-1, took command when the flag fell, and then refused to yield over the next two miles and 10 fences. He turned back the 8-5 favorite Slip Away in the final furlong and charged to the wire a length and a half in front.
Four Schools, trained by Richard Valentine and ridden by Robert Walsh, negotiated the two miles over a firm course in 3:51 1/5 and paid $31.20, $9.40 and $3.20 across the board.
Slip Away completed the $74.80 exacta and paid $3.20 to place and $2.80 to show. Three Carat finished third, more than seven lengths behind Slip Away, and paid $3.20 to show.
Four Schools, a 7-year-old Irish-bred by Raise a Grand, took his second jump victory in five starts this year. At Colonial Downs last out, he bobbled over a fence and left the course in the Ferguson Memorial Stakes, a race he won last year.
“This gelding usually likes to sit near the early lead,” Walsh said, “but today we ended up on the lead. Early position doesn’t make too much difference with this horse. He knows what he’s supposed to do. He felt good the whole way around there.”
In the colt division of the Monmouth Park NATC Futurity, Vision Racing’s Three Day Rush broke his maiden in grand style as he came again in deep stretch to beat Enumerate, the 3-5 favorite, by a neck.
Three Day Rush, trained by Ronny Werner and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., stopped the timer in 1:10 4/5 for six furlongs over a fast main track and paid $24.60, $6.60 and $3.40 across the board as one of the outsiders in the field of seven 2-year-olds and topped the $61.40 exacta.
Enumerate, who was made the odds-on favorite off his second in the Grade 2 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga in July, paid $2.40 and $2.20, and Chief Counsel, the 5-2 second choice, returned $2.20 to show.
This was the first career win in three starts for Three Day Rush, a colt by Harlan’s Holiday – Predictress, by Vicar, who was second in his debut at Delaware in July and fourth in a Saratoga maiden event in August. The colt had blinkers added for today’s race.
“We always target this race (the NATC Futurity),” Werner said, “it’s been very good to us. We added blinkers for this, and when the other horse (Enumerate) came to him, he dug in very nicely.”
Hernandez said, “He showed a lot of maturity today with the addition of blinkers. He made himself comfortable throughout and then he went about his business when that horse came up along side of us.”
In the Filly Division of the NATC Futurity, DPW Thoroughbreds’ Proud Zoe performed like an odds-on favorite should, asserting herself through the final furlong to score by four and a half lengths.
The Todd Pletcher-trained miss, ridden by Javier Castellano, stopped the timer in 1:10 4/5 for six furlongs and paid $3.40, $2.40 and $2.10 across the board as the favorite in the field of seven 2-year-old fillies.
All Due Respect made a strong stretch surge to get up for second by a neck to complete the $9.40 exacta, and returned $3.20 and $2.20. Encore Saritta, who had made all the pace, settled for third, paying $2.20.
This was the second straight win for Proud Zoe, a Florida-bred daughter of Accolade who broke her maiden last out at Saratoga in her fourth career start.
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NEW JERSEY MOVES TO MEADOWLANDS ON THURSDAY
Monmouth Park.com
Thoroughbred action shifts to northern New Jersey on Thursday, Oct. 1, when the Meadowlands opens a 47-program season that runs through Dec. 5. The East Rutherford track will run five days a week, with Sundays and Wednesdays dark.
First post time for the opening two weeks of racing (Oct. 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9) will be 1:10 p.m. Post time for the program of Saturday, Oct. 10 will be 7 p.m.
Thereafter, all Monday and Tuesday cards will be run during the day with a 1:10 p.m. first post. The Thursday, Friday and Saturday programs will be run at night with a 7 p.m. first post. There will be no racing on Thursday, Nov. 26, Thanksgiving Day.
The Meadowlands will offer four graded stakes, starting with the $125,000 Cliff Hanger (G3) on Saturday, Oct. 3, that is expected to draw such turf stars as Get Serious and Kiss the Kid.
The other graded events on the schedule are the $125,000 Violet Stakes (G3) on Oct. 10; the $300,000 Meadowlands Cup (G2) on Oct. 16, and the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes (G3) on Nov. 6.
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WAY WITH WORDS PREVAILS IN POLITELY STAKES; $12, 324 CARRYOVER FOR THURSDAY'S PICK 5
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – George L. Schwartz’s Way With Words collared pacesetter All Night Labor at the top of the stretch and gradually wore down that foe to post a length victory in the $70,000 Politely Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
Trained by Mary Eppler, Way With Words stepped the mile and a sixteenth over a fast main track in 1:45 2/5 and returned $5.40, $2.60 and $2.20 across the board as the favorite in the field of six older fillies and mares. All Night Labor paid $3 to place and $2.60 to show and completed the $14.60 exacta. It was another 2 ¾ lengths back to Haven’s Honey, who paid $2.80 to show.
“We got a perfect trip in behind the early pacesetter and the fractions were pretty comfortable,” said winning jockey Eddie Castro. “I waited until the turn to ask her and she really kicked in for me.”
Sunday’s win was the eighth in 18 starts for Way With Words, a 5-year-old mare by Sefapiano from the Belong to Me mare Swiftly Tilting. Bred in New Jersey, Way With Words has now earned $350,590 and is being pointed toward the Grade 3 Violet Stakes for $125,000 at the Meadowlands on Oct. 10.
Way With Words’ win was the last race in the Pick 5 sequence, which started with Light Wrap ($14) in the fifth race. The wager continued with Wardelle ($27.40) in the sixth and then Basic Trick ($28.40) in race seven. The eighth race was won by Leadwithyourchin ($21.60) followed by Way With Words. No one correctly picked all five winners in the wager, therefore creating a $12,324 carryover into Thursday’s card. Four out of five winners returned $164.30 for 50 cents.
The Pick 5 is offered on races five through nine on every live race date and has a base wager of 50 cents.
The 2009 Monmouth Park meet continues on Thursday, Sept. 24 – gates open 11:30 a.m., first post set for 12:50 p.m. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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GOOD AND LUCKY RALLIES TO WIN FORMAL GOLD STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT,
N.J. -- Good and Lucky circled the entire field on the stretch turn, dug in
through the stretch, and then was up in time to capture the $70,000 Formal Gold
Stakes by a half-length at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
The winner, trained by Michael Matz and ridden by Joe Bravo, raced the mile and
a sixteenth over a fast main track in 1:43 4/5 and paid $9.20, $5 and $3 across
the board as the second choice in the field of seven older horses.
Actin Good, who set most of the pace, held gamely to be second by a nose over
Encaustic, who had headed him in the stretch. Actin Good completed the $58.20
exacta and paid $6.40 and $3.60. Encaustic returned $2.80 to show.
This was the second stakes win this year for Good and Lucky, a 6-year-old son of
Wild Rush who took the Louisiana Handicap at Fair Grounds in January. He earned
a winner’s prize of $42,000 for owners James and Alice Sapara, bringing his
lifetime total to $453,915.
Actin Good and 2-1 favorite Spin Master made the early running, while the winner
was content to sit far back off the pace. Bravo moved his horse to the outside
entering the stretch turn and was forced to circle the entire field around the
turn.
Good and Lucky took several strides to regain his momentum after straightening
into the stretch, but once he got rolling, there was never a doubt of his
winning.
“When you ride for Michael Matz, all you have
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HAFDELIN WINS SURVIVAL AT THE SHORE
Monmouth Park.com
There was no inquiry, no objection – in fact the stewards weren’t even consulted – but there was a change to the final order of finish in Monmouth Park’s 2009 Survival at the Shore on-line handicapping contest.
Fred Hafdelin of Lake Hopatcong, NJ actually crossed the wire first with a mythical bankroll of $1,476.70 qualifying him for the 2010 DRF/NTRA National Handicapping Championship in Las Vegas. However, due to personal reasons, Hafdelin declined the opportunity to compete in Vegas.
His decision moved second-place finisher John Toth of Bridgewater, NJ into the top spot. Toth, who finished just $15.80 behind Hafdelin, had originally won two Continental Airlines round-trip tickets to anywhere in the continental United States. But after hearing of Hafdelin’s decision to turn down the trip to Vegas, Toth was more than happy to trade prizes.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Toth said about hearing the good news. “I had been in first place for most of the year, but in the end I started to second-guess myself and made a couple changes that probably cost me coming in first.”
Toth added that had he won second prize, he probably would have used the two tickets to fly to Las Vegas.
Survival at the Shore ran from May 23 to September 7 and required players to choose one horse from each of three pre-selected races. Provided at least one of the selected horses finished “on-the-board,” the player continued on to the following day. Each player’s mythical bankroll increased daily based on the mythical payoffs of a $2 WPS bet placed on the three selected horses.
Hafdelin and Toth accumulated the two highest bankrolls of the 105 remaining players at the end of the contest. Those 105 Survivors were all that was left from the 4,200 that began the year. Bill Riehl of Tinton Falls, NJ took home the prize for most winners selected with 89.
Registrations are currently being taken for the Meadowlands’ on-line game, Survival Challenge. To sign-up, go to www.survival-challenge.com.
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SUNDAY GEISHA TAKES SUNDAY'S TRENTON STAKES AT MONMOUTH; AT THE DISCO SCORES IN LINCROFT 'CAP
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Dennis Narlinger’s Sunday Geisha came charging hard through the lane to wear down pacesetter Love That Dance in the final strides of the $70,000 Trenton Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday afternoon, as At the Disco reported home a winner in the $60,000 Lincroft Handicap.
Trained by Bruce Levine, Sunday Geisha covered the six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:09 4/5 and returned $5, $3 and $2.60 as the favorite in the field of six fillies and mares. Love That Dance held for second, a half-length behind the winner, and paid $5 and $3.60 and completed the $22 exacta. All of Her Twist finished a neck farther back and returned $3.40 to show.
“She settled off the early leaders nicely and just waited for me to ask her,” said winning jockey Joe Bravo. “She really kicked it in down the lane and dug in gamely when the horse to her inside tried to fight back.”
The Trenton win marked the fourth victory in 16 starts for Sunday Geisha, a 4-year-old by Sunday Break from the Never Tabled mare Above the Table. She has now earned $225,040 for her connections.
In the Lincroft Handicap, At the Disco took command turning for home and battled with a game Hermosillo until late in the lane when the winner opened up to a length and a quarter score. At the Disco covered the mile and an eighth in 1:51 1/5 and returned $5.20, $3.20 and $2.40 and topped a $23 exacta. Hermosillo, the pacesetter, settled for second and paid $4.40 and $3. It was 3 ¾ lengths back to Luna Park, who paid $2.40 to show.
“The only instructions I gave were to get off the rail,” said winning trainer Mary Hartmann. “Eddie rides this horse perfectly and once they came off the fence I was happy.”
With Eddie Castro in the irons, At the Disco improved his career record to 7-7-8 from 37 starts. He has banked $340,435 for owner Patricia Generazio.
Live racing returns to MonmouthPark on Thursday, Sept. 17 – gates open 11:30 a.m., first post set for 12:50 p.m. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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TALKIN ABOUT LOVE RALLIES TO WIN REVIDERE STAKES IN SLOP AT MONMOUTH; CAPE COD GIRL RUNS 2ND
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. -- Kevin Sleeter’s Talkin About Love circled the field on the far turn, rallied down the center of the track and was along in time to score by nearly a length in the $70,000 Revidere Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
The 5-year-old New Jersey-bred mare by Not For Love raced the mile and a sixteenth over a sloppy main track in 1:45 3/5 and provided jockey Carlos H. Marquez Jr. with his third winner of the afternoon.
Talkin About Love, who was winning her first race since July of 2008, paid $8.40, $4 and $3 across the board as second choice in the field of eight fillies and mares and topped the $31.20 exacta.
Cape Cod Girl gained second by a nose over Ask the Moon to return $4.80 and $3.20. Ask the Moon, who started the slight favorite, paid $3.60 to show.
Talkin About Love, bred and trained by her owner, won the Grade 3 Monmouth Breeders’ Cup Oaks here as a 3-year-old in 2007, and then did not win again until last July 23 when she took an allowance race. She came into the Revidere off a pair of second place finishes.
The Revidere, originally scheduled for the turf, scratched down to eight starters when the race was shifted to the main track.
Ask the Moon set sail from the gate and held the lead into the stretch with Cape Cod Girl close behind throughout.
Talkin About Love was content to run along near the back until entering the turn, when Marquez asked her to run. She moved up around the stretch turn, was forced to go very wide entering the stretch, but closed resolutely through the final furlong to be up in plenty of time.
“We were just hoping for a good pace and a clear trip, and that’s what we got,” Sleeter said. “This win has been a long time coming for her. It’s great to have her back in the winner’s circle.”
Marquez said, “We wanted to save as much ground as possible on the first turn, and they went a good quarter, which didn’t hurt. The plan was to wait until I got her clear to make one big run, and it worked out perfectly. She had a big kick when I asked her and exploded.”
Marquez won the third race with Cactus Charlie and the seventh with Lil Kiara.
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EXTREME WINDS, HEAVY RAINS FORCE MONMOUTH CANCELLATION
Monmouth Park.com
Oceanport, N.J. – Monmouth Park
Racetrack cancelled its live racing program on Friday due to extreme winds and
heavy rain.
“As always, our primary concern is for the safety of our jockeys and the
horses,” said Robert Kulina, vice president and general manager of Monmouth
Park. “With the strong wind gusts and the tremendous amount of rain throughout
last night and continuing today, we had no choice but to cancel the program.”
All patrons on track Friday received a coupon good for free admission on any
live race date in the future. In addition, fans can bring back their official
track program or Daily Racing Form for a complimentary copy of either on
any future race date.
The 2009 Monmouth Park racing season runs through Sunday, Sept. 27. Live racing
in September is held every Thursday through Sunday with gates opening at 11:30
a.m. and first post set for 12:50 p.m.
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BARBIE GIRL WINS INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR RACE AT MONMOUTH
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. -- Giddyup Stables’
Barbie Girl, with German amateur rider Marian Falk Weissmeier aboard, romped to
a three and a half-length victory as the 2-5 favorite in the International
FEGENTRI Gentleman’s Race at MonmouthPark on Thursday.
Barbie Girl, trained by Rick Dutrow Jr., raced the one mile over a firm turf
course in 1:38 3/5 and paid $2.80, $2.20 and $2.20 across the board as the
overwhelming favorite in the field of eight fillies and mares.
Miss Ten Oaks, ridden by Ian Chanin from Great Britain, finished second by
nearly four lengths over Love’s Magic, the mount of Swedish rider David
Lenneblad. The best finisher ridden by an American was Noble Karla, fourth with
Juan Picon Jr. aboard.
Miss Ten Oaks paid $4 to place and $3 to show and completed the $10.60 exacta.
Love’s magic paid $4.80 to show.
This was the first win in five career starts for Barbie Girl, a 3-year-old
daughter of Congaree – Hollywood Picture, by Holy Bull. She had made her last
three starts in New York.
Weissmeier is an accomplished rider who became Germany’s youngest champion
amateur ever last year in his second season as a jockey.
Today’s race was part of the World Championship series conducted by FEGENTRI,
the international federation of amateur racing.
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GOLF TOURNAMENT TO BENEFIT RERUN SET FOR MONDAY, SEPT. 28
Monmouth Park.com
The ReRun Charity Golf Tournament
will be held on Monday, Sept. 28, at the Pebble Creek Golf Club in Colts Neck,
N.J.
Fees are $300 per team or $80 per person, and all proceeds go to benefit ReRun,
the Thoroughbred adoption program headquartered at Monmouth Park.
More information is available by calling Lisa Ellison at 732-337-4118, or Mike
Musto at 732-996-8796.
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FLEET VALID ADDS ICECAPADE TO FAST-GROWING WIN STREAK
Monmouth Park.com
Shillelagh Racing Stables’ Fleet
Valid has gone from a $14,000 claimer to a multiple stakes-winner during the
course of the 2009 Monmouth season, which is not surprising to trainer Scott
Volk.
“He’s just back to where he used to be,” Volk said. “He was always cut out to be
a good horse, and now he’s back to that form.”
The 6-year-old son of champion sprinter Montbrook out of the Valid Appeal mare
Di’s Song, was claimed for $14,000 by Volk out of an April 2 race at Aqueduct.
He started this meet by winning an $18,000 claiming race on May 16, stepped up
to allowance company to win on June 28, and now has taken the Teddy Drone (Aug.
2) and Icecapade Stakes to cap the meeting.
Volk said he is debating the gelding’s next start, which will come in either New
Jersey or Maryland.
“He’ll go in either the Eillo Stakes (ungraded at Meadowlands on Oct. 23) or the
De Francis Memorial Dash (Grade 1 at Laurel on Oct. 24),” Volk said.
Fleet Valid broke his maiden as a 2-year-old at Laurel and raced against some of
the top sprinters in the country as a 4-year-old, when he finished behind
Diabolical in the Maryland Sprint Handicap and fourth to Benny the Bull in the
Iowa Sprint Handicap.
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BREEDERS' CUP COULD BE IN FUTURE FOR GET SERIOUS, PISCITELLI
Monmouth Park.com
Their performances over the Labor Day
weekend have connections of two Monmouth-based runners thinking of bigger things
in November.
Get Serious, who won the Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes here on Sunday, could be a
candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) on the turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 7.
Piscitelli, who ran third in the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity on
Saturday, might get a chance to contest the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) that
same day in California.
But a lot of thinking and planning has to be done before the horses are loaded
on a west-bound jet.
Get Serious, owned by James Dinan, Jacques Moore and Phantom House Farm, earned
some graded stakes points in winning the Red Bank Stakes, but he’ll need more to
get into the Breeders’ Cup Mile, a traditionally oversubscribed event that
almost always goes with a maximum field of 14.
Trained by John Forbes and Pat McBurney, the 5-year-old Get Serious has won
three in a row now, but the Red Bank was his first graded win ever. The New
York-bred gelding took the Oceanport Stakes on Haskell Day, but the race lost
its graded status when it was taken off grass and run on the main track.
“The Breeders’ Cup is in the back of our mind definitely,” McBurney said. “But
we haven’t really discussed it with the owners yet. We’ll will sit down with
them in the next few days and see what everyone wants to do.
“If we’re serious about the Breeders’ Cup he’ll need more graded stakes
earnings,” McBurney said. “We could go in the Kelso (Grade 2 at Belmont on Oct.
4) at a mile, or stay local and go in the Cliff Hanger (Grade 3 at the
Meadowlands on Oct. 3) at a mile and a sixteenth.”
McBurney said the cooler weather that has prevailed since the calendar turned to
September has helped Get Serious.
“He came out of the race very good, tremendous even,” the trainer said. “He
appreciated the cool weather. The heat wave during the summer affected him, so
thank goodness it’s cooled off.”
Piscitelli, owned by William C. Schettine, made two starts at Monmouth (breaking
his maiden on July 30) and shipped to Chicago last week to run in the one-mile
Arlington-Washington Futurity for trainer Gregg Sacco.
The 2-year-old colt by Victory Gallop turned in a solid performance for his
first effort on Polytrack, running third behind the unbeaten Dixie Band.
“It was a great race,” Sacco said. “He was six-wide the whole trip, and still
was graded stakes-placed in just his third start. And he ran well on the
synthetic track for the first time after just one breeze over it.
“It was a good experience for him. He shipped great, came back great. He’s back
at Monmouth now, and the Breeders’ Cup is still in the picture,” the trainer
said.
“We still have to talk to Mr. Schettine, but if we’re serious, there’s a race at
Keeneland for him (Grade 1 Breeders Futurity on Oct. 10). That would be a good
spot to see if we’re still on course for the Breeders’ Cup.”
Piscitelli was beaten a head in his first start by future stakes winner
Interactif, and then came back to score by a length on July 30 over next-out
winner No Shenanigans.
In the Arlington-Washington Futurity, the colt ran wide all the way under Junior
Alvarado, turned for home in the middle of the track, but dug in the final
sixteenth to close the gap and was beaten just a nose for second.
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MONMOUTH RACING THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY IN SEPTEMBER
Monmouth Park.com
The 2009 Monmouth Park meet continues
through Sunday, Sept. 27, with the racetrack hosting live cards every Thursday
through Sunday throughout the month. Gates open at 11:30am with first post set
for 12:50pm.
Still to come in racing action are the $200,000 NATC Futurity races for
2-year-olds on Sept. 26 as well as the Monmouth Park-Meridian Health
Steeplechase Festival on that same date. The card will be filled by six
steeplechase races followed by four flat races.
As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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TRUJILLO, LEVINE, REPOLE LEAD STANDINGS WITH 12 DAYS TO GO
Monmouth Park.com
With 12 racing days remaining at the 2009 MonmouthPark meeting the contests for top honors come meets-end on Sept. 27, seem a near certainty.
In the race for leading rider, Elvis Trujillo shows the way with 121 wins, 16 more than his nearest competitor, Eddie Castro. Thirteen-time Monmouth riding champion Joe Bravo is third with 76 victories, four more than C.H. Marquez Jr. Rounding out the top five is Channing Hill, who has visited the winner’s circle 49 times this season.
Over in the trainer’s race, Bruce Levine, last year’s top conditioner, is on top with 43 wins, 16 more than Scott Volk. Jason Servis is third with 25 wins, four more than the pair of Joe Orseno and Jane Cibelli.
The race for top owner has Repole Stable, top owner at the 2008 Monmouth Park meeting, once again leading the way. With 23 wins, Repole has a five victory lead on George and Lori Hall. Patricia Generazio and James Riccio are tied for third with 13 wins apiece, one more than Amy Tarrant’s Hardacre Farm.
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FLEET VALID IMPRESSIVE WINNER OF ICECAPADE STAKES; REDREAMIT COASTS TO EASY WIN IN TWIN LIGHTS STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. -- A special Labor Day card of racing at Monmouth Park saw Fleet Valid take the $75,000 Icecapade Stakes and Redreamit go wire-to-wire in the $65,000 Twin Lights Stakes before a crowd of 7,130.
Trained by Scott Volk, Fleet Valid put away millionaire Idiot Proof turning for home and was clear to the wire, posting a 2 ¾ length win after covering the six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:09 1/5. Sent off the 9-10 favorite in the field of eight colts and geldings, Fleet Valid paid $3.80, $2.80 and $2.40 across the board and topped a $48.60 exacta. On the Vineyard rallied for the place and paid $14.40 and $7.60. It was a length and a quarter back to Make Me Zach, who paid $8 to show.
“This horse always shows up with a big race,” said winning jockey Pablo Morales. “He broke okay, not all that well, but he recovered pretty quickly and wanted to go to the front. Instead of fighting him, I let him do his own thing. I dropped my hands and just kept him out of trouble – he did the rest.”
The Icecapade win was the fourth in a row for Fleet Valid, who is unbeaten since being claimed for $14,000 on April 2 at Aqueduct. Last out he won the Teddy Drone Stakes at Monmouth on Haskell Day.
A 3-year-old filly by Tapit from the Relaunch mare Dreamsport, Redreamit grabbed the turf right out of the gate and never looked back in the Twin Lights Stakes, scoring by 2 ¾ lengths. After stepping the mile and an eighth over firm turf in 1:47 3/5 Redreamit returned $7, $5 and $3.60 and topped a $105.80 exacta. Longshot Unbridled Essence rallied along the inside for second and paid $20.40 and $6.60. It was a neck farther back to Miss Blakely in third, who paid $2.40 to show.
“We got to the early lead pretty easily and she rated nicely for me,” said winning jockey Daniel Centeno. “The main thing with her was getting her to relax. Once we hit the stretch, she just kicked in and kept on going.”
Monday’s win was the second in five starts for Redreamit. The Ken McPeek trainee has now banked $76,216 for owner Carl Gessler Jr.
Live racing continues at Monmouth Park on Thursday, Sept. 10 – gates open at 11:30am with first post set for 12:50pm. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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GET SERIOUS, $4.60, WIRES FOES IN GRADE 3 RED BANK; BIG PUSH LEADS EVERY STEP IN GILDED TIME STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Dinan, Moore and Phantom House’s Get Serious continued to show his affinity for the Monmouth Park turf course on Sunday at MonmouthPark, winning the Grade 3 $175,000 Red Bank Stakes by a neck as Big Push led every step to capture the $60,000 Gilded Time Stakes before a crowd of 14,003.
A 5-year-old gelding by City Zip from the Java Gold mare Java Gal, Get Serious set fractions of :23 2/5 for the quarter and :46 1/5 for the half. He then lost a shoe around the far turn, but was able to hold off the late charge of Pleasant Strike to take the mile in 1:33 flat.
Ridden by Pablo Fragoso and sent off the 13-10 choice in the field of eight colts and geldings, Get Serious returned $4.60, $3.20 and $2.40 and topped a $32.60 exacta. Pleasant Strike rallied for second, paying $7.80 to place and $5 to show. It was another half-length back to Steve’s Double, who paid $7.20 to show.
“We noticed in the winner’s circle that he lost a shoe and Pablo (jockey Fragoso) said he thinks it was right about the 3/8ths pole,” said winning trainer John Forbes. “I can’t say enough about this horse. To run as good as he did and part of it missing a shoe is just tremendous.”
Forbes indicated that a race in New York or the Cliff Hanger on Oct. 3 at the Meadowlands could be next for Get Serious. A trip to California and the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita on Nov. 7 has not been ruled out.
Sunday’s win was third in as many starts on Monmouth turf this year for Get Seriuos. He has now won 9 of 24 starts for earnings of $537,441.
In the Gilded Time Stakes, Big Push, Owned by Debill Racing LLC and trained by Steve Klesaris, stepped the about five and a half furlongs over firm turf in 1:01 1/5 and returned $15, $7.40 and $4. Ju Jitsu Jax, who finished a neck behind the winner, completed the $83 exacta and paid $5.80 to place and $3 to show. Affirmatif, the odds-on favorite, was another length and three-quarters back in third, good for a $2.10 show mutuel.
“We wanted to make them have to catch us if they could,” said winning jockey Elvis Trujillo. “The number one (Affirmatif) took back at the rail so I put my horse on the front and got him over to the inside. He just kept on going once we hit the lane and wouldn’t let anyone go by.”
Sunday’s score was the fourth in 12 starts for Big Push, a 3-year-old colt by Black Mambo from the Allen’s Prospect mare Listentothebells. He has now earned $168,684 for his connections.
Live racing continues at Monmouth Park on Monday for a special Labor Day card of racing. Gates open at 11:30am with first post set at 12:50pm.
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MONMOUTH STARTS FOUR-DAY-A-WEEK SCHEDULE THURSDAY
Monmouth Park.com
Monmouth’s 2009 season will continue through Sunday, Sept. 27, with live racing scheduled four days a week starting on Thursday, Sept. 10.
The track will conduct live programs on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through closing day. First post each racing day will be 12:50 p.m.
The final Saturday of the meet, Sept. 26, will be highlighted by a full card of steeplechase racing, plus four flat races. The top two main track events of the day are the two divisions of the $200,000 NATC Futurity, one for colts and one for fillies. Both races will be run at six furlongs.
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AMATEUR RIDERS RACE HIGHLIGHTS THURSDAY MONMOUTH CARD
Monmouth Park.com
Monmouth Park will begin its new September racing schedule – live action four days a week from Thursday through Sunday – on Sept. 10, when the feature will be the International FEGENTRI Gentlemen’s Race for amateur riders.
The one-mile turf event for maidens drew a field of 10, with amateur riders from seven countries competing. Their mounts were drawn by lot.
The riders will wear silks in their national colors, with the field lining up as follows:
That’s My Honey, Post 1, Peter Janssen, Netherlands; Outofthegroove, Post 2, Jacob Smith, United States; Foxie Freesia, Post 3, Doug Nunn, United States; Miss Ten Oaks, Post 4, Ian Chanin, Great Britain; Ratel, Post 5, Florent Guy, France; Irish Defender, Post 6, Andrew Doyle, Ireland; Love’s Magic, Post 7, David Lenneblad, Sweden; Noble Karla, Post 8, Juan Picon Jr., United States; Catniche, Post 9, Gustavo Duarte, United States, and Barbie Girl, Post 10, Marian Falk Weissmeier, Germany.
FEGENTRI is the acronym for the International Federation of Amateur Races, an organization founded in 1955 by five nations that today represents 22 countries. The group’s main purpose is to organize world championship amateur races in three categories – men’s, women’s and country (mixed men’s and women’s teams) – run all over the world.
Thursday’s race is open only to male riders, and Florent Guy, who is a full-time jockey agent, is the top amateur rider in the group with 223 career wins, including victories at Laurel Park in the U.S.
The amateur rider race will go as the fourth event on Thursday’s nine-race program at Monmouth.
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WESTERN SMOKE SCORES BY NEARLY TWO IN SAPLING STAKES; TRUTH AND JUSTICE PREVAILS IN SORORITY AT MONMOUTH
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Western Smoke, the 4-5 favorite, charged into the lead on the backstretch and turned in a dominating performance from there as he scored by nearly two lengths in the 76th running of the $150,000 Sapling Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
In the co-featured $100,000 Sorority Stakes, Truth and Justice proved the best filly, scoring a front-running victory.
Western Smoke, trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Monmouth leader Elvis Trujillo, stopped the timer in 1:09 2/5 for six furlongs over the fast main track. He paid $3.60, $2.40 and $2.10 across the board and topped a $12.20 exacta.
Not Macho Any More, the 3-1 second choice in the field of eight juveniles, closed some ground in deep stretch to gain the place by a length over El Rocco, paying $3.20 to place and $2.40 to show. El Rocco returned $2.80 to show.
Western Smoke, a son of 1996 Sapling winner Smoke Glacken, was the most accomplished runner in the field, and today’s victory was his fourth career score, third stakes victory and first graded stakes win in six starts.
He earned a prize of $90,000 for owners Kirk and Judy Robison, bringing his lifetime total to $226,687.
Western Smoke allowed Awesome Son to grab the lead soon after the start, and that gelding ran the first quarter in :21 2/5. The winner asserted himself at the three-eighths pole, moving into the lead with one smart burst of speed. He never looked in danger the rest of the way.
“We really didn’t break too well,” Trujillo said. “He kind of stumbled a bit. But he picked himself up quickly and wanted to go to the front. I tried to rate him a little, but I didn’t want to fight him. After that, I decided to just let him run.”
In the 57th running of the Sorority Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, George and Lori Hall’s Truth and Justice took command out of the gate and never looked back, racing through fast fractions to a three and a half-length score.
The homebred daughter of Yes It’s True, trained by Kelly Breen and ridden by Joe Bravo, zipped the six furlongs in 1:09 4/5 and paid $9.80, $4.40 and $3.40 across the board.
Fuzzy Britches, off as the longest shot on the board at 10-1 in the field of five, rallied to be second, nearly four lengths in front of Kinsey, the 6-5 favorite. Fuzzy Britches completed the $69.40 exacta and paid $9 to place and $4.20 to show. Kinsey returned $3 to show.
Truth and Justice, who broke her maiden at Monmouth in front-running style on May 17 and finished second in the Colleen Stakes last out, turned in a dominating performance today. She broke alertly, moved to the lead without urging and then clipped off fractions of :21 4/5 for the quarter and :44 3/5 for the half-mile. The bay filly turned for home with a comfortable lead, and was never threatened.
“I was a little worried and surprised when I saw the fractions,” Breen said. “She was going so easily up front it was hard to believe that she was going so fast.”
Bravo, who has been aboard Truth and Justice in all her starts, said, “Kelly had this filly sitting on a huge effort today. She broke well from the inside post and got us right to the lead. She was gone as soon as I said go.”
Truth and Justice, who is out of the Expelled mare Sala de Oro, is the first stakes winner bred by George and Lori Hall.
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BOOTS AHEAD SETS COURSE RECORD IN RESTORATION STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Agnes Peace’s Boots Ahead stalked a fast early pace around the far turn, and then stormed to the lead in the stretch to win the $65,000 Restoration Stakes in record time at Monmouth Park on Wednesday.
Boots Ahead, trained by George Weaver and ridden by Carlos Marquez Jr., raced the mile and a sixteenth over the Lennox turf course (portable rail set out 36 feet from the hedge) in 1:40.23 to break the mark of 1:40.41 set by Giant Wrecker in 2006.
The winner, who was the favorite in the early betting, went off at 7-2 and paid $9.20, $5.20 and $4.40 across the board after finishing six and a quarter lengths in front. Jersey Town closed some ground to be second, completing the $36.40 exacta and paying $4.60 to place and $3.60 to show. Heros Image, who set all the early fractions, hung on to the show spot, paying $6.
Duke of Homberg, part of a Padua Stables entry that went off the 2-1 favorite in the field of seven 3-year-olds, finished fourth.
This was the second career victory for Boots Ahead, a gelding by Storm Boot – Mostbeautifulsound, by Miswaki, who broke his maiden on the Belmont grass in July.
Heros Image jumped out to an easy lead and rolled along at a fast clip, getting the quarter in :22 4/5, the half in :46 1/5, and six furlongs in 1:09 2/5.
Boots Ahead, who was in the perfect stalking position throughout, pounced on the leader in midstretch, and then drew out to the wire as much the best.
“The plan was to get him to relax early because he sort of ran off a little last out at Saratoga,” Marquez said. “Today, he broke okay and then settled down right off the bat. From there, it just felt like whenever I was ready to ask him, he was going to deliver.”
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LUNA VEGA RUNS OFF WITH MOLLY PITCHER STAKES SPRITELY 2ND, DEVIL HOUSE 3RD IN GRADE 2 EVENT AT MONMOUTH
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Millennium Farms Luna Vega swung widest for the drive before gaining command in mid-stretch and drawing off to a length and a half score in the $300,000 Grade 2 Molly Pitcher Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, Luna Vega stepped the mile and a sixteenth over a fast main track in 1:41 4/5 and returned $13, $5.40 and $3.40. Spritely completed the $49 exacta and paid $4.20 to place and $2.60 to show. It was another seven lengths back to Devil House, who paid $5 to show. Euphony, the post-time favorite, never factored and finished fifth, the first time she was off the board in 13 career outings.
“There was a lot of speed in the race so I just stayed behind everyone,” said winning jockey Elvis Trujillo, who scored his fifth victory on the card in the Molly Pitcher. “At the 3/8ths pole I came out and she ran a good race from there.”
A 4-year-old filly by Malibu Moon from the Rock Royalty mare Donnavega, Luna Vega improved her lifetime mark to 4-3-1 from 14 starts. She has now earned $287,692 for her connections.
Live racing returns to MonmouthPark on Wednesday, Sept. 2. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. with first post set at 12:50 p.m. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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DON'TGETSUSPICIOUS CAPTURES MISS WOODFORD BY NOSE; KID KATE SPLASHES TO VICTORY IN JUNIOR CHAMPION STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Don’tgetsuspicious won a spirited stretch battle to capture the $70,000 Miss Woodford Stakes by a nose at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
In the co-featured $60,000 Junior Champion Stakes, which was taken off turf and run over a sloppy main track, Dell Ridge Farm’s Kid Kate rolled to a nearly four-length victory to remain unbeaten in two career starts.
Don’tgetsuspicious, trained by Scott lake and ridden by Kendrick Carmouche, stopped the timer in 1:10 flat for the six furlongs over a sloppy main track and paid $17.80, $6.40 and $3.80 acorss the board as one of the outsiders in the field of seven 3-year-old fillies.
Noisy Feet, who collared Don’tgetsuspicious with a furlong to go, could not go by her rival as the two fillies exchanged bumps as they dueled through the stretch. Noisy Feet paid $6.20 to place and $4 to show and completed the $94.20 exacta. Exe gained third late, returning $6 to show.
Northern Belle, the 6-5 favorite, never threatened and finished fifth.
Don’tgetsuspicious, a daughter of E Dubai – Poco Bambino, by Nureyev, has now won six of her eight starts this year for her owners, Winner Circle Partners V, but this was her first stakes victory.
The filly sat just behind the fast pace set by Ocean Colors until the quarter-pole when she moved by. Noisy Feet circled up outside Don’tgetsuspicious, but was never able to get past.
“I thought the seven horse (Lady Alexander) would show more speed, but she didn’t, which put us in a great spot,” Carmouche said. “I knew when she switched leads in the stretch they’d have a hard time getting us.”
In the Junior Champion, a one-mile event for 2-year-old fillies, Kid Kate reaffirmed her love of a sloppy track as she rolled to contention around the turn, gained command at the eighth pole, and then drew off to score easily as the 4-5 favorite in the field of six.
Kid Kate, trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Elvis Trujillo, raced the mile over a sloppy track in 1:39 2/5 and paid $3.60, $2.60 and $2.10 across the board.
That’s How I Roll, second choice at 5-2, held the place spot to complete the $10 exacta, paying $3.20 to place and $2.60 to show. Never Quicker rallied belatedly for the show, returning $3.80.
Kid Kate, a bay daughter of Lemon Drop Kid – Run Kate Run, by Cherokee Run, broke her maiden in the slop at Saratoga on July 31 in her first start. This was her second career race and first around two turns.
The filly was content to let the speed go for a half-mile before making her move entering the far turn. She was going full speed at the quarter-pole and passed That’s How I Roll at the furlong marker.
“I was happy to just sit with her early on and let her settle,” Trujillo said. “At the 3/8ths pole, I urged her a little and then turning for home, I asked her and she took off.”
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FINAL GRADED STAKES OF MEET HIGHLIGHT LABOR DAY WEEKEND
Monmouth Park.com
The $150,000 Sapling Stakes (G3) for 2-year-olds on Saturday, Sept. 5, and the $175,000 Red Bank Stakes (G3) for older turf horses on Sunday, Sept. 6, will close out Monmouth Park’s schedule of graded stakes event for the 2009 season.
A total of six stakes races will be run over the three-day Labor Day weekend, with 2-year-olds taking the spotlight on Saturday in the Sapling and the $100,000 Sorority Stakes for fillies.
Sunday’s card showcases turf runners, with the Red Bank at one mile and the $60,000 Gilded Time Stakes at five and a half furlongs topping the card.
On Monday, 3-year-old fillies will contest the $65,000 Twin Lights Stakes at a mile and an eighth on the grass, while older sprinters vie in the $75,000 Icecapade Stakes at six furlongs.
The 36th running of the Red Bank will feature a rematch between Get Serious and Kiss the Kid. The last time they met, in the off-the-turf Oceanport Stakes on Aug. 2, Get Serious held off Kiss the Kid to win by a neck.
The Red Bank, which includes $25,000 in purse money from the Breeders’ Cup fund, is expected to draw a field of eight or nine.
The Sapling at six furlongs will have a competitive field, with leading national trainers Todd Pletcher and Steve Asmussen expected to participate. Pletcher and Asmussen each nominated four colts to the race. Pletcher won the Sapling last year with Silent Valor, and Asmussen saddled the 2007 winner in Lantana Mob.
Trainer Tim Kelly will send out El Rocco, who finished second in the Tyro Stakes, Monmouth’s main prep for the Sapling.
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RESTORATION STAKES ON TURF HEADLINES WEDNESDAY'S CARD
Monmouth Park.com
Monmouth will offer a midweek stakes race on Wednesday, Sept. 2, with a full field of 3-year-olds slated to go in the $65,000 Restoration Stakes at a mile and an eighth on the turf.
Topping the field of 10 is Matsumoto Racing’s Mikoshi, who drew the rail with leading rider Elvis Trujillo aboard.
Michael Matz trains Mikoshi, a son of Orientate who won on the Monmouth turf back in May and has been second and third in two stakes races most recently. Mikoshi is the 2-1 favorite on the morning line.
Second choice in the Restoration is Padua Stables’ Duke of Homberg, an English-bred son of Dynaformer trained by Tom Albertrani. Duke of Homberg won the Hallandale Beach Stakes on turf at Gulfstream in February and has been given a two-month break since a poor effort at Belmont on July 5. Chris DeCarlo rides.
Padua Stables will have an entry in the race as the Steve Asmussen-trained Union Strike will be coupled with Duke of Homberg in the wagering. Union Strike, who gets Chuck C. Lopez aboard, won twice on the turf at Fair Grounds over the winter.
Monmouth winners who will be trying stakes company for the first time are Talons Racing’s Open Outcry and Charles Fipke’s Jersey Town.
Open Outcry, trained by Alan Seewald, won his most recent, an allowance race on turf here on Aug. 19. Paco Lopez is back aboard.
Barclay Tagg trains Jersey Town, who will be trying turf for the first time. The Speightstown colt scored by more than eight lengths in the slop here last out on Aug. 2. Joe Bravo rides.
The others entered in the Restoration are Wolver Hill Farm’s Dubai Review, Eddie Castro; Robert Atkinson’s Heros Image, Daniel Centeno, and Lee R. Christian’s St. John’s Gospel, Hector A. Ramos. On the also-eligible list are Agnes Peace’s Boots Ahead, Carlos Marquez Jr., and Darley Stable’s Precursor, entered for main-track-only.
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GLITTER CITY TAKES FEATURE, GIVES CASTRO 5TH WINNER OF THE DAY
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Murray Smith’s Glitter City splashed home a length and a half winner on the sloppy main track at Monmouth Park on Friday, taking the $41,000 allowance feature and giving jockey Eddie Castro his fifth winner on the card.
Trained by Linda Rice, GlitterCity covered the five furlongs in :57 3/5 and returned $6.40, $3.40 and $3.60 across the board. French Dip completed the $22.80 exacta and paid $3.20 to place and $3.80 to show. Desert Flight was third, good for a $4.20 show price. Perpetuity, the odds-on choice, failed to fire and finished fourth in the field of five 3-year-old fillies. The race was originally scheduled for the turf.
A daughter of City Place from the Bon Point mare Bon Caro, GlitterCity improved her lifetime mark to 2-2-2 from 10 starts. Friday’s win was the first this season for Glitter City.
Castro’s five wins started in race two atop Spanish Harlan ($2.80). He then piloted R Little Nugget ($9) to win the third, Hymn Book ($14.80) in the fourth and Faithful One ($10.80) in the seventh. The feature was race eight on a nine race program.
The record for most wins in a single afternoon is six, set by Walter Blum on June 9, 1961. It was been equaled by Chris Antley, Julie Krone, Joe Bravo (four times), Jose Lezcano and Eddie Castro, who won six races on June 21, 2009. Castro is currently second in the Monmouth Park rider standings, which is led by Elvis Trujillo.
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CIBELLI MAKES PLANS AFTER CHIRAC'S STUNNING ISELIN SCORE
Monmouth Park.com
Chirac has had another terrific season at Monmouth Park, capped by his runaway victory in Saturday’s Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes that moved him to another level among racehorses.
Now trainer Jane Cibelli has several decisions to make, not the least of which is whether it was the horse or circumstances that made Chirac’s star shine so brightly over the weekend with his front-running score.
“He ran a 107 Beyer (Speed Figure),” Cibelli said, “which is huge. But there are some questions.
“Like, was it a one-off, or for real?” the trainer said. “Coal Play didn’t run his race. How would he have done if Coal Play had run his race and he was forced to sit behind the speed?”
Whatever the answers to those riddles, the brilliant performance has Cibelli thinking of several options.
“Right after the Iselin, I said the Meadowlands Cup (Grade 2 on Oct. 16) would be next,” Cibelli said. “After seeing that speed figure, I’m thinking now about the Jockey Club Gold Cup (Grade 1 on Oct. 3 at Belmont). Of course, that’s an invitational and we haven’t been invited yet, but that’s a possibility.”
Chirac, a 4-year-old gelded son of SligoBay – Mona Lisa, by You and I, who was bred by owner Pia M. Kirkham, has been in love with Monmouth since he got here last year. He won a first-level allowance in his first start over the track, and finished third in the Spend a Buck Stakes as a 3-year-old.
During the winter, he ran at TampaBay and won a turf race there carrying a $50,000 claiming tag. But he ran eighth in his only start on the Tampa main track, a surface he does not like at all.
“He was happy to get back to Monmouth,” Cibelli said. “He just loves it here.”
Chirac won three straight, including the Skip Away Stakes (a prep for the Iselin), and his only poor effort came in the Majestic Light Stakes on Aug. 2 when he never looked comfortable on the sloppy track.
“I threw that race out,” Cibelli said. “I don’t know what happened, but it wasn’t him that day.
In the mile and an eighth Iselin, Chirac came out of the gate running, even as odds-on favorite Coal Play pretty much walked away from the start and never looked like his old self.
“We wanted to stay close,” Cibelli said, “but I never thought we’d be on the lead. At that point, it’s the jockey’s race, and Elvis (Trujillo) used his judgment and just kept him going in front.”
Chirac raced the nine furlongs in 1:49.11 over the sloppy track and scored by nearly seven lengths over You and I Forever, looking stronger and stronger through the stretch.
“He came out of the race very well,” Cibelli said, “no problems at all. I gave him four days off, and he’ll start jogging again Thursday.
Chirac is the first foal from Mona Lisa, and his owners still have the mare, whose value increased dramatically with his graded stakes score.
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CHUCK C. LOPEZ REUNITES WITH JOCKEY AGENT JOE ROSEN
Monmouth Park.com
Jockey Chuck C. Lopez, currently sixth in the Monmouth Park jockey standings, will be represented again by agent Joe Rosen, the rider said Wednesday.
Lopez and Rosen were a team for 11 years (1992-2003) at Monmouth and won several major stakes here.
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CRAB CAKE COOK-OFF SETS RECORDS IN 5TH YEAR AT MONMOUTH
Monmouth Park.com
The Shore Chef Crab Cake Cook-Off was expanded to a two-day event for the first time in its fifth annual season at MonmouthPark, and set records for food sales.
Monmouth fans spent a total of $67,986 on food last Saturday and Sunday, a 146 percent increase over 2008 sales.
The official contest judges’ choice for best crab cake was Red, a restaurant in Red Bank, N.J. The judges named the crab cake sliders from Mud City Crab Cake Co. in Manahawkin, N.J., as the “best of the rest” of food offered.
However, in the People’s Choice voting, Mud City’s crab cakes were deemed the best, while the Grand Summit Hotel won “best of the rest” voting for its spicy garlic shrimp.
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HERMOSILLO, $72.40, UPSETS HESSE 'CAP; LUCKY JAMES, WAY WITH WORDS TAKE STAKES AT NJ FESTIVAL; BROOME BREDS WIN FOUR
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, NJ – Hermosillo lit up the tote board on New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival Day at Monmouth Park on Sunday, winning the $100,000 Charles Hesse III Handicap, paying $72.40 in the process and giving Eddie Broome his fourth winner of the day as a breeder. In other stakes action, Lucky James won the $75,000 New Jersey Breeders’ Handicap and Way With Words captured the $75,000 Eleven North Handicap as a crowd of 13,178 came out for the day restricted to runners bred in the Garden State.
Broome, a regular on the Monmouth Park backstretch, started his four breeding wins with Mi Cugat ($17.20) in the sixth. That was followed by Our Girl Friday ($14.60) in the seventh and then Lucky James and Hermosillo. Broome owns and trainers Mi Cugat, Our Girl Friday and Lucky James.
Owned by Kenwood Racing LLC, Hermosillo took control from the start and never looked back, covering the mile and a sixteenth over a fast main track in 1:44 2/5. Dismissed in the wagering at 35-1, Hermosillo paid $72.40, $29.80 and $14.60 and topped a $489.20 exacta. Luna Park, who finished six lengths behind the winner, paid $6.60 to place and $3.60 to show. Cuba was another head back in third, good for a $4.40 show mutuel.
“I wanted to get this horse to the early lead because he likes to be on the frontend,” said winning jockey Pedro Cotto Jr. “If I had to go fast to get there, I was going to go fast. It just worked out that I didn’t have to use too much energy to get to the front and he was able to relax most of the way. Once I asked him, he just kicked into another gear and ran off.”
Trained by Stephen L. DiMauro, Hermosillo earned $60,000 for his efforts on Sunday. The 5-year-old gelding by Sea of Secrets from the Black Tie Affair mare Exquisite Affair has now won five of his 34 starts and earned $277,501.
In the New Jersey Breeders’ Handicap, Lucky James moved past pacesetter Unwritten around the turn before powering home to a length and a quarter win covering the six furlongs over a fast track in 1:09 3/5. Lucky James returned $9.60, $5.40 and $3.80 and topped a $96.60 exacta. Hop Skip and Away paid $12.20 to place and $5.80 to show. It was and length and three-quarters back to Who’s the Cowboy, who paid $3.60 to show. Post-time favorite Unwritten faded to fourth.
“Mr. Broome and I were talking in the paddock and knew the six horse (Unwritten) would be in front,” said winning jockey Pablo Fragoso. “If no one pressed the pace I was going to try to lay close to the speed. That’s just about what I did. I sat close to the early pacesetter and my horse just kicked on turning for home.”
The New Jersey Breeders’ ‘Cap win was the sixth trip to the winner’s circle in 13 starts for Lucky James, a 4-year-old gelding by Sultry Song from the North Prospect mare Zul. He has now earned $240,894 for his connections.
In the Eleven North Handicap, George L. Schwartz’s Way With Words sat behind the pacesetters early before blowing by the leaders and opening up to a four length score.
The 5-year-old mare by Sefapiano – Swiftly Tilting, by Belong to Me stepped the six furlongs over a main track rated “good” in 1:09 2/5 and returned $6.40, $4.60 and $4. Love For Not completed the $66.60 exacta and paid $10.20 to place and $6.40 to show. It was another 2 ¼ lengths back to Arctic Rain, who returned $4.40 to show. Little Stitch, the post-time favorite, was never a factor and finished fifth.
“She was real smooth the whole way,” said winning rider Eddie Castro. “She sat in behind the early leaders nice and easy just waiting to make a move. Once we moved to the outside heading for home, she blew right by the leaders and just ran all the way to the wire.”
Trained by Mary Eppler, Way With Words increased her lifetime mark to seven wins from 17 starts for earnings of $308,590.
Live racing continues at Monmouth Park on Wednesday, Aug. 26. Gates open at 11:30am, first post 12:50pm. As always, the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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CHIRAC, $26.40, LEADS THROUGHOUT TO UPSET ISELIN STAKES; 4-5 COAL PLAY 4TH AT MONMOUTH; EXOTIC INDY TAKES OMNIBUS
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. -- Pia M. Kirkham’s Chirac, a 12-1 chance, pulled off a stunning upset at Monmouth Park on Saturday as he took the track at the start and led every step to capture the $300,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) by six and three-quarter widening lengths.
Coal Play, the 4-5 favorite who was expected to go to the lead, was never able to get close to the winner and faded through the stretch to be fourth.
Chirac, trained by Jane Cibelli and ridden by Monmouth’s top jockey Elvis Trujillo, raced the mile and an eighth over a sloppy main track in 1:49 and paid $26.40, $8.20 and $5.40 across the board, topping a $134.80 exacta.
You and I Forever closed some ground on the turn to be second, paying $5.80 and $4.60, and the 60-1 Pampered Sir passed the favorite late to take third, returning $8.40 to show.
This was the graded stakes debut for Chirac, a 4-year-old gelding by Sligo Bay – Mona Lisa, by You and I, who has now won five of his nine lifetime starts at Monmouth Park.
Chirac surprised his opponents by jumping into the lead right out of the gate. He led the field of six through a quarter in :22 4/5, a half in :46 3/5 and six furlongs in 1:10 4/5, obviously reveling in the sloppy going.
Chirac was never threatened at any time, and when Trujillo set him down for the stretch, the Florida-bred widened his advantage with impressive ease.
“I wasn’t expecting him to be on the lead,” Cibelli said. “I wanted to be close, but if it turned out we would be on the lead, then it was okay. I was worried when I saw the first fraction (:22 4/5), I thought he would burn himself out.
“Last out he got bounced around a little bit,” the trainer said. “He just wasn’t able to run his race. Today he was perfect. He beat some nice horses in there. The Meadowlands Cup (Oct. 16) is next for him.”
“The trip was great,” Trujillo said. “I just wanted to get him on the lead. When we got to the front, I just let him do his thing. And that’s what he did, he ran his race all the way around and was getting better and better as we went on.”
In the $70,000 Omnibus Stakes, Two Fillies Stable’s Exotic Indy overwhelmed her two opponents and drew off to an eight-length score in the slop.
The 4-year-old filly by A.P. Indy -- Exciting, by Exceller, trained by Grant Forster and ridden by Joe Bravo, raced the mile and a quarter in 2:07 over a sloppy main track and paid $3.40 to win as the favorite, topping a $6.20 exacta with Dattts Our Girl second. Precious Princess was third. There was no place or show betting.
The Omnibus was originally scheduled to be run on turf, but was switched to the main track because of heavy overnight rain, and just three started.
It was the first stakes score for Exotic Indy, who broke her maiden here in July and last out finished second in an allowance race.
The winner tracked the early pace of Precious Princess, took command nearing the quarter-pole, and then drew out through the stretch with Bravo sitting chilly.
“We were going to run her in an allowance next week, but I entered her here in case it came off the turf. She has an excellent pedigree and I always wanted to run her longer. Her breeding suggests she’ll run all day.”
It was the third winner of the day for Bravo, who won the third race aboard Global Winds ($4.60) and the fourth race with Ollyollyoxenfree ($5.40).
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SLEETERS HOPE TO TURN SEASON AROUND ON FESTIVAL SUNDAY
Monmouth Park.com
This has not been the best of all seasons at Monmouth for the Sleeter Family, but they hope to be on the right track Sunday with four horses entered in the three stakes that highlight the New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival.
“It’s been a very slow year,” said Gerry Sleeter. “We’ve only had three winners and two were maidens. This would be a great time to get rolling again.”
The Sleeters, who breed and race off their farm in Clementon, N.J., will have two starters – Kevin Sleeter’s Talkin About Love and Gerry Sleeter’s Flirtatious Smile -- in the $100,000 Charles Hesse III Handicap; Gerry Sleeter’s Who’s the Cowboy, in the $75,000 New Jersey Breeders’ Handicap, and Kathleen Willier’s Love for Not in the $75,000 Eleven North Handicap.
That last entry is ironic because the Sleeters, who bred and raced Eleven North, have had only one starter since the race named for their star mare was inaugurated (Summer Sting), and won’t be represented again since their only connection with Love for Not is that Kevin Sleeter is the trainer.
That leaves the older horses to uphold the family name on New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival day.
Talkin About Love, a 5-year-old mare by Not for Love who had a career season in 2007 when she won the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks, won only once last year, and is winless in four starts this season.
But Kevin Sleeter, who bred, owns and trains the mare, was heartened by her last effort, a closing second to Devil House in the open Lady’s Secret Stakes.
“That was a big race in the slop,” Kevin said. “In fact her last two in the slop have been good, so I wouldn’t mind seeing a wet track Sunday.”
Talkin About Love put in a sharp breeze for this race (five furlongs in a bullet 1:00 flat on Aug. 16) and looks ready to take on clots for just the second time in her career.
Kevin Sleeter says there are no plans to retire Talkin About Love to the breeding shed as long as she’s sound.
“We won’t sell her,” he said. “We lost her mom (She’s Jane) this year, so she’s the last of the line.”
Flirtatious Smile, bred by Carolyn Sleeter, won the New Jersey Breeders’ Handicap last year when it was the featured race on Festival Day, but is winless in three tries this season. Last out, the Not for Love 6-year-old was third in open company.
The 7-year-old warrior Who’s the Cowboy has provided a lot of thrills over the years while winning 12 of 34 starts at Monmouth, but he has yet to hit the board in 2009. But he put in his usual sharp breeze (a half-mile in a bullet :47 flat on Aug. 16) and Gerry Sleeter said the track may play in his favor Sunday.
“He’s been running on tracks that favored speed,” Sleeter said. “We’ll probably have a muddy or drying-out track Sunday that will work to his advantage in coming from off the pace.”
Gerry Sleeter noted that while the family is currently in a down cycle, there’s hope for the future.
“We have four 2-year-olds that haven’t started yet,” he said. “We have only two yearlings, but there are five weanlings on the farm, and we have 11 mares in foal this year.”
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MOLLY PITCHER ON AUG. 30 WILL BE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE
Monmouth Park.com
The 64th running of the $300,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes (G2) on Sunday, Aug. 30, figures to be a wide-open event, with some sharp shippers expected to join locally based fillies and mares in the starting gate.
Dan Dufford, stakes coordinator at Monmouth, said he expects a field of eight for the mile and a sixteenth event, including Glencrest Farm’s Devil House, who was a three-length winner of the Lady’s Secret Stakes here on Aug. 2, Monmouth’s main Molly Pitcher prep.
Bruce Levine trains Devil House, a 5-year-old daughter of Chester House who has a 2-1-1 record in 5 Monmouth starts.
Others considered definite for the race are Kenwood Racing’s Annabill, a stakes winner at Calder for trainer Steve DiMauro; Farnsworth Stable’s Jessica Is Back, a Marty Wolfson-trained mare who won a Calder stakes last out, and Millennium Farms’ Luna Vega, who won her only Monmouth start for Steve Asmussen, but finished sixth in the Grade 1 Go For Wand Stakes last out.
Possible starters include Capilupi Racing’s Nicksappealinglady, a Monmouth winner last year for Gary Contessa; Mark H. Stanley’s Swift Temper, who captured the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap last out for trainer Dale Romans; Chevalier Stable’s Weathered, a Karl Grusmark trainee who was fourth in the Go For Wand, and Richard Santulli’s You Asked, a Monmouth winner trained by Alan Goldberg.
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CUBA WILL BE LOOKING FOR A REPEAT IN HESSE 'CAP ON SUNDAY
Monmouth Park.com
When Cuba takes the track to seek a repeat win in Sunday’s $100,000 Charles Hesse III Handicap, the featured event of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival, it could be his last hurrah at Monmouth Park. Or not.
Trainer Bobby Dibona says the Hesse and the Maryland Million Classic at Laurel on Sept. 26 will be the pivotal events that decide the 8-year-old Cuba’s future.
“He’ll go in those two races, and after that, we’ll have to let him tell us where to go,” Dibona said. “We have to manage him right. There’s still a lot of money on the table for him, maybe even in claiming races.
“But there’s also the possibility someone will want to stand him at stud in New Jersey,” Dibona said. “If he won the Hesse and the Maryland Million again, there would be a lot of interest in him as a stallion.”
The entire son of Not for Love – Shaunlee, by Deputy Minister, who won the Hesse ‘Cap last year when the race was run on Haskell Day, will also be looking for a repeat in the Maryland Million Classic.
Cuba has proven one of the best claims ever. Dibona took the horse for $18,000 out of a one-mile event at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 6 of 2008, and Cuba went on to earn $384,180 for his owners, the partnership of Leo-Sag Stable, Corrigan & Levesque.
And a lot of that came at Monmouth Park, where Cuba has compiled a 3-1-2 mark in 11 starts the past two seasons.
However, Cuba has not won since taking a starter handicap sprint at Gulfstream in January, and comes into the mile and a sixteenth Hesse off a fourth and a second in two open allowance events.
“He’s back with state-breds now,” Dibona said, “and he had a nice breeze last Sunday (a half-mile in :49 flat) to get ready for this. He’s feeling good, and I think he’s really right coming into this race.”
The Hesse drew a field of 11, including Flirtatious Smile, who won the New Jersey Breeders’ Handicap last year when that was the featured event at a mile and a sixteenth for older horses on N.J. Thoroughbred Festival Day.
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UNWRITTEN 'THE HORSE TO BEAT' SPRINTING IN N.J. BREEDERS' 'CAP
Monmouth Park.com
This year’s running of the $75,000 New Jersey Breeders’ Handicap will be at six furlongs, and trainer Scott Volk has one definite opinion about the race:
“They have to beat me,” Volk said, a flat statement that he intends to back up by saddling Gerald Artz’s Unwritten on Sunday.
“I have the horse to beat, period,” Volk said about the 5-year-old son of Unlimited Sky, whose only loss to state-breds this year came behind Joey P. in the J.J. Reilly ‘Cap on May 23.
Last out on July 3, Unwritten could not stay with the brilliant sprinter Go Go Shoot and finished third in the Mr. Prospector Stakes, run in 1:08 3/5.
“I’ve pointed him to this race,” Volk said. “He’s back with New Jersey-breds. He’s going to go to the front, and nobody can run with him.”
To assist in that strategy, Unwritten again will have the services of Chuck C. Lopez, a master on the front end.
Unwritten has proven a brilliant claim for Volk, who took the gelding for $7,500 out of a claiming race here on June 15 of 2008. Over the fall and winter, Unwritten put together a five-race win streak, and has earned more than $200,000 since the claim.
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LITTLE STITCH PUTS STREAK ON THE LINE IN ELEVEN NORTH 'CAP
Monmouth Park.com
Little Stitch, bred and owned by Karen Jennings, hasn’t done much wrong this year and that means she’ll be the choice in the $75,000 Eleven North Handicap at six furlongs.
The 3-year-old daughter of Gerosa – Stitch N Hitch, by Evening Kris, finished third in her seasonal debut here on May 30. Since then she’s a perfect three-for-three, moving through her conditions. And her last win, on July 24, came against open company.
“The stakes is the next logical step for her,” said trainer Ben Perkins Jr. “She’s got the right kind of mind to make the step up.”
Little Stitch did not debut until the Meadowlands meet last October, when she was second in her first start, and then broke her maiden on Halloween night.
“When we got her last year, we didn’t know what to expect,” Perkins said. “Once she started training, she always acted okay and ran well.
“We gave her the winter off, and when she ran on May 30, she hadn’t been training long. She needed the race. Since then she’s done everything right.
“She’s a big, strong, pretty filly,” the trainer said, “and she’ll do fine in the stakes.”
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CHANNING HILL AMONG RIDERS FEATURED IN NEW SEASON OF 'JOCKEYS'
Monmouth Park.com
Rider Channing Hill, who moved his tack to Monmouth from Santa Anita this spring, is one of the riders featured on the reality show “Jockeys” that airs on Animal Planet. The second season of the show begins Friday night at 10 p.m. and the premiere episode will be shown several times during the week.
“It was a lot of fun working with them, the people were all really nice,” Hill said. “As far as how much I’ll be on the show, I’m not really sure because I was only at Santa Anita for the last two weeks of the meet, and I haven’t talked to anyone about it in quite some time.
“Overall it was a great experience, and I’m looking forward to seeing it when the show airs.”
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CHIRAC STEPS UP FOR A RUN AT SATURDAY'S GRADE 3 ISELIN
Monmouth Park.com
Pia Kirkham’s Chirac has steadily made his way up the ladder at Monmouth Park the past two seasons, going from a bottom-level allowance win as a 37-1 shot in 2008 to a score in the Skip Away Stakes this year as one of the favorites.
Now the 4-year-old gelding by Sligo Bay is poised to take on a new challenge as he makes his graded stakes debut in Saturday’s $300,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) at a mile and an eighth.
“It’s time to try him in graded company,” said trainer Jane Cibelli, who has guided Chirac through a career so far that includes six wins and 11 in-the-money finishes in 15 starts.
“It’s not an easy spot, of course,” Cibelli said. “There are no throw-outs in this race. But that’s to be expected.
“I do think the mile and an eighth will suit him,” the trainer said. “In most of his races he’s been drawing clear at the end, so the extra distance is fine.”
There will be a target for closers like Chirac to run at in the Iselin, and his name is Coal Play. The Nick Zito-trained colt is going for the Salvator Mile-Iselin double and his style is well-known at Monmouth – go to the front and improve your position.
“There’s some speed in there to soften up Coal Play,” Cibelli said. “We can’t let him get an easy lead, or it’s all over.
“I have to decide what I’m trying to do,” the trainer said. “Am I running for second, or do I try to go all out to beat him. I don’t run for second in any race, so Chirac will have to stay close up to be in position to win.”
Chirac, who has four wins in eight starts at Monmouth, likes this track (as does Coal Play), and he’ll have the riding services of Elvis Trujillo, Monmouth’s leading rider.
“He’s earned his chance to move up here,” Cibelli said.
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JOEY P. BACK JOGGING, MIGHT RUN AT MEADOWLANDS MEET
Monmouth Park.com
John Petrini’s Joey P., one of the most popular runners ever at Monmouth Park, had his first jog over the track Thursday morning as he starts his comeback from surgery for a twisted intestine.
“He came back to the barn on Monday,” trainer Ben Perkins Jr. said, “and he walked under tack yesterday. Today was his first day back jogging.
“He looks great, and his coat is great,” Perkins said, “and there’s no problem where they made the incision. You can’t even see a scar. He had no problem with the tack on.”
Perkins said it will be 60 days or so before the 7-year-old son of Close Up will be ready to run, and could be ready for a race during the Meadowlands meet, which runs through Dec. 5.
Joey P., who has won 13 of 24 starts at Monmouth, suffered a twisted intestine in June and was rushed to Mid-Atlantic Equine Clinic in Ringoes, N.J., for emergency surgery.
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THEMANMYTHNLEGEND A KROMANN FAMILY PROJECT
Monmouth Park.com
Sunday’s New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival celebrates state-bred runners, and a 4-year-old named Themanmythnlegend, who will run in the $100,000 Charles Hesse III Handicap, typifies the spirit of the day.
The gelding by Precise End – Sweet Cali Cat, by Tabasco Cat, is a Kromann family project. Themanmythnlegend is owned by Geraldine Kromann, trained by husband Lloyd, and was bred by son Charles at the family farm in Millstone, N.J.
Themanmythnlegend has been a steady earner for the Kromanns the past two seasons, and now gets his first chance in a stakes race. This year he has run through his nonwinners-of-one and nonwinners-of-two allowance conditions in New Jersey-bred races.
“He’s been a good little horse for us,” said Lloyd Kromann, “so we thought we’d take the next step and give him a chance in the stakes.”
The Kromanns are hoping the dark bay gelding will become their first homebred stakes winner. The family’s first stakes win came in the 1996 Reeve Schley Jr. Stakes (G2) here when Miss Kim Liberty scored on the turf. The filly was not a Kromann-bred.
Themanmythnlegend had a solid season last year when he compiled a 2-4-4 mark in 13 starts and earned $114,784. He’s continued his winning ways this year with two victories and a third in seven starts.
“He tries every time,” Kromann said.
The Kromanns have three horses in training at Monmouth this year. They race only in New Jersey, and when the Meadowlands meet ends, their horses are sent to Ocala to leg up during the winter.
Lloyd Kromann said the family has been breeding two mares a year for the past 25 years at their New Jersey farm.
The N.J. Thoroughbred Festival comprises 10 races for state-breds, including four stakes, of which the Hesse is the richest.
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MOVIE SHOOT BRIGHTENS DARK DAY AT MONMOUTH TUESDAY
Monmouth Park.com
There was no racing at Monmouth Park on Tuesday, but there was plenty of action as a production company shot scenes for the Columbia motion picture “The Bounty” at the track.
The movie stars Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler, and they arrived at Monmouth by helicopter for the filming. In addition, 600 extras were bused in to be part of crowd scenes.
Monmouth assisted in setting up the filming of racing scenes, providing horses and jockeys to simulate races. Jockeys who participated in the scenes were Luis Rivera Jr., Felix Ortiz, Jose Velez Jr., Pedro Cotto Jr., Francisco Maysonett and Navin Mangalee. Horses were provided by trainers Ben Perkins Jr., Tony Wilson, Patrick Bottazi, Luis Carvajal Jr., and others.
Monmouth has been the setting for films and TV shows in the past, with “The Pope of Greenwich Village,” “Law and Order” and “The Sopranos” scenes shot here.
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CUSTER BREAKS TRACK RECORD IN SUNDAY FEATURE AT MONMOUTH
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Padua Stables Custer came charging home on the Monmouth Park turf course on Sunday to run down Plenty Coups in the final strides and set a new course record of 1:39.03 in the $48,000 allowance/optional claiming contest by a neck.
Trained by Eddie Plesa Jr. and ridden by Paco Lopez, Custer paid $16.60, $7.60 and $6 across the board. Plenty Coups completed the $164 exacta and paid $11.60 to place and $6.20 to show. It was another 2 ½ lengths back to Classic Campaign, who paid $4.20 to show. Post-time favorite Duveen checked in fourth.
A 4-year-old gelding by High Yield from the Dehere mare Burning Hope, Custer boosted his lifetime mark to 4-4-0 from 14 starts. He has now earned $106,749 for his connections.
Custer lowered the course record previously held by Casey’s Joy, who ran the mile and a sixteenth over the Monmouth course with the rail set at 24 feet in 1:40.04 on Sept. 1, 2007.
Live racing continues at Monmouth Park on Wednesday, August 19. Gates open at 11:30am with first post set for 12:50pm. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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JUST JENDA CRUISES TO 4 1/4- LENGTH VICTORY IN MONMOUTH OAKS; TWO NOTCH ROAD PULLS OFF $216 SHOCKER IN CONTINENTAL MILE
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Cindy Jones’ Just Jenda performed like an odds-on choice should in Saturday’s $200,000 Monmouth Oaks (G3), taking command in the final sixteenth and widening her lead to the wire for a four and a quarter-length victory.
In the day’s second feature, Two Notch Road pulled off a shocking victory at 107-1 in the $60,000 Continental Mile Stakes for 2-year-olds on the turf. That upset guaranteed a carryover of $21,410.50 in the Pick Five for Sunday’s program.
Just Jenda, trained by Larry Jones and ridden by Gabriel Saez, raced the mile and a sixteenth in 1:43 3/5 and paid $3.40, $2.60 and $2.10 across the board as the odds-on choice, based mainly on her facile victory in the Serena’s Song Stakes here last month.
Malibu Prayer, who battled for the lead most of the way, came back again in deep stretch to gain the place by a half-length over Hightap. Malibu Prayer, the 7-2 second choice, completed the $14 exacta and paid $4 to place and $2.60 to show. Hightap returned $2.80 to show.
Just Jenda, a chestnut filly by Menifee – Liberty School, by Pine Bluff, won her fourth race – all stakes – from seven starts this year. The Monmouth Oaks was her second win in a graded event, following her score in the Grade 3 Honeybee at Oaklawn Park in March.
She earned a winner’s prize of $120,000 for today’s win, bringing her career bankroll to $414,380 on a record of 6-1-2 in 10 starts.
Just Jenda tracked the early pace set by Malibu Prayer and Hightap most of the way. Saez brought her outside her rivals at the eighth pole, and Just Jenda went by the front pair easily as they hit the sixteenth pole. She opened daylight cruising to the wire.
“She’s an excellent filly,” said Jones. “This race was our main goal, so from here I don’t know where we’ll go.
“Right now, we’re just going to enjoy this win. She’ll be back next year, providing she stays healthy. Cindy (owner and wife of the trainer) will be her trainer next year.”
Saez said his main job was to stay out of trouble.
“I really just wanted to give her a clear trip,” he said. “”I got in a little tight heading into the first turn, but she overcame it without a problem. I was just waiting in behind the early leaders and waiting for the right time to let her go. I moved her to the outside and she just went right on by the early pacesetters.”
In the Continental Mile, Two Notch Road, owned and trained by Glenn Thompson and ridden by Shannon Uske, gained command in mid-stretch and went on to a length and a quarter upset victory, paying $216.40, $69.80 and $18 across the board.
The winner, a 2-year-old gelding by Partner’s Hero, stepped the one mile over firm turf in 1:35 3/5 for his first career win in his fourth start.
Mississippi Hippie, the 8-5 favorite in the field of 10 who battled for the lead most of the way through fast fractions, hung on by a nose for second to complete the $613.20 exacta, paying $4 to place and $3.20 to show. Work for a Cure returned $7.60 to show.
Two Notch Road started in the stakes race by chance. The gelding was entered in a maiden claiming event on Aug. 7, but threw the rider behind the gate and ran off. He was scratched out of the event.
The Virginia-bred had run three times on the dirt before trying grass today, and never was closer than sixth.
“I’m always a shoot-for-the-moon type of guy,” Thompson said. “This horse was entered last week for a $25,000 tag and threw the rider before the race. I wanted to try him on the turf, and this was the next logical spot.
“I thought he would handle the grass,” Thompson said, “and I guess it was meant for us to be in this race.”
Uske, who rides Two Notch Road in the mornings, said, “The first time I worked this horse in the morning, he had a stride that said he wanted to be on the turf.
“The race set up perfectly and I figured there would be a lot of speed. He didn’t try to fight me early on. He relaxed smoothly and really kicked in when I asked him.”
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COAL PLAY TAKES AIM AT SATURDAY'S ISELIN STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
Saturday’s $300,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3), highlight of Monmouth Park’s summer season for older horses, will attract a strong field for its 75th running.
Topping the list of nominees is Robert V. LaPenta’s Coal Play, who has become one of those “horses-for-courses” that demand respect when they show up at Monmouth.
The 4-year-old son of Mineshaft, trained by Nick Zito, has won three of five starts at Monmouth, including the Grade 3 Salvator Mile last out, but it’s the one he didn’t win that resonates loudest on his resume.
In last year’s Haskell Invitational, Coal Play went off at 20-1, second longest shot in the field, and took command from the start. He led every step until deep stretch, when it took a determined effort by champion Big Brown to run him down.
Coal Play will try to become just the fourth horse to complete the Salvator Mile-Iselin double. Gottcha Gold did it in 2007, following a pair of Canadian invaders – Schossberg in 1995, and Smart Strike in 1996.
The Iselin, at a mile and an eighth, is expected to draw a field of eight, including Monmouth-based Actin Good, Chirac and Famous Patriot.
Actin Good, owned by Corrigan, DiCosmo & Leo-Sag Stable, won the Majestic Light Stakes on Haskell Day for trainer Bobby Dibona. The 5-year-old by Yes It’s True finished sixth in last year’s Iselin.
Jane Cibelli trains Pia Kirkham’s Chirac, who also does his best running at Monmouth. The 4-year-old by SligoBay won the Skip Away Stakes here in June.
Patriot Stable’s Famous Patriot has been third in both the Skip Away and Majestic Light stakes for trainer TimHills.
Trainer Larry Jones, who won the Iselin last year with WinStar Farm & Fox Hill Farm’s Honest Man, will be back with Solar Flare, also owned by Fox Hill Farm. The 5-year-old son of Salt Lake galloped to a nine-length score in the Frisk Me Now Stakes here in May, and was third in the Salvator Mile.
Notable invaders expected are Researcher, winner of the Charles Town Classic this year for trainer Jeff Runco, and You and I Forever, from the strong Calder-based barn of Marty Wolfson.
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NEW JERSEY THOROUGHBRED FESTIVAL SET FOR SUNDAY, AUG. 23
Monmouth Park.com
Monmouth Park’s annual New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival, which features a 10-race program of state-bred races and a free winter cap giveaway, will be the highlight here next Sunday, Aug. 23.
The racing card will include four stakes races for New Jersey-breds, topped by the $100,000 Charles Hesse III Handicap at a mile and a sixteenth for older horses.
The other stakes scheduled are the $60,000 Eleven North Handicap at six furlongs for fillies and mares; the $60,000 New Jersey Breeder’s Handicap at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up, and the $60,000 Jersey Girl Handicap at a mile and a sixteenth for fillies and mares.
The free winter cap giveaway, sponsored by the N.J. Thoroughbred Festival and Malouf Auto Group, is open to all paid admissions while supplies last. Grandstand admission is $3 and clubhouse admission is $5, with senior rates $2 and $3, respectively. Children 12 and under are free.
Sunday also features the final day of the Shore Chef Crab Cake Cook-Off competition, and is also a Family Fun Day with free pony rides, face painters, clowns and other activities. Live music will be provided “On the Green” by the band Cats on a Smooth Surface.
The Crab Cake Cook-Off, sponsored by The Star-Ledger, starts on Saturday and features chefs from area restaurants competing to win the Best Crab Cake Award, and the People’s Choice Award.
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MONMOUTH HAS NEW STANDARDS FOR WHIPS, TOE GRABS
By Mike Farrell, Daily Racing Form
Monmouth Park will initiate new policies on whips and toe grabs starting Wednesday, the track announced Thursday.
The new crops, mandatory at Del Mar since Wednesday, replace the old stiff leather whips that sometimes inflicted welts and cuts. The newer whips are made of softer or padded material and emit a popping sound, designed to motivate the horse to run from the whip, rather than from the pain of physical punishment.
Monmouth riders have been experimenting with the new whips in the day's last race since July 8.
Toe grabs of up to four millimeters will be permitted on front shoes in dirt races.
The old standard of four millimeters was shortened to two at the start of this meet. The most noticeable impact was an increased number of horses stumbling at the break.
The reversion to four millimeters applies only to front shoes. No traction devices can be used by horses running on the turf.
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NEW RULES SET AT MONMOUTH FOR RIDING CROPS, TOE GRABS
Monmouth Park.com
Mike Dempsey, director of racing at Monmouth Park, announced today that new rules regarding riding crops used by jockeys, and the use of toe grabs on racing shoes will go into effect here starting with the racing on Wednesday, August 19.
All jockeys will use the new riding crops in all races starting that day. The newly enhanced crops have been used in the last race each day at Monmouth since July 8, and now will be in use in every race, every day.
The new crops, which have been endorsed by the Jockeys’ Guild, are easier on the horses, who react to the sound of the popper rather than from a physical reaction to the whip.
On the toe grab issue, Monmouth Park has adopted the Jockey Club Thoroughbred Safety Committee’s recommendation to allow toe grabs up to four millimeters in height on front shoes on dirt racing surfaces only.
The new rule will go into effect for all dirt races at Monmouth – including graded stakes – starting on Wednesday.
The previous rule allowed for toe grabs up to two millimeters, but the adjustment was made when it was reported that an unusually high number of horses were stumbling at the start of races.
The rule applies to toe grabs on front shoes only, and in no cases is a height greater than four millimeters allowable.
No traction devices of any kind are allowed on shoes worn in grass races.
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RAIN RUINS HARTMANN'S TRIP
By Mike Farrell, Daily Racing Form
OCEANPORT, N.J. - When the plane touched down in the rain in Chicago last Friday, trainer Mary Hartmann had one desire.
"I felt like going home," Hartmann said.
It was too late. Hartmann and Presious Passion had come too far, from Monmouth Park to the Midwest, to turn back.
It was on to the Arlington Million on Saturday, even if the wet course compromised Presious Passion, the two-time defending United Nations champion.
"Had we been a van ride away, we would have scratched," Hartmann said. "Since had come all that way and had never been on the Arlington turf, we gave it a shot."
Presious Passion likes it firm. The harder, the better. Some of his worst efforts have come on yielding courses. This was not his kind of turf.
Presious Passion gave it a try on the course labeled good. As usual, he shot right to the front, opening a 10-length lead. On the softer footing, Presious Passion could not carry his speed the full 1 1/4 miles, fading to last, 10 lengths behind winner Gio Ponti.
"We didn't do well," Hartmann said. "The horse came back fine. His right ankle was green after the race, which had never happened before. They were sinking into it pretty good."
Hartmann hasn't mapped out a next start, although it appears Presious Passion will have to hit the road again. There are no major grass races left at Monmouth except for the Red Bank on Labor Day weekend at one mile, a distance too short for a gelding whose preferred range is 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 miles.
Long range, Presious Passion will head to Santa Anita for the Breeders' Cup in November. The United Nations was a Win and You're In stakes, guaranteeing Presious Passion a slot in the Turf.
The challenge for Hartmann will be finding races on firm courses between now and then.
The Chicago trip wasn't a complete waste as Hartmann got to visit Arlington for the first time.
Renda returns for Oaks
Renda has also hit the road, shipping up last week from Calder to Monmouth for the Grade 3, $200,000 Monmouth Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on Saturday.
This will be a return to the Jersey Shore, and the site of Renda's breakthrough win last year in the off-the-turf Junior Champion Stakes.
After rolling to a five-length win in her debut at Calder, Renda finished fifth in a pair of Grade 3 stakes: the Debutante at Churchill Downs and the Schuylerville at Saratoga.
The Junior Champion was her first stakes win, and her first time around two turns. She loved it, drawing off to a seven-length win.
"She's already won over the surface," said trainer Juan Arias. "That eliminates any question. Sometimes when you ship in, you're guessing. She loved it last year, so I don't think she will have a problem handling it for this race."
Following the Junior Champion, Renda posted another commanding win back home in the Brave Raj Stakes at Calder.
Those two wins earned her a spot in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, where she ran 10th.
Renda, winless in six starts this season, will look for a rebound with regular rider Sebastian Madrid aboard.
The likely favorite will be Just Jenda, who cruised to 8 1/4-length win in the Serena's Song, the Monmouth Oaks prep.
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PRINCE JOSHUA RALLIES TO TAKE SELECT STAKES SUNDAY; PICK 5 CARRYOVER OF $14, 523 INTO MONMOUTH'S WEDNESDAY CARD
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Rose Family Stable’s Prince Joshua sat off the pace early on before making a wide move around the turn and posting a length win in the $70,000 Select Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday. Prince Joshua’s win capped the Pick 5 on the card, which paid $138.30 for four out of five winners leaving a $14,523.90 carryover into Wednesday’s Pick 5.
Trained by Barry Rose, Prince Joshua covered the six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:09 3/5 and returned $9.20, $5 and $3.60. Bee Cee Cee rallied to complete the $103.40 exacta and paid $10.60 to place and $5.60 to show. It was another half-length back to Beacon Hill Road, who paid $3.60 to show.
“We got a great trip sitting off the early speed,” said winning jockey Paco Lopez. “He has a solid kick to him and showed a nice turn of foot when I called on him.”
A 3-year-old gelding by First Tour from the Alydar mare Allendar, Prince Joshua has now won five of his 18 career starts. He has banked $163,879 for his connections.
The Pick 5 got started with Cozzene’s Destiny ($16.40) in the fifth race. Pop Panebianco ($11.40) took race six as Neatoknock ($6.40) won the seventh. Coffee Creek Rose ($12.40) won the next to last race in the sequence followed by Prince Joshua.
The Pick 5 is offered daily at Monmouth Park on races five through nine and has a 50 cent base wager.
Live racing returns to MonmouthPark on Wednesday, Aug. 12. Gates open at 11:30am with first post set at 12:50pm. As always, the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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HIDDEN EXPRESSION SCORES BY THREE IN COLLEEN STAKES; ATTICUS KRISTY WINS MY FRENCHMAN ON TURF AT MONMOUTH
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. -- Hidden Expression overtook the tiring leaders to win the $65,000 Colleen Stakes, and Atticus Kristy made a big run through the stretch to capture the $60,000 My Frenchman Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
In the Colleen, a five and a half-furlong prep for Monmouth’s $100,000 Sorority Stakes on Sept. 5, Hidden Expression turned out to be the 2-year-old filly with a future as she scored by three lengths in 1:04 3/5.
The winner, trained by Todd Beattie and ridden by Eddie Castro, was off as third choice in the field of seven and returned $14.60, $6.60 and $4.40 across the board.
Truth and Justice, the 2-1 second choice who set fast fractions only to fade the in the final eighth, held the place by a half-length and completed the $55.40 exacta, paying $3.80 and $3.20 to place and show. Southern Truth grabbed the show spot, returning $4.20, while Aegean, the 4-5 favorite, finished fourth.
This was the second straight score for Hidden Expression, a bay daughter of Yonaguska who broke her maiden on the synthetic track at Presque Isle Downs last month.
Truth and Justice and Aegean broke on top and battled for the lead through a quarter in :21 2/5 and a half-mile in :44 3/5. Aegean dropped back at the eighth pole, leaving Truth and Justice alone on the lead. But Hidden Expression, who had been tracking the leaders, made a big run through the stretch that carried her past the leader to a daylight score.
“We’re real impressed with her,” said Beattie, who owns the filly in partnership with Common Wealth New Era. “She’s still making some mistakes, just trying to figure things out, but we’re excited about this filly. The Sorority is obviously the next logical spot for her.”
“We got a nice trip behind the two horses that were dueling for the early lead,” Castro said. “They went pretty quick up front and when I called on her, she caught up to them pretty easily.”
In the My Frenchman, run at “about” five and a half furlongs on the firm turf course, Atticus Kristy ran to his odds, winning like a 4-5 favorite should with Joe Bravo aboard.
The 8-year-old son of Atticus, trained by Michael Pino, scored by an easy length, stopped the timer in 1:02 and paid $3.60, $2.40 and $2.10 across the board.
Cooper County, who dueled with Hesa Big Star most of the way, held on for second by nearly a length over the fast-closing Cherokee Country, completing the $20.80 exacta. Cooper County paid $5 and $3.20, and Cherokee Country returned $3.80 to show.
This was the first win in three starts at Monmouth for Atticus Kristy, who had finished second in the Wolf Hill Stakes in May, and third in the McSorley Stakes last month.
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RYAN LOOKS FOR A SOFTER SPOT WITH BUNKER HILL AFTER HASKELL
Monmouth Park.com
Flying Dutchman Thoroughbreds’ Bunker Hill brought up the rear in last Sunday’s $1.25 million Haskell Invitational, far adrift (45 lengths) of the racing phenomenon known as Rachel Alexandra.
Somebody had to be last in the Grade 1 event, run on a sloppy track. Trainer Derek Ryan just wishes it wasn’t him.
“I knew that if the filly ran her race, we’d all be going for second money,” Ryan said. “And I was hoping we could get fourth with Bunker Hill. But he just didn’t run at all.”
Bunker Hill, who had run well at Monmouth before, broke awkwardly in the Haskell, and then never seemed comfortable on the sloppy track. He stayed in touch the first half-mile, then steadily faded.
“He came out of the race okay,” Ryan said. “Now we’ll be looking for a softer spot for him.”
Ryan’s primary Haskell hope was Musket Man, third in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. But the colt was injured (bone bruise) in July and went to the sidelines.
“I called the farm, and they said Musket Man’s doing great, rolling in the mud and having a good time,” Ryan said. “That’s racing.”
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ALL EYES FOLLOWING RACHEL ALEXANDRA
By David Grening , Daily Racing Form
Let the Rachel Watch begin anew.
After disposing of 3-year-old males - again - in Sunday's $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at sloppy Monmouth Park, Preakness winner Rachel Alexander ratcheted up her star power another notch. Now, the racing world will wait - again - with bated breath for owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen to decide when and where she will strut her stuff next.
If her next start is at Saratoga - where Rachel Alexandra returned Monday morning - Jackson has a multitude of Grade 1 options, beginning with the $1 million Travers for 3-year-olds on Aug. 29, the $300,000 Personal Ensign against older females the next day, or the $500,000 Woodward Stakes against older males on Sept. 5. While she would naturally be eligible for the Alabama against 3-year-old fillies on Aug. 22, that race would do virtually nothing for Rachel Alexandra in her quest to become Horse of the Year.
While the Travers would mean a potential matchup of three Triple Crown race winners - something that hasn't happened in the Travers since 1982 - a start in the weight-for-age Woodward would give Rachel Alexandra the opportunity to become the first filly to win that prestigious race.
"I'd look at that opportunity if she tells me she's ready for that," Jackson said Sunday.
The Woodward, which Jackson and Asmussen won last year with Curlin, would represent another out-of-the-box race that could help Rachel Alexandra gain Horse of the Year without running in the Breeders' Cup. Jackson, for the third time in five weeks, said Rachel Alexandra would not run in the Breeders' Cup over Santa Anita's synthetic surface, meaning a matchup with the undefeated Zenyatta is unlikely.
Rachel Alexandra's six-length victory over Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird in Sunday's Haskell left many - including those remaining doubters - in awe.
"I think every time she runs you're that much more in awe of her," said Tim Ice, trainer of Summer Bird. "We knew what we were up against. We were hoping she'd stub a toe. She's one of those horses that doesn't come around very often."
"Rachel has done things we've asked her to do again and again and more importantly - wow! - she exceeds our expectations," Jackson said. "I don't know what the depth of her is, I don't know that Calvin [Borel] and Steve do. We will take on what we have to take because I do push them, as you know."
Rachel Alexandra, who earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 116 on Sunday, arrived at Saratoga shortly before 9 a.m. Monday morning. Asmussen took a quick glance at the filly before he, his wife, and their three sons headed to Albany airport for a trip to Louisville. Asmussen said evaluating how Rachel Alexandra handled the Haskell will determine when and where she will run next.
Another mitigating circumstance regarding the Travers is that Asmussen and Jackson may have Kensei to run in that race. Kensei won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy on Saturday, validating his victory in the Grade 2 Dwyer Stakes last month at Belmont. Kensei earned a career-best 106 Beyer Figure in the Jim Dandy.
"Having Kensei might also come into play into the decision process, which is not a problem to have but a blessing," Asmussen said. "If Kensei trains lights-out between now and the Travers, it's hard to deny him the option of running. . . . I might be speaking out of turn here, but it is my belief that it would be unlikely the two of them would run against each other."
Kensei suffered some superficial cuts on his left hind hock, but Asmussen said, "They're very clean right now."
In addition to the Haskell and Jim Dandy, Asmussen also won the $750,000 West Virginia Derby on Saturday with Soul Warrior, who upset Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird. Soul Warrior, owned by Ahmed Zayat, is likely headed to the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park on Labor Day.
Lost in Rachelmania is the fact the 3-year-old male championship is up for grabs. Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, who arrived at Saratoga Monday afternoon following a third-place finish in the West Virginia Derby, and Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, who was scheduled to arrive at Saratoga on Tuesday, are headed for a showdown in the Travers.
"I think it should be," Ice said. "He's beaten me once, I've beaten him once. I would hope [Sunday] opened everybody's eyes this is an improving horse. This colt has come a long way in a short period of time."
Others who may run in the Travers include Warrior's Reward, third in the Jim Dandy; Blame, winner of the Curlin Stakes; and Our Edge, winner of three straight, including the Grade 3 Barbaro Stakes at Delaware Park.
Meanwhile, Big Drama, runner-up in the West Virginia Derby, and Munnings, the third-place finisher in the Haskell, will shorten up to their preferred distance of seven furlongs in the Grade 1 King's Bishop on the Travers undercard, their respective trainers said Monday.
- additional reporting by Mike Welsch
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HASKELL CHAMP RACHEL ALEXANDRA BACK AT SARATOGA
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – After her smashing six-length victory in Sunday’s $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, Rachel Alexandra headed back north to Saratoga with her next start to be determined.
The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro put on another impressive show when she powered past Munnings, who was between horses, and Summer Bird on the rail to gain command around the far turn before rolling to a daylight score. Summer Bird battled gamely on the inside to be second, with Munnings, the early pacesetter, third.
After heavy rains that drenched Monmouth Park in the early afternoon, the weather broke in time for the superstar filly to splash home in the Haskell, stopping the timer in an impressive 1:47 1/5 for the mile and an eighth.
Trainer Tim Ice reported his Belmont Stakes winner and Haskell runner-up Summer Bird to be in fine shape following Sunday’s race.
“He’s perfect,” Ice said. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning for Saratoga. The Travers is next for him.”
As for his 2nd place finish in the Haskell, “My horse ran great,” said Ice. “I can’t say enough about the winner, she’s unbelievable. I’m proud of my horse, he ran terrific.”
Summer Bird was making his first start since winning the Belmont Stakes, on June 6.
The 2009 MonmouthPark meeting continues on Wednesday, Aug. 5 – first post 12:50pm. The live race meet runs through Sunday, Sept. 27.
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RACHEL BLOWS AWAY COLTS IN HASKELL
By David Grening , Daily Racing Form
As the field for the Haskell Invitational approached the starting gate and the rain-reduced crowd of 37,090 roared with anticipation, Darren Asmussen turned to his father, Steve, the trainer of superstar filly Rachel Alexandra, and said, "I got goose bumps."
Steve Asmussen rubbed his middle son's back and said, "I do too, buddy."
A short time later so did the entire Monmouth Park grandstand as Rachel Alexandra and jockey Calvin Borel swept past the pacesetting Munnings and the Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird and drew off to a six-length victory in the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational over a sloppy main track.
Summer Bird, who was surprisingly close to the pace under Kent Desormeaux, edged away from Munnings to get second by one length. Munnings was third and followed in the order of finish by Papa Clem, Duke of Mischief, Atomic Rain, and Bunker Hill.
It was the seventh victory in as many starts this year for Rachel Alexandra -- including the Preakness Stakes -- her eighth in a row and 10th from 13 lifetime starts. She beat boys for the second time this year, the first time a 3-year-old filly has done that since Serena s Song in 1995. Serena s Song is the only other filly to have won the Haskell in 42 runnings.
"It's surreal to witness what we've done, I mean we're talking about a race that I got [two-time Horse of the Year] Curlin beat in," said Asmussen, who took over the training of Rachel Alexandra 10 days before the Preakness. "It isn't a given."
Pouring rain turned the Monmouth main track into a sea of slop reminiscent of the two-day Breeders' Cup event here in 2007. There were two spills earlier in the card that resulted in jockeys Fabrizio Jiminez and Pedro Cotto being injured - one was on the turf - but at no time did the connections of Rachel Alexandra indicate they would consider scratching from the race.
The rain stopped by the middle of the day and the sun even poked its head through the clouds ever so briefly. Those who braved the elements to come to Monmouth got what they wanted from Rachel Alexandra.
After breaking a step slow, she took up a stalking position outside of Munnings, who ran an opening quarter in 22.99 seconds under John Velazquez. Noting the time, Asmussen - who watched the race with his parents, wife, and three sons - said, "they're rolling, man."
Rachel Alexandra continued to race just outside of Summer Bird while Munnings set fractions of 46.43 and 1:09.92 for the opening six furlongs. Around the far turn, Rachel Alexandra got in gear and passed her two male rivals by the quarter pole. Borel said he remained busy on her in upper stretch because his filly was starting to look around. But in the last 50 yards, Borel got in celebration mode, pointing to the filly as she crossed the finish line.
Rachel Alexandra covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:47.21, which is 1:47 1/5 when translated to fifths. That is just one-fifth off the stakes record set by Majestic Light [1976] and equaled by Bet Twice [1987] when times were not available in hundredths.
Borel, who has ridden Rachel Alexandra to eight straight victories, did not think the Haskell was Rachel Alexandra's best performance. The Beyer Speed Figure of 116 suggests that it is.
"Nah, she run a better race than that," he said. "I thought the Preakness was a top performance coming out of the 13 hole and knowing going in that she wasn't 100 [percent] she still laid it down for me. She run today, but I knew she'd win today, and I come in with so much confidence today it was unbelievable. Till the day they hook me and give her the eye, I don't know how good she is."
What is also unknown is where and when Rachel Alexandra will run next. She shipped back to Saratoga Sunday night and if she races there the two most logical spots would be the Travers on Aug. 29 or the Woodward against older males on Sept. 5.
Both Asmussen and owner Jess Jackson said they want to see how the filly comes out of the race before determining their next move.
"I don't know what frontier she's going to conquer next, she does so well every time we raise the bar that we have to consider all options," Jackson said. "At the same she's going to tell us when she's ready to run."
Tim Ice, the trainer of Summer Bird, said he would like to run in the Travers, but not against Rachel.
"We'll take a look at the Travers," he said. "If she's in there, she's in there. I'm not going to invite her."
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HEAVY RAIN HURTS HASKELL HANDLE, ATTENDANCE
By Jay Privman, Daily Racing Form
Heavy storms at Monmouth Park on Sunday did not dampen the enthusiasm of those who came to see what they wanted to see - a victory by Rachel Alexandra in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational - but the wet weather significantly affected both the ontrack attendance and the overall handle on what could have been an even bigger day for the Jersey Shore track.
A crowd of 37,090 braved the thunderstorms and drenching rain to see Rachel Alexandra, a drop of nearly 18 percent from the 45,132 who showed up in better weather last year to see Big Brown, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner. This year's crowd was 10 percent higher than the 33,356 who attended the Haskell in 1999, the last time it rained on Haskell Day.
The heavy rain forced the card's two graded stakes, the Matchmaker and the Oceanport, onto the main track, and resulted in a slew of scratches. That, in turn, significantly affected handle, since the races were far less attractive from a betting standpoint. The ontrack handle was $2,423,770, a drop of nearly 33 percent from last year's $3,602,670. The day's overall handle, including off-track sites, was $12,297,624, down 30 percent from last year's $17,642,955.
"We are thrilled that so many fans braved the elements to support the biggest day in New Jersey racing," said Dennis R. Robinson, president and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which owns and operates Monmouth Park. The crowd "more than demonstrates the public's appetite for world-class racing, and Monmouth Park delivered
"The one thing you can't control is the weather, and notwithstanding that one variable, the entire day was a wire-to-wire winner for the fans, horsemen, and the state of New Jersey."
Monmouth Park had similar bad luck in the fall of 2007, when it played host to the Breeders' Cup for the first time. It was the first time the Breeders' Cup was expanded to a two-day format, and it rained both days.
Curiously, the biggest winner of that Breeders' Cup was Curlin, who won the Classic for majority owner Jess Jackson and trainer Steve Asmussen, the same team behind Rachel Alexandra.
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RACHEL ALEXANDRA ROMPS TO SMASHING SIX-LENGTH VICTORY IN MONMOUTH'S HASKELL INVITATIONAL; SUMMER BIRD 2ND
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Rachel Alexandra flashed her Horse of the Year credentials with a vengeance at Monmouth Park on Sunday, as she humbled a field of talented colts with a stunning six-length victory in the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (G1).
The 3-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, sent off the 1-2 favorite by 37,090 adoring fans on hand at Monmouth and a vast legion of believers at simulcast sites, ran away from the boys through the stretch to capture the Haskell with ease, just the second filly in history (Serena’s Song in 1995 was the first) to win Monmouth’s signature event.
Racing effortlessly over a track made sloppy by heavy rain early in the day, Rachel Alexandra ran the mile and an eighth in 1:47.21, just a few ticks off the track record of 1:46.80 set by Spend a Buck in 1985.
To underline the power of Rachel’s achievement, Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird was left far adrift in second, with multiple stakes winner Munnings third, a length farther back, and Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem fourth. Duke of Mischief was fifth, Atomic Rain sixth and Bunker Hill last.
The Haskell was Rachel’s eighth straight victory, a streak stretching back to last November when Calvin Borel became her regular rider. This spring and summer, the filly has beaten males in both the Preakness and the Haskell, and ran away from filly rivals in the five other stakes.
This was her third straight score for new owners Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick, who purchased Rachel Alexandra after her Kentucky Oaks win. She’s been trained by Steve Asmussen since that May 1 victory.
Haskell Day attendance and handle was seriously dampened by a series of fierce thunderstorms that brought lightning and drenching rain to most of Monmouth County.
“We are thrilled that so many fans braved the elements to support the biggest day in New Jersey racing,” said Dennis R. Robinson, president and CEO of the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, which owns and operates MonmouthPark. “Today’s crowd more than demonstrates the public’s appetite for world-class racing and Monmouth Park delivered.
“The one thing you can’t control is the weather, and notwithstanding that one variable, the entire day was a wire-to-wire winner for the fans, horsemen and the state of New Jersey.”
Rachel Alexandra paid $3, $2.20 and $2.10 across the board and topped a $10.40 exacta with Summer Bird, who paid $3.40 and $2.60. Munnings paid $3.20 to show.
She earned a winner’s prize of $700,000 for her Haskell victory, bringing her career total to $2,498,354 on a record of 10 wins in 12 lifetime starts.
The race was really never in doubt. Rachel Alexandra stalked the early pace set by Munnings, with Summer Bird running much closer to the pace than usual. On the stretch turn, the filly asserted herself and through the stretch she was on cruise control as she kept opening daylight on Summer Bird, who had moved in front of Munnings.
It was a one-girl show to the wire, with Borel celebrating in his usual fashion the last 70 yards.
“This filly is just unbelievable,” Borel said. “I can’t say how good she is. I don’t know. I gave her a few taps at the sixteenth pole. I just wanted to keep her focused with a couple taps. She started looking around at the crowd, so I just kept her busy to the wire.”
Asmussen said, “I felt very confident that she would be able to handle the surface today. The Haskell was our major goal, and we were happy with the way she ran today.
“I can’t tell you how amazing it is that everybody everywhere asks me about Rachel,” Asmussen said. “I think it’s fantastic, and Rachel is very deserving of the admiration.
“To compare her three races from the Preakness to the Mother Goose to today, it’s hard to determine her best effort,” the trainer said. “All of her races are very special for different reasons. She can handle the crowd, the weather, nothing surprises her.”
Tim Ice, trainer of Summer Bird, said he was proud of his horse’s effort.
“He was going real comfortable throughout,” Ice said. “I’m very proud of how my horse dug in. It looked like the other horses were going to go right by him, but he fought back and pulled away for second.
“But that was Rachel Alexandra. That’s what everyone came to see.”
Kent Desormeaux, who rode Summer Bird, said, “I might have taken my horse out of his game today. I rode the racetrack thinking it was important to have enough speed to be close. He showed me a very good turn of foot and put me right in the catbird seat.
“Take Rachel Alexandra out of there, and we’re the winner,” Dersormeaux said. “He showed me a great deal of will and guts to hang in there and hold second.”
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GET SERIOUS NEVER HEADED IN OCEANPORT STAKES VICTORY; CAPTAIN'S LOVER SCORES BY 7 IN MATCHMAKER AT MONMOUTH
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Dinan, Moore & Phantom House Farm’s Get Serious was a wire-to-wire winner in the $200,000 Oceanport Stakes (G3), and Team Valor International’s Captain’s Lover romped to victory in the $200,000 Taylor Made Matchmaker Stakes (G3) on the Haskell Day undercard at Monmouth Park that featured seven stakes races before the main event Sunday.
Both graded races were originally scheduled to be run on the turf, but heavy rains early in the day forced the races onto the sloppy main track. The field for the Oceanport was reduced to three runners, while the Matchmaker went with five.
In the Oceanport, Get Serious was sent to the lead from the gate by Pablo Fragoso, and the 5-year-old son of City Zip was never seriously threatened as he scored his seventh win at Monmouth in 12 career starts here.
John Forbes trains Get Serious, who stepped the mile and a sixteenth in 1:43 flat over the sloppy main track and paid $3.40.
Kiss the Kid mounted a challenge in mid-stretch, but was forced to settle for second, a neck back, to complete the $7 exacta. Pleasant Strike was more than four lengths farther back.
Get Serious has won on both dirt and turf at Monmouth in his career, and this was his second career stakes win on a sloppy track. He took the Alysheba last fall at the Meadowlands.
“I think he tolerates it (the slop) more than anything,” Forbes said. “I thought it was a great ride. He (Pablo Fragoso) did a great job of slowing him down.”
“This horse really runs hard every time he races, and he loves to win,” Fragoso said. “He broke well, and I was able to get him to relax down the backside. Once that horse got up to our side, he kicked into another gear and would not let him go by.”
In the Taylor Made Matchmaker, Captain’s Lover, who had never raced on dirt in her career, took a liking to the sloppy Monmouth strip as she romped to a seven-length victory with John Velazquez aboard.
Captain’s Lover, a 5-year-old South African-bred mare trained by Todd Pletcher, raced the mile and an eighth in 1:51 3/5 and paid $7, $3.60 and $2.20 across the board as the favorite in the field of six fillies and mares.
Princess Haya rallied along the rail to get second, a length and a quarter before American Border. Princess Haya paid $4.20 and $2.60 and completed the $29.20 exacta, and American Border paid $2.40 to show.
Captain’s Lover, who had finished third in the Miss Liberty Stakes on the grass here last month, sat off the early pace until entering the stretch, when she ran right by American Border, who had taken the lead rounding the turn.
Captain’s Lover earned a winner’s prize of $120,000, and the first three finishers earned a season to one of three Taylor Made stallions, Wildcat Heir, Northern Afleet, and Southern Image.
Last year, the mare won a Group 3 stakes at Longchamp, and as a 3-year-old won stakes in South Africa.
“Any time you have a horse that has never run on the main track before, you’re a little nervous,” Pletcher said. “She’s trained so good over it in the morning that we knew if the opportunity arose where she could race on it, we would do it. That opportunity came today, and she ran very well.”
“She didn’t break that well for me today,” Velazquez said, “and she didn’t get comfortable in her stride until the backstretch. I know she’s a nice horse, but we didn’t know if she’d be able to handle the slop. Once she got comfortable and started striding smoothly, she just ran her race.”
In the $100,000 Majestic Light Stakes, Corrigan, DiCosmo & Leo-Sag’s Actin Good put on a display of gameness as he clung to a narrow lead the last half-mile and held off Acting Zippy by a nose at the wire.
Actin Good, trained by Bobby Dibona and ridden by Kent Desormeaux, splashed the mile and a sixteenth in 1:43 3/5 and paid $12.60, $5.60 and $3.60 across the board.
Acting Zippy, the second choice in the field of seven older horses, completed the $63.80 exacta and paid $4.80 to place and $3 to show. Famous Patriot made some ground late to be third, two and a quarter lengths behind the top pair, and returned $3.40 to show. Chirac, the 3-2 favorite, was fourth.
This was the first win of the year in three starts for Actin Good, a 5-year-old son of Yes It’s True who improved his career record at Monmouth to 4-2-2 in 10 starts here.
The winner battled with early leader Pampered Sir the first half-mile, gained a narrow advantage approaching the turn and then stubbornly held off every challenger through the stretch.
“We’ve been pointing to this race all along,” Dibona said. “I knew he’d need a couple of starts to get to a peak, and he was really tenacious out there today. The Iselin (Grade 3 on Aug. 22) is a possibility for him.”
“He had a lot of run turning for home,” Desormeaux said, “and when the other horse (Acting Zippy) stuck with us, he dug in gamely.”
In the off-the-turf $100,000 Jersey Derby, Peachtree Stable’s Endymion, Joe Bravo aboard, found more in deep stretch to turn back the challenge of 2-5 favorite Despite the Odds and score by nearly three lengths.
Cristophe Clement trains Endymion, a 3-year-old colt by Tapit, who broke his maiden on the main track here in May and last out finished third in the Coronado’s Quest Stakes run over a sloppy track.
Endymion stopped the timer in 1:44 1/5 for the mile and a sixteenth, and paid $7, $2.60 and $2.10 across the board. He topped a $12.40 exacta with Despite the Odds, who paid the minimum $2.10 to placed and show. Code of Honour was third, paying $2.20 to show.
“My horse ran a real big one today, and dug in all the way to the end,” Bravo said. “He didn’t want to let that horse go by.”
In the $100,000 Regret Stakes, Silly Goose Racing Stable’s D’Wild Ride wore down a stubborn Fearless Leader at the wire to score a head victory as the longest shot (5-2) in a field reduced to just three starters.
Sunday Geisha, the 3-5 favorite, finished third, nearly two lengths behind the top two, after holding the lead into the stretch.
D’Wild Ride, trained by Joe Orseno and ridden by Carlos Marquez Jr., paid $7 to win and topped a $14.40 exacta with Fearless Leader, who went off at 9-5.
This was the first win at Monmouth after three straight second-place finishes for D’Wild Ride, a 4-year-old daughter of D’Wildcat who raced the six furlongs in 1:09 2/5 over the sloppy track.
“This filly really showed her class today,” said Marquez. I wasn’t sure if she was going to go by that horse, but she kicked it in for me as we got down towards the wire.”
In the $100,000 Teddy Drone Stakes at six furlongs, Shillelagh Racing Stable’s Fleet Valid moved to the lead at the three-eighths pole and held his edge to the wire, scoring by three-quarters of a length over Keep Laughing.
The winner, trained by Scott Volk and ridden by Pablo Morales, won his third straight at Monmouth in the stakes, stopping the timer in 1:08 3/5. Fleet Valid paid $10.20, $4.60 and $3.80 across the board and topped a $48.40 exacta.
Keep Laughing paid $5 and $3.80 and He’s So Chic finished third to pay $5.60 to show. Timely Advice, the 2-1 favorite, was fourth.
Volk claimed Fleet Valid, a 6-year-old son of Montbrook, for $14,000 at Aqueduct in April, and the horse has now won three straight at Monmouth. The horse performed well in stakes company in his younger days.
“He’s just a plain, good horse,” Volk said. “He was a good horse when he was young, he hit the bottom, and now he’s come back. He was a terrific claim.”
In the $100,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes for fillies and mares, Glencrest Farm’s Devil House took command from the gate and never looked back under Chuck C. Lopez to score by three lengths.
The 5-year-old Chester House mare, trained by Bruce Levine, stopped the timer in 1:43 2/5 for the mile and a sixteenth and paid $11.40, $6 and $3.80 across the board. Talkin About Love closed swiftly on the outside to complete the $100.40 exacta. She finished a length in front of Jasmine Gardens, the 2-1 favorite, and paid $10.60 to place and $4.80 to show. Jasmine Gardens returned $2.80 to show.
Devil House, who had not raced since April, has now won two of her five career Monmouth starts.
“We got a great trip and I was confident the whole way with her,” Lopez said. “She has good natural speed and can carry it a long way. Today she carried it all the way and ran great.”
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ROUGH GOING EARLY ON HASKELL CARD
By David Grening, Daily Racing Form
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Two jockeys were injured, one horse was euthanized, and three of the biggest turf stakes of the meeting were moved to the main track Sunday on a rainy Haskell Day at Monmouth Park.
Jockey Fabrizio Jimenez suffered multiple fractures of his right leg, a fractured right hip, and a possible ankle fracture after his mount, Ballado Alert clipped heels with another horse entering the first turn of the fourth race. Jimenez was taken to Jersey Shore Trauma Center in Neptune for evaluation and probable surgery.
There was no report immediately available on Ballado Alert.
One race later, in a race run over a sloppy main track, jockey Pedro Cotto was unseated when his horse, Tale of Victory, suffered a fatal breakdown to a front leg down the backside. Cotto was sent to Jersey Shore Trauma Center for precautionary X-rays of his abdomen and back, according to Dr. Angelo Chinnici, Medical Director at Monmouth Park.
Tale of Victory was euthanized.
Although the rain appeared to stop by 3 p.m., the jockeys contended that the turf course was unsafe for the program's three remaining grass stakes. The $100,000 Jersey Derby as well as the Matchmaker Stakes and Oceanport Handicap - the latter both Grade 3, $200,000 races - were taken off the turf and moved to the sealed, sloppy main track.
The Jersey Derby scratched down to a four-horse field and was won by Endymion, who prevailed over 2-5 favorite Despite the Odds.
The Matchmaker scratched down to a five-horse field - Closeout, Rutherienne, and Ariege scratched - while the Oceanport was down to four horses after losing Roman Tiger, Radical Sabbatical, and Proudinsky.
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HASKELL PIVOTAL TO RACHEL'S ULTIMATE GOAL
By David Grening, Daily Racing Form
With no more worlds left to conquer in the 3-year-old filly division, the connections of Rachel Alexandra must seek out new challenges - and challengers - in order to obtain their ultimate objective of winning Horse of the Year.
It appears as though they found just that in Sunday's $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.
Eleven weeks after defeating Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in the Preakness Stakes, Rachel Alexandra meets Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, the intriguing multiple stakes winner Munnings, and four others in the Haskell, the centerpiece of a 14-race card that begins at noon Eastern. Post time for the Haskell, the 13th race, is 6:15 p.m.
Rachel Alexandra, owned by Jess Jackson's Stonestreet Stable, is trying to become just the second filly in the 42-year history of the race to win the Haskell. She is also trying to become the first 3-year-old filly to beat males twice in major stakes in the same year since Serena's Song won the Haskell and the Jim Beam in 1995.
"When she won the Preakness," trainer Steve Asmussen said Friday morning at Saratoga, "[Jackson] talked immediately how he would run her against the boys this year, and this is the time and the place."
Rachel Alexandra has won all six of her starts this year and seven in a row overall. With the 3-year-old filly championship sewn up, Jackson and Asmussen would like to see the filly be considered for Horse of the Year, an award Jackson and Asmussen won the last two years with Curlin.
"To be involved with Curlin and the horse he was and the things he was able to do for us - he was unique in many ways," Asmussen said. "And to be able to follow that up with Rachel, it's a tremendous opportunity and one that we respect greatly, and it kind of goes along with Mr. Jackson thinking out of the box to a degree."
Jackson sought and received a $250,000 purse increase from Monmouth officials to ensure proper competition for Rachel Alexandra. Summer Bird and Munnings were coming regardless of the purse increase and could provide stiff competition to Rachel.
Summer Bird won the Belmont Stakes in his fifth career start. Munnings has won his last two starts - graded stakes at seven furlongs - with speed figures that rival Rachel Alexandra's. The question is whether he can do it at 1 1/8 miles around two turns.
"I'm confident he'll run to the best of his capabilities," said Todd Pletcher, trainer of Munnings. "I'm just not sure if the mile and an eighth is his best distance. He's got a good foundation to him, he's in great form, and it certainly seems like the right time to step up and find out. Obviously, he's going to have to run a superior race to compete with the filly."
The early stages of the Haskell should be interesting. While Munnings has rated kindly in his last two wins, the fractions were much faster than they figure to be in the Haskell. Rachel Alexandra won the Preakness in front-running fashion, but rated nicely under Calvin Borel when she won the three-horse Mother Goose by 19 1/4 lengths in 1:46.33, both stakes records.
In the Haskell, Rachel Alexandra drew post 6, two slots outside of Munnings, giving Calvin Borel, aboard Rachel Alexandra a slight advantage over John Velazquez, the rider of Munnings.
"Enough can't be said of Calvin to have that kind of confidence in her, it's quite obvious he's got the most confidence in her mentally as well as physically," Asmussen said. "It might come in extremely handy going forward."
Summer Bird emerged as a contender for 3-year-old male divisional honors with his 2 3/4-length victory in the Belmont Stakes. Trainer Tim Ice added blinkers to Summer Bird's equipment for that race and the horse was much closer to the pace than he had been in his previous races. Ice said he sees the Haskell as a race where his colt can validate that performance.
"I don't think it's a two-horse race, I think there's going to be plenty of pace up front for me," Ice said. "I look forward to running against her and finding out what my colt can do."
Papa Clem beat Summer Bird in the Arkansas Derby and finished ahead of him in the Kentucky Derby. Papa Clem finished third in the Long Branch - the local prep for the Haskell - and will be running at the same track twice for the first time since March.
Atomic Rain won the Long Branch and is 3 for 4 at Monmouth. He had a sore foot earlier in the week, but returned to the track Thursday and his new connections - he was purchased by Godolphin Racing after the Long Branch - are hopeful of making the race.
Duke of Mischief and Bunker Hill fill out the field.
The Haskell is the final leg of a pick four with a guaranteed pool of $250,000. The card also features a 50-cent pick five on races 5-9 with a guaranteed pool of $50,000. Haskell caps will be given away with paid admission, though the admission prices are higher Sunday than normal. Grandstand admission is $5 (compared with $3) while clubhouse admission is $8 (compared with $5).
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OCEANPORT, N.J. – The richest day in New Jersey Thoroughbred racing history and an appearance by superstar filly Rachel Alexandra will guarantee that Sunday’s 42nd running of the Haskell Invitational will be one of the most memorable ever at Monmouth Park.
The Haskell, with its purse boosted to $1.25 million, tops a card of 14 races – including seven other stakes events – with total purses of $2.5 million, making it by far the most lucrative afternoon of sport ever conducted by MonmouthPark.
Rachel Alexandra, who beat male rivals to become the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness, tops a field of seven as she tries to become just the second filly in history to win the Grade 1 Haskell.
Top rivals to the filly, who brings a seven-race win streak into the mile and an eighth race, are Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, and multiple stakes winner Munnings.
The completed field for the Haskell, from the rail out, consists of Duke of Mischief, Eibar Coa riding; Summer Bird, Kent Desormeaux; Papa Clem, Elvis Trujillo; Munnings, John Velazquez; Atomic Rain, Joe Bravo; Rachel Alexandra, Calvin Borel, and Bunker Hill, Kendrick Carmouche.
The Haskell, centerpiece of Monmouth’s summer meeting, will be run as the 13th race on the card, with probable post time set at 6:14 p.m. The entire day’s card will be televised live on TVG, and TVG’s Haskell Show from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. will be simulcast live on FSN Prime Ticket, FSN Ohio, Sun Sports, SportSouth and Altitude. It will be aired on tape delay on Comcast Sports Net.
Monmouth gates will open at 10 a.m. Sunday, with the first race to go off at noon. The program includes seven stakes in addition to the Haskell, topped by two Grade 3 turf events – the $200,000 Taylor Made Matchmaker for fillies and mares (10th race) and the $200,000 Oceanport Stakes (12th race) for older runners.
The day’s betting program will include an all-stakes Pick 4 starting on the 10th race with a guaranteed pool of $250,000, and a 50-cent Pick 5 starting on the fifth race with a guaranteed pool of $50,000.
Admission on Haskell Day will be $5 for the Grandstand and $8 for the Clubhouse, with seniors (55 years and older) getting in the Grandstand for $3 and the Clubhouse for $5. Children 12 and under are free.
All paid admissions on Sunday will receive a free Haskell cap while supplies last.
In addition, all military personnel, in uniform or with military ID, will have free admission and will receive a free Haskell cap.
The Haskell is shaping up as a highly competitive race as Rachel Alexandra tries to become the first filly since Serena’s Song in 1995 to win the Haskell. Serena’s Song, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, went on to be champion 3-year-old filly of 1995 and was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2002.
Rachel Alexandra won the Kentucky Oaks in tour de force fashion (by 20 ¼ lengths) and was sold after the race to Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick. She started in the Preakness as the 9-5 favorite for trainer Steve Asmussen, and beat Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird by one length to become the first filly to win the race since Nellie Morse in 1924.
By way of a tune-up for the Haskell, the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro ran against fillies again in the Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont on June 27, and won by 19 ¼ lengths.
She comes into the Haskell unbeaten in six starts this year, with a winning streak of seven that started last November when Calvin Borel took over as her regular rider in the Golden Rod Stakes.
The filly will have to run to earn her place in history, however.
Summer Bird, a son of Birdstone, won the Belmont Stakes on June 6 in just his fifth career start. That date was also the 35th birthday of Tim Ice, who just completed his first full year as a trainer on his own.
Summer Bird has made quick progress this season, growing from a gangly chestnut colt who took two tries to break his maiden into a Classic winner just three months later. Kent Desormeaux, who rode for the first time in the Belmont, will be shooting for his second straight Haskell win after taking the race last year aboard Big Brown.
Munnings, trained by Todd Pletcher, will be the speed of the Haskell. The colt by Speightstown is coming off two stakes victories at seven furlongs, the most recent, the Tom Fool Stakes, against older horses. His running style works well at Monmouth, and Munnings was made the second choice to the filly on the morning line.
Papa Clem won the Arkansas Derby in April for trainer Gary Stute, and then ran fourth in the Kentucky Derby and sixth behind Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness. The Smart Strike colt has been stabled at Monmouth since July 3, and prepped for the Haskell by running third behind Atomic Rain in the Long Branch Stakes here on July 11.
Atomic Rain, who was sold to Godolphin less than two weeks ago, was bothered by a sore foot earlier in the week, but has been training well since Thursday and has the horse-for-course angle in his favor. Saeed bin Suroor now trains the son of Smart Strike, who won the Long Branch by nearly five lengths when trained by Kelly Breen. The colt now sports a record of three wins and a second in four starts at Monmouth.
Duke of Mischief is another colt who has developed quickly. The Graeme Hall colt broke his maiden on the turf in February, but has really come to hand on the main track in the last two months, winning the Iowa Derby in his most recent start for trainer David Fawkes.
Bunker Hill is trainer Derek Ryan’s substitute for Musket Man, who was injured after finishing third in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. Bunker Hill, by Trippi, has won twice in three starts at Monmouth, including a score in the Continental Mile Stakes last year.
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August 1, 2009
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Monmouth Park and TVG will join forces in the fight against breast cancer by making a $20,000 contribution to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® on Haskell Invitational Day, Sunday, Aug. 2.
In honor of the appearance of superstar filly Rachel Alexandra in the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational, Monmouth Park will contribute $10,000, a portion of the paid gate for the day. TVG, the exclusive television broadcast network covering the Haskell, will donate an additional $10,000 toward the fight against breast cancer. In addition, representatives from Komen for the Cure will be on-track this Sunday with three different booths located throughout the facility to promote awareness and accept donations.
Jess Jackson, majority owner of Rachel Alexandra who has given a portion of the filly’s earnings to Komen, said he was delighted by the support of Monmouth Park and TVG.
“This is a rare opportunity for us to use the celebrity of this amazing athlete, her appeal to both men and women, to raise money to fight a disease that steals from all of us,” said Jackson. “If we can turn Rachel Alexandra’s accomplishments on the track into a weapon against cancer and into an inspiration for others, then that will be her greatest achievement.”
“Susan G. Komen for the Cure is very grateful for the support we receive from the horse racing community, and we are thrilled that Monmouth Park and TVG have joined us in the fight against breast cancer,” said Hala Moddelmog, Komen’s CEO and President. “We will all be cheering for Rachel Alexandra as she races on Sunday!”
About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which is now the world’s largest breast cancer organization and the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer with more than $1.3 billion invested to date. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit www.komen.com or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.
About TVG
TVG, the official TV and Interactive Wagering partner of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) and a subsidiary of Betfair Group Ltd, the premier e-gaming betting community, is among the most widely distributed horseracing networks in the world. TVG is the largest advance deposit wagering company in the US, accepting over $500 million in wagers in 2008. TVG viewers in certain areas can wager interactively on races via telephone, the Internet, TVG Mobile or Interactive Television by establishing a wagering account online at www.tvg.com or by telephone at 1-888-PLAY-TVG.
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OCEANPORT, N.J. – Even though she’s still two days away from running in Sunday’s $1.25 million Haskell Invitational, Rachel Alexandra was the star of the show at Monmouth Park Friday as fans thronged around the walking ring rail to watch the filly school in the paddock with the field for the day’s sixth race.
Rachel Alexandra, who will be the favorite in the Grade 1 Haskell when she takes on the boys again, arrived at Monmouth on Friday morning after a van ride from Saratoga, where she has been training.
The beautiful bay daughter of Medaglia d’Oro beat males in the Preakness, becoming the first filly in 85 years to win the middle jewel of racing’s Triple Crown. She is the 4-5 morning line favorite to repeat her victory over the boys in the Haskell where she starts from Post 6 with regular rider Calvin Borel aboard.
She stayed remarkably calm throughout Friday’s schooling session, with Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen, leading Rachel around the walking ring.
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Superstar filly Rachel Alexandra stepped off a van a few minutes past 9 a.m. Friday, and walked right into the Monmouth barn that will be her home until she runs in Sunday’s $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (G1).
The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro will be the odds-on choice in the Haskell as she comes off three impressive victories, including a score over the boys in the Preakness, middle jewel of racing’s Triple Crown.
The filly was accompanied on her van ride down from Saratoga by Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen.
Blasi said the filly was the perfect traveler and arrived in great condition.
“She never turned a hair,” Blasi said. “It’s all good.”
Rachel Alexandra, who scored two blowout victories over fillies this spring and summer, drew Post 6 for the mile and an eighth Haskell, and was installed the 4-5 morning line favorite.
She will be ridden by Calvin Borel, who took off his Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird, to ride the filly in the Preakness.
Rachel Alexandra last raced at Belmont on June 27 when she ran off to a 19 ¼-length victory in the Mother Goose Stakes. She has been training at Saratoga ever since, turning in a string of solid works on the training track.
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With Rachel Alexandra’s arrival Friday morning, six of the seven Haskell entrants are on the grounds. The only one missing is Munnings, who is training at Belmont and will van to Monmouth on Sunday morning. Munnings drew Post 4 and will be ridden by John Velazquez.
ATOMIC RAIN – Godolphin Stable’s newest acquisition, whose Haskell status was in doubt up to entry time Thursday because of a sore foot he suffered last weekend, galloped a mile and a half on the fast main track Friday morning.
“He’s looking good today,” said Rachel Dore, who is Godolphin’s representative at Monmouth.
Atomic Rain, by Smart Strike, won the Long Branch Stakes here on July 11 in the colors of George and Lori Hall, and was sold soon after that race to Godolphin.
The colt drew Post 5 for the Haskell and was made a 10-1 chance on the morning line. Joe Bravo, who has been aboard in Atomic Rain’s last two victories, has the call Sunday.
BUNKER HILL – The Trippi colt , who drew the outside Post 7 for the Haskell, galloped a mile and a half over the fast main track at Monmouth.
Bunker Hill was pegged at 30-1 on the morning line, the longshot in the field of seven. Kendrick Carmouche will ride.
“He’s doing fine,” trainer Derek Ryan said. “The post isn’t a concern going a mile and an eighth at Monmouth.”
DUKE OF MISCHIEF – The Iowa Derby winner had an easy morning Friday, jogging two miles. He shipped into Monmouth on Monday after vanning from Calder.
Rudy Wolfendale, assistant to trainer David Fawkes, said the Graeme Hall colt is fit after training over the deep Calder surface the past month.
Eibar Coa, who has been aboard in two of the Duke’s three career wins, will guide the colt from the inside post Sunday. Duke of Mischief is 15-1 on the morning line.
PAPA CLEM – The Arkansas Derby winner, who was sixth behind Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness, galloped a mile and a half Friday morning with trainer Gary Stute on hand to supervise the training.
Stute was scheduled to arrive Wednesday night, but his flight from California was canceled, and he did not get to Monmouth until Thursday afternoon.
“Everything’s fine with him,” Stute said. “If he runs his race, I’ll be happy.”
Papa Clem has been at Monmouth since July 3, and ran third behind Atomic Rain and Despite the Odds in the Long Branch Stakes here on July 11.
The Smart Strike colt drew Post 3 for the Haskell and will be ridden by Elvis Trujillo, Monmouth’s leading jockey, who was aboard in the Long Branch. Hed was listed at 12-1 on the morning line.
SUMMER BIRD – The winner of the Belmont Stakes jogged one mile and then stood in the gate Friday morning for trainer Tim Ice.
Ice said all was well with the Birdstone colt, who has been training at Monmouth since he arrived here on July 3.
Summer Bird drew Post 2 for the Haskell and will have the riding services of Kent Desormeaux, who was aboard in the Belmont Stakes win. Desormeaux won last year’s Haskell aboard Big Brown.
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Monmouth Park invites all fans to play the free Haskell Challenge game, an online contest that involves rolling up the highest bankroll in the 14 races run on Sunday, Haskell Day.
Grand prize for the most winnings that day is a VIP trip to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Complete rules and instructions on how to play the Haskell Challenge game can be found at the website www.haskellgame.com.
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RACHEL ALEXANDRA DRAWS POST 6, INSTALLED THE 4-5 CHOICE AS 7 ARE SET TO GO IN SUNDAY'S $1.25 MILLION HASKELL AT MONMOUTH
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Rachel Alexandra, the filly sensation of 2009 who beat the boys in the Preakness, drew Post 6 and was installed the odds-on favorite as she takes on six male rivals in Sunday’s $1.25 million Haskell Invitational, Grade 1 centerpiece of Monmouth Park’s summer meeting.
Her rivals in the mile and an eighth Haskell will include some accomplished colts, including Summer Bird, winner of the Belmont Stakes in just his fifth career start, and Munnings, who has won two stakes in a row, including the Grade 2 Tom Fool against older rivals last out.
Monmouth oddsmaker Brad Thomas installed the filly as the 4-5 favorite on the morning line, with Munnings second choice at 3-1 and Summer Bird third favorite at 7-2.
The complete field for the 42nd running of the Haskell, as drawn Thursday, consists of Duke of Mischief, Post 1, Eibar Coa, 15-1; Summer Bird, Post 2, Kent Desormeaux, 7-2; Papa Clem, Post 3, Elvis Trujillo, 12-1; Munnings, Post 4, John Velazquez, 3-1; Atomic Rain, Post 5, Joe Bravo, 10-1; Rachel Alexandra, Post 6, Calvin Borel, 4-5, and Bunker Hill, Post 7, Kendrick Carmouche, 30-1.
Rachel Alexandra, trained by Steve Asmussen, became the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness, when she beat Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird by one length.
Her races before and after the middle jewel of the Triple Crown resulted in spectacular victories over 3-year-old fillies – a 20 ¼ -length romp in the Kentucky Oaks, and a 19 ¼-length score in the Mother Goose Stakes.
The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, owned by Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick, is unbeaten this season in six starts, and brings a seven-race winning streak into the Haskell.
The current owners purchased the filly privately after her May 1 score in the Kentucky Oaks, when she was trained by Hal Wiggins.
Trainer Asmussen, asked at the Haskell draw if Rachel Alexandra had changed since he took over the filly’s training, said, “No, she hasn’t changed a bit, which is good. She’s just very consistent.”
The filly has been training sharply at Saratoga since her June 27 win in the Mother Goose, and was scheduled to arrive at Monmouth Friday morning after vanning down from the Spa. Asmussen said Rachel Alexandra will school with the field for the day’s sixth race, which comes into the paddock at about 2:45 p.m.
Summer Bird, trained by Tim Ice, has been at Monmouth since July 3 getting ready for the Haskell. The son of Birdstone has developed quickly this year, going from a maiden victory at Oaklawn Park on March 19 to a Belmont Stakes victory on June 6 in just two and a half months.
The colt, bred by his owners, the doctors K.K. and V. Devi Jayaraman, finished third in the Arkansas Derby in April and then sixth in the Kentucky Derby in May.
“It’s definitely surprised me,” Ice said of the colt’s rapid development. “He showed us a lot of ability early, but for him to make so much progress in such a short time was a surprise.”
There is a lot of Haskell history tied up in Munnings.
The colt is trained by Todd Pletcher, who sent out Haskell winners Any Given Saturday (2007) and Bluegrass Cat (2006). He’s owned by the partnership of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith. Tabor and Smith were the owners of Lion Heart, winner of the 2004 Haskell.
The son of Speightstown, who was purchased for $1.7 million as a 2-year-old, comes into the Haskell off two strong efforts at seven furlongs. Munnings defeated 3-year-olds by more than five lengths in the Grade 2 Woody Stephens on Belmont Day, and last out beat older rivals by more than two lengths in the Grade 2 Tom Fool Handicap.
“We felt this horse is doing so well he deserves to run in a race like the Haskell,” Pletcher said.
Atomic Rain, who won the Long Branch Stakes here for owners George and Lori Hall, was sold privately to Godolphin last week and will run in that stable’s distinctive blue colors.
The Smart Strike colt, now trained by Saeed bin Suroor, had a sore foot earlier this week, which kept him from training. However, he was on the track Thursday morning and jockey Joe Bravo, who has guided Atomic Rain in two of his three Monmouth wins, said the colt appeared good to go.
“All systems are go,” the jockey said. “I love the horse for course angle. He trains here every day, and it’s a big advantage.”
Papa Clem, owned by breeder Bo Hirsch and trained by Gary Stute, had his big moment of the year so far in the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby, which he won by a half-length over Old Fashioned, with Summer Bird nearly a length farther back.
The Smart Strike colt is another who has become very familiar with the Monmouth track. Papa Clem has been here since July 3 and finished third behind Atomic rain in the Long Branch.
Elvis Trujillo, Monmouth’s leading rider, was aboard that day, and has the Haskell call because Rafael Bejarano, Papa Clem’s regular jockey, was injured in a spill at Del Mar last week.
David Fawkes trains Duke of Mischief, a son of Graeme Hall who won the Iowa Derby last out with Eibar Coa aboard. Duke of Mischief brings a two-race win streak into the Haskell, having scored at Calder in May. He is owned by Alex and JoAnn Lieblong, and Marilyn McMaster, who bred the colt.
The colt has been training at Calder, and Fawkes said the fact that Calder shippers traditionally do well at Monmouth played a role in his decision to run Duke of Mischief in the Haskell.
“It did factor into our decision,” the trainer said. “Horses that train at Calder are super fit because that is a demanding surface.”
Bunker Hill has been stabled at Monmouth since he started his racing career last year. The son of Trippi, bred and owned by Flying Dutchman Thoroughbreds, broke his maiden here last Aug. 7, and the won the Continental Mile Stakes here nine days later.
This year, trainer Derek Ryan, a Monmouth regular, has used Bunker Hill as a workmate for the classic-placed Musket Man, who is out for the year.
Bunker Hill goes from the outside post, which Ryan said was not a problem.
“He’ll be able to sit off the pace and hopefully run his race,” the trainer said.
Bunker Hill will add blinkers for the Haskell. He’s been training “gangbusters” in the hood since his last start, Ryan said.
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HASKELL INVITATIONAL FIELD WILL BE DRAWN ON THURSDAY; RACHEL ALEXANDRA SET TO ARRIVE, SCHOOL ON FRIDAY
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – The field for Sunday’s 42nd running of the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (G1) has started to assemble at Monmouth, and the race will be drawn at a special press conference on Thursday morning at 11:30 a.m. The Haskell draw can be seen live on the Monmouth Park website, www.monmouthpark.com.
Already on the grounds are Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird; Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem; Long Branch Stakes winner Atomic Rain; Continental Mile stakes winner Bunker Hill, and Iowa Derby winner Duke of Mischief.
Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra, expected to go off the favorite in the mile and an eighth Haskell, is scheduled to arrive on Friday morning from Saratoga, and will school in the paddock with the sixth race field.
Munnings, trained by Todd Pletcher, will be shipped from Belmont Park just before the race.
ATOMIC RAIN – The Long Branch Stakes winner, who was recently sold to Godolphin, was diagnosed with a sore foot, putting his Haskell status in doubt. Connections for the colt by Smart Strike said they will make a decision about the Haskell Thursday morning.
BUNKER HILL – The son of Trippi galloped a mile and a half and schooled in the starting gate Wednesday morning.
Trainer Derek Ryan said Bunker Hill has had his last major breeze for the Haskell – five furlongs in a bullet :59.40 last Thursday.
Bunker Hill, who runs in the name of Flying Dutchman Thoroughbreds, broke his maiden and won the Continental Mile Stakes here last year as a 2-year-old. He has not run since June 20, when he was second to Big Drama in a seven-furlong stakes race at Charles Town.
Kendrick Carmouche, who has been aboard Bunker Hill three times this year, has the mount in the Haskell.
DUKE OF MISCHIEF – The colt by Graeme Hall, winner of the Iowa Derby last out, has settled into his stall at Monmouth after arriving Monday from Calder Race Course.
Trainer David Fawkes said Duke of Mischief galloped on Tuesday, his first day at Monmouth, and jogged Wednesday. Fawkes said he might school the colt in the paddock on Friday.
Duke of Mischief, who won an allowance race at Calder before his stakes victory at Prairie Meadows, will have Eibar Coa aboard in the Haskell. Coa rode when the colt broke his maiden at Gulfstream in February, and also in the Iowa Derby win.
MUNNINGS – The Speightstown colt, who is training at Belmont Park, comes into the Haskell off two graded stakes wins.
Trainer Todd Pletcher saddled the colt to win the Woody Stephens Stakes (G2) against 3-year-olds on June 6, and sent him out to take the Grade 2 Tom Fool Handicap against older horses on July 5. He had his final Haskell work Sunday at Belmont, a five-furlong breeze in 1:02 flat.
Munnings, a $1.7 million sales purchase as a 2-year-old last year, will be ridden by John Velazquez in the Haskell.
The colt will van in from Belmont just before the race, going into Pletcher’s barn at Monmouth.
PAPA CLEM – The Arkansas Derby winner, who has been stabled at Monmouth for most of July, walked Wednesday morning, trainer Gary Stute said.
The Smart Strike colt put in his final serious drill for the Haskell here on Monday morning when he breezed six furlongs over a muddy track in 1:14.60, a move that impressed the clockers.
Stute, who will be at Monmouth Thursday for the draw, said Papa Clem will gallop Thursday morning.
Elvis Trujillo, who was aboard when Papa Clem finished third in the Long Branch Stakes here last out, has the mount in the Haskell. Regular rider Rafael Bejarano was injured in a spill at Del Mar last week.
RACHEL ALEXANDRA – The filly phenom, who has been training at Saratoga since her record-setting romp over fillies in the Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont on June 27, is slated to arrive at Monmouth on Friday morning, trainer Steve Asmussen said.
The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, who in May became the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness, is scheduled to school in the Monmouth paddock with the field for the sixth race on Friday at approximately 2:45 p.m.
Rachel Alexandra had her final major work at Saratoga on Monday, breezing a half in :49.20.
Regular rider Calvin Borel will be aboard in the Hasekll.
SUMMER BIRD – The Belmont Stakes winner, who has been stabled at Monmouth since July 3 when he arrived from Louisiana Downs with trainer Tim Ice, galloped a mile and a half around the main track Wednesday morning.
The son of Birdstone had his final Haskell drill here on Sunday, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.80 with jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard.
Ice said he’ll pick up the tempo a little on Thursday morning with Summer Bird.
“He’ll gallop a two-mile clip and pick it up through the lane, a little blowout,” Ice said.
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HASKELL ENTRANT BRINGS TO MIND AN ARTIST
By Alan Shuback, Daily Racing Form
The appearance of Munnings in Sunday's Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park recalls the man after whom the horse, winner of the Woody Stephens Stakes and Tom Fool Stakes, is named.
Owned by Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier and Derrick Smith, aka Coolmore Stud, Munnings is the latest in a long line of Coolmore horses named for artists, writers, or composers. In this case his namesake is Sir Alfred Munnings, an Englishman who is generally rated as the greatest of all 20th Century sporting artists.
Born in 1878, Munnings could hardly have been expected to become an artist of such stature after an accident at the age of 19 cost him the sight in his right eye. Undaunted, he was accepted into the British army toward the end of World War I, entrusted to care for the cavalry's horses, and was eventually named an official war artist. It was that position that led to his first exhibit at the Royal Academy in 1919.
That same year he was introduced to the world of British racing. Newmarket captivated him and led to paintings like "Under Starter's Orders," a picture that perfectly captures the tension of a start in the pre-starting gate era.
But Munnings greatest love was Epsom, the home of the Derby. He would ultimately record every aspect of Derby Day, from the aristocrats in the winners' enclosure to the gypsies who made life in the Epsom infield so colorful. Most importantly, he captured the essence of the horses themselves, most memorably in 1936.
On Derby Day that year, Munnings had the presence of mind to bring his sketch pad to the paddock before the big race, paying particular attention to the Aga Khan's gray colt Mahmoud. Luckily for the artist, Mahmoud won, setting a course record for 1 1/2 miles that stood until 1995. The artistic result was "Saddling Mahmoud for the Derby.' Widely regarded as Munnings's masterpiece, it sold for $3.8 million at Sotheby's in 2000.
That price would be topped by the $7,848,000 brought by his "The Red Prince Mare" four years later. But paintings, like racehorses, cannot be judged solely in monetary terms. In capturing the the very spirit of the Thoroughbred, Munnings's artistic achievement is priceless. He died in 1959, acclaimed as the most accomplished equine artist since the 18th Century master George Stubbs.
Three of Munnings sporting but non-racing paintings form part of the Cross Gate Gallery exhibit at the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion at Saratoga from Aug. 1-30. On Sunday, the Thoroughbred Munnings will attempt to step into his own realm of greatness when he takes on Rachel Alexandra and Summer Bird in the Haskell.
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ATOMIC RAIN DOUBTFUL FOR HASKELL
By Mike Farrell, Daily Racing Form
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Atomic Rain has been downgraded to "unlikely" for the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational on Sunday at Monmouth Park.
"He missed the last few days of training with a sore foot," said Rick Mettee, the New York-based assistant to Saeed bin Suroor for Godolphin Racing. "It looks unlikely that he will make the race."
A final decision was to be made prior to Thursday morning's draw.
"If there is a chance he can go to the track, we may enter him and see how it looks," Mettee said.
The injury was detected after Atomic Rain breezed five furlongs in 1:00.40 here last Saturday.
It was his first work for Godolphin following a private purchase last week from George and Lori Hall.
After finishing 16th in the Kentucky Derby, Atomic Rain bounced back at Monmouth to win a pair of races, including the Long Branch Stakes, the traditional prep for the Haskell.
If Atomic Rain can't make the Haskell, a field of six is shaping up for the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds.
Expected runners are the filly Rachel Alexandra, who is looking to duplicate her win over colts in the Preakness; Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, Munnings, Papa Clem, Bunker Hill, and Duke of Mischief.
Aside from the Atomic Rain developments, it was a quiet day for the other Haskell contenders at Monmouth.
Bunker Hill galloped 1 1/2 miles and schooled in the starting gate. Iowa Derby winner Duke of Mischief was also out for a gallop, as was Summer Bird, who will have a final paddock schooling session on Friday afternoon.
Trainer Tim Ice intended to pick up the tempo for Summer Bird on Thursday morning with a "two-minute clip down the lane, just from the quarter-mile pole down to the wire. Just a little blowout."
Papa Clem, the Arkansas Derby winner, walked.
Rachel Alexandra and Munnings remain at Saratoga.
Rachel Alexandra is slated to arrive Friday morning. She will school with the field for the sixth race on Friday.
Munnings will van down over the weekend to join trainer Todd Pletcher's New Jersey division.
Manning hopes Roman Tiger behaves
The Haskell tops the biggest day of racing in New Jersey, and a card that features eight stakes.
The Oceanport and the Taylor Made Matchmaker, a pair of Grade 3 turf stakes each worth $200,000, are the main supporting events.
Stakes coordinator Dan Dufford expects a solid field for the Oceanport that includes Tizdejavu, winner of three consecutive graded stakes last summer; Get Serious, Kiss the Kid, Pleasant Strike, Yorktown, and Roman Tiger. Proudinsky is a possibility.
Trainer Dennis Manning will try for a third Oceanport win with Roman Tiger, a 4-year-old gelding who missed by only a neck in the Jersey Derby on last year's Haskell undercard.
Manning, winner of the Oceanport in 1991 with Fiftysevenvette and in 2001 with Key Lory, is also the accidental owner of Roman Tiger, a buyback at the 2006 Fasig-Tipton fall sale at Timonium when he failed to meet his reserve.
On the recommendation of a bloodstock agent, Manning bought the horse sight unseen for $20,000 in the belief his primary owner, Mac Fehsenfeld, would be interested in the son of Tiger Ridge.
That was a bad assumption.
"He looked up the pedigree and told me he didn't want any more grass horses," Manning said. "I couldn't go back and renege on the sale. So I wound up with him."
With no regrets, considering the horse has made $148,150 in only six starts.
In his only start this year, Roman Tiger came from far back to get third, beaten only 1 3/4 lengths, in a first- level allowance race.
There was trouble before the race even began.
"He was half unconscious when he ran," Manning said. "He broke through the gate before the start, had blood coming out of his nose, knocked a tooth loose, cut a back leg and his front knee, and fell completely out of the race. That could all be for the best, now that he has a race under his belt."
The lineup for the Matchmaker for fillies and mares looks like American Border, Closeout, Jazz Jam, Meadow Saffron. Pastel Gal, and Social Queen.
- additional reporting by David Grening
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MONMOUTH GETS SAFETY APPROVAL
By Matt Hegarty , Daily Racing Form
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association's Safety and Integrity Alliance has added Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., to its list of fully accredited racetracks, the organization announced on Tuesday.
Monmouth received its accreditation after filing a written application, meeting with alliance officials, and having an on-site inspection, the alliance said. To be accredited through the voluntary program, tracks must comply with requirements issued by the alliance in a variety of areas considered to be important to safety.
Monmouth is the sixth racetrack to be fully accredited by the alliance, which was formed last year to address public-perception concerns about horse racing's safety practices. The other tracks are Churchill Downs, Keeneland, Belmont Park, Delaware Park, and Hollywood Park.
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RACHEL ALEXANDRA HAS FINAL WORKOUT BEFORE AUG. 2 HASKELL; PAPA CLEM WORKS AT MONMOUTH; DUKE OF MISCHIEF ARRIVES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra had her final workout this morning at Saratoga as she continues to prepare for her next start in the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Sunday, Aug. 2.
Over the training track at Saratoga, Rachel put in a four furlong breeze of :49.26, sixth fastest of 23 works this morning. She is scheduled to ship down from Saratoga to Monmouth Park on Friday morning and school that afternoon with the horses for the sixth race. After becoming the first filly in 85 years to win the Preakness Stakes, Rachel is looking to be just the second filly to win the Grade 1 Haskell, following Hall of Famer Serena’s Song, who won the mile and an eighth contest in 1995.
A daughter of Medaglia d’Oro from the Roar mare Lotta Kim, Rachel Alexandra has won her last seven starts. In addition to taking the Preakness two races back, she was a dominating winner of her last start in the Mother Goose (19 ¼ lengths) on June 27, and the Kentucky Oaks (20 ¼ lengths) on May 1.
One of Rachel Alexandra’s Haskell challengers also put in their final work this morning as Papa Clem headed to the Monmouth Park track and breezed in 1:14.60 for six furlongs.
The Arkansas Derby (G2) winner was most recently third in Monmouth’s Long Branch Stakes on July 18. He is scheduled to have Elvis Trujillo, currently the leading rider at Monmouth, in the irons for the Haskell.
In other Haskell news, Duke of Mischief arrived on the Monmouth Park backstretch at 8:00 a.m. this morning after a 24-hour van ride from Calder.
“He walked and got a bath,” said trainer David Fawkes. “That’s it. He’ll go to the track tomorrow. He shipped great and everything is set with him.”
Duke of Mischief, who captured the Iowa Derby last out, will have two-time Monmouth riding champion Eibar Coa back aboard in the Haskell.
In addition to Rachel Alexandra, Papa Clem and Duke of Mischief, the Haskell field is expected to draw Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, who has been stabled at Monmouth since July 3. Others pointing for the race are multiple graded stakes winner Munnings, Long Branch victor Atomic Rain and multiple stakes winner Bunker Hill.
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RACHEL WORKS HALF-MILE FOR HASKELL
By David Grening, Daily Racing Form
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Rachel Alexandra completed preparations for her start in Sunday's $1.25 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park by working four furlongs in 49.23 seconds Monday morning over Saratoga's Oklahoma training track.
Regular exercise rider Dominic Terry was in the irons for the move, which went in fractions of 13.10 seconds, 25.01, meaning she got her last quarter in 24.22 seconds. She galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.78 and pulled up six furlongs in 1:18.03.
"State of mind," trainer Steve Asmussen said when asked what he was looking for from the filly in her work. "We're not going to surprise her, she's a professional, she knows what she's doing. She had a nice blow last week . . . this week we're just staying in a nice rhythm, keep plenty of energy in her, want her on her feet, want her responsive to Calvin in his hands so he can do what he thinks is appropriate with her come race day."
Calvin, of course, is Calvin Borel, Rachel Alexandra's regular rider who was one of many in attendance at 6 a.m. Monday morning when Rachel breezed under overcast skies and muggy conditions.
While Borel rides Rachel in the afternoon, it is Terry who has gotten on her in the morning since the filly arrived in Steve Asmussen's barn 10 days before she won the Preakness. Terry has been aboard for all four of Rachel Alexandra's works at Saratoga, including a six-furlong move in 1:13.80 last Monday.
"I think she likes this track a lot, she's had some good works," Terry said. "I'm happy with how strong she is, how much energy she's had. I think she likes the cool air up here. She's actually been a lot more playful and a lot stronger to gallop in the morning than before. She's come into herself waiting for this race as opposed to running at Delaware" in the July 19 Delaware Handicap.
Speaking of Monday's work, specifically, Terry said: "I was really happy when she was coming to the wire, she was pricking her ears around and that's how I knew she was doing it easy. She galloped out amazing."
Rachel Alexandra is expected to ship from Saratoga to Monmouth by van early Friday morning and arrive in time to school in the paddock during the day's races.
A field of seven is expected for the Monmouth including Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, Munnings, Papa Clem, Duke of Mischief, Atomic Rain and Bunker Hill.
Papa Clem worked six furlong in the mud at Monmouth on Monday in 1:14.60.
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PHIL'S PROSPECT RIDES RAIL TO VICTORY IN TYRO STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Non Stop Stable’s Phil’s Prospect sat behind the pacesetter Closing Vision before squeezing through inside that rival turning for home and holding off the charge of El Rocco to win the $65,000 Tyro Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
Sent off the 11-10 favorite in the field of five 2-year-olds, Phil’s Prospect covered the 5 ½ furlongs over a muddy main track in 1:04 flat and returned $4.20, $2.80 and $2.10 across the board. It was a half-length back to El Rocco who completed the $10.80 exacta and paid $3.20 to place and $2.20 to show. Dahlgren Chapel, who finished another length and a quarter back, rallied for the show and paid $2.10.
“This horse had a lot in the tank the whole way around,” said winning jockey Tony Maragh. “I just sat in behind the early leader waiting for a hole to open up. My horse hesitated a little bit before I finally got him through the hole. Once we got through, he kicked into another gear.”
Trained by Gary Capuano, Phil’s Prospect earned his second win in as many tries by taking the Tyro. The gelding by Soto from the Allen’s Prospect mare Hyatt Road has now earned $67,500 for his connections.
Live racing returns to Monmouth Park on Wednesday, July 29 as the racetrack kicks off Haskell week with the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational slated for Sunday, Aug. 2. As always, the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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SUMMER BIRD BREEZES 5 FURLONGS IN 1:01.80 WITH DESORMEAUX UP
Monmouth Park.com
Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird put in his final work Sunday morning for the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on Aug. 2, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.80 with jockey Kent Desormeaux aboard.
The Birdstone colt was on the track at approximately 9:45 a.m. The surface was muddy and sealed after over night rains swept through the area. Monmouth Park clockers got him going the first quarter in :26 and the half in :49 before coming home in 1:01.80.
“He had a good strong work and he galloped out strong,” said Tim Ice, who conditions the Belmont winner for Drs. Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman. “Everything was great. I couldn’t be happier.”
Kent Desormeaux, who was aboard for the Belmont Stakes win and will be back aboard in the Haskell, was on hand at Monmouth Park Sunday morning for the work.
“The track was a little slick and I got him coming home in 11 and change,” Desormeaux said. “I tried to get him over the best part of the racetrack. He knows the game and knows how to prepare himself. He’s ready.”
Desormeaux is looking to the first rider in Monmouth history to win back-to-back Haskells. He captured last year’s race atop Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown.
Summer Bird, who shipped to Monmouth from Louisiana in early July, will face fellow classic winner and superstar filly Rachel Alexandra in the mile and an eighth Haskell. Rachel Alexandra, the Preakness winner, is slated to ship to Monmouth from Saratoga on Friday morning and school in the paddock with that day’s sixth race runners.
Also expected in the starting gate for the 42nd running of the Haskell are Arkansas Derby (G2) winner Papa Clem, multiple Grade 2 winner Munnings, Long Branch victor Atomic Rain, Iowa Derby winner Duke of Mischief and Continental Mile champ Bunker Hill.
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DUKE OF MISCHIEF ARRIVES MONDAY FOR HASKELL TRY
Monmouth Park.com
Duke of Mischief, who turned in a bullet work Saturday morning at Calder Race Course, is on a van headed north today and is expected to arrive at Monmouth Park on Monday morning to prepare for a start in Sunday’s $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (G1).
The Iowa Derby winner drilled a half-mile in :47 flat on Saturday morning at Calder, the best of 96 works at the distance, and an extremely quick move by Calder standards. By comparison, the second best half-mile work Saturday was a full second slower, at :48 flat.
Trainer David Fawkes said he was happy with the work and that Duke of Mischief would be put on the van Sunday morning for the 24-hour ride to New Jersey.
The Graeme Hall colt will go right into Fawkes’ barn at Monmouth when he arrives.
“We’ll probably school him later in the week,” Fawkes said. “Maybe we’ll do it in the morning, but perhaps the afternoon. It wouldn’t hurt to send him to the paddock and let him bounce around over there for a little bit.”
Eibar Coa, who was aboard when Duke of Mischief won the Iowa Derby by five lengths on June 26, will have the mount. Coa also rode when the colt broke his maiden at Gulfstream Park in February. This is Coa’s second ride in the Haskell. He finished eighth aboard Wimplestiltskin in 2004.
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GODOLPHIN POINTS ATOMIC RAIN FOR HASKELL; BRAVO RIDES
Monmouth Park.com
Atomic Rain, the Long Branch Stakes winner who was sold to Godolphin earlier this week, is set to run in the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on Sunday, August 2, the stable confirmed Saturday.
Rachel Doré, a Godolphin representative, flew in from England Friday and is overseeing the colt’s Haskell preparations.
Doré said that either Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor or New York-based assistant Rick Mettee would be at Monmouth on Sunday to saddle Atomic Rain for the Haskell.
Joe Bravo, who has ridden the colt the last five races and won the Long Branch aboard Atomic Rain, will retain the mount for the Haskell, Doré confirmed.
Atomic Rain was owned by George and Lori Hall and trained by Kelly Breen before the sale to Godolphin on Wednesday. The son of Smart Strike has proven a horse for the course at Monmouth, with all of his career wins coming over this track.
The colt finished second in his first start and then broke his maiden at Monmouth as a 2-year-old, and this year has won an allowance race and the Long Branch for a 3-1-0 mark in 4 starts here.
The mile and an eighth Haskell could have a field of seven for its 42nd running on Aug. 2. Heading the list of prospective starters are the two winners of Triple Crown events – Rachel Alexandra (Preakness), with Calvin Borel aboard, and Summer Bird (Belmont Stakes) with Kent Desormeaux. The others expected to run are Bunker Hill, Kendrick Carmouche up; Munnings, John Velazquez; Papa Clem, Elvis Trujillo, and possibly Duke of Mischief, Eibar Coa, and Together Indy.
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TAYLOR MADE MATCHMAKER OFFERS STALLION SEASONS TO FIRST 3
Monmouth Park.com
The $200,000 Taylor Made Matchmaker Stakes (G3), which will have its 43rd running here on Haskell Day, Aug. 2, offers a unique prize to the top three finishers in addition to the purse money: a season to one of three Taylor Made stallions.
Taylor Made announced that the stallions for this year’s running of the Matchmaker will be Wildcat Heir, Northern Afleet and Southern Image.
Wildcat Heir, a son of Forest Wildcat, has a special connection with Monmouth Park. In his racing days, when he was trained by Ben Perkins Jr., the stallion broke his maiden here in 2002, won an allowance race here as a 4-year-old, and in 2005 as a 5-year-old captured the Teddy Drone Stakes, run on Haskell Day.
Wildcat Heir is having a spectacular season with his first crop, and is the current leading sire of 2-year-olds and the leading freshman sire in the country.
Northern Afleet, by Afleet, is one of the top stallions in the country, with four 2009 stakes winners so far, including Big City Man, winner of the Dubai Golden Shaheen, and Aegean, winner of the Kentucky Juvenile Stakes.
Southern Image, who won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap and Grade 1 Pimlico Special in 2004, has his first crop on the racetrack this year with four juvenile winners to date.
A solid field of fillies and mares is expected to line up for the Matchmaker, at a mile and an eighth on the turf. Heading the local contingent is Mr. Amore Stable’s American Border, who won the Miss Liberty Stakes here in her last start.
The daughter of Boundary, trained by Jason Servis, is already a graded stakes winner, scoring in the Violet Stakes (G3) at the Meadowlands last October.
Others expected to contest the Matchmaker include Fred Seitz’s Meadow Saffron, Sackatoga Stable’s Pastel Gal and Richard Santulli’s Social Queen.
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SUNDAY'S TYRO STAKES A PREP FOR GRADE 3 SAPLING ON SEPT. 5
Monmouth Park.com
A field of seven 2-year-olds was entered for Sunday’s $65,000 Tyro Stakes, a five and a half-furlong prep for Monmouth Park’s major 2-year-old event of the summer, the $150,000 Sapling Stakes (G3) on Sept. 5.
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who has won the Sapling a record eight times, will send out this year’s main Sapling hope Westrock Gold in the Tyro. The Touch Gold colt broke his maiden at Churchill Downs in June.
Monmouth-based trainer Tim Kelly will be looking to develop a Sapling starter in Daniel J. Ljoka’s Closing Vision, who broke his maiden by more than eight lengths last time out at Philly Park.
Bruce Levine, Monmouth’s leading trainer, will send out the speedy El Rocco, a Pennsylvania-bred who also went to Philly Park for his maiden win. The Vicar colt, who races for Two Tone Farms, has been training forwardly at Monmouth in recent weeks.
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BECKY'S EXCHANGE, $22.40, UPSETS DEXERT VIXEN STAKES ON MONMOUTH TURF
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N. J. -- Patricia Generazio’s Becky’s Exchange held off favored Fast Tigress the final sixteenth of a mile to capture the $65,000 Desert Vixen Stakes by a neck at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
The winner, sent off at 10-1 in the field of seven 3-year-old fillies, raced the mile and a sixteenth over a “good” turf course in 1:42 2/5 and paid $22.40, $8.20 and $5 across the board with Elvis Trujillo, Monmouth’s leading rider, aboard.
Fast Tigress, the 8-5 choice, finished second by nearly a length over Lady Kafca and paid $3.20 to place and $2.40 to show, completing a $90 exacta. Lady Kafca returned $3.60 to show.
Ned Allard trains Becky’s Exchange, a daughter of Exchange rate who broke her maiden on turf at Belmont in May and last out finished fourth in a grass allowance at Monmouth. She has now won two of her three starts on the turf.
Becky’s Exchange was content to sit off a fast early pace set by Platinum Girl, who made the stretch turn with a clear lead. Lady Kafca took the lead in midstretch as Platinum Girl tired. The winner made her strong run on the outside the last eighth of a mile as Fast Tigress, who had been last early in the race, gained ground steadily.
In the race to the wire, Becky’s Exchange proved strongest, steadfastly maintaining her advantage.
“The owner told me not to give up on this filly until I tried her on turf,” Allard said. “I found a spot at Belmont to see if she’d pick up her head after running on turf. She’s been a different filly ever since.”
Trujillo noted that he had just the right trip.
“We got set up with a perfect trip,” the jockey said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better one. She was very relaxed most of the race as we sat behind the pacesetter. I started to ask her on the far turn, and she started gaining ground smoothly. As soon as she saw the horse to her inside, she dug in gamely and fought hard all the way to the wire.”
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ATOMIC RAIN STILL POINTING FOR HASKELL
By Mike Farrell, Daily Racing Form
OCEANPORT, N.J. - Atomic Rain will run in the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational after all.
Atomic Rain, who was sold to Godolphin earlier this week, changed hands Friday morning as trainer Kelly Breen walked the colt three barns down, delivering him to Kiaran McLaughlin's Monmouth Park division.
Although he will be housed in McLaughlin's barn, Atomic Rain will be trained by Rachel Dore, previously an assistant to Godolphin Racing's Rick Mettee in New York.
"We trained him this morning and they cooled him out," Breen said Friday. "He is feeling good. He was kicking the barn down."
Atomic Rain won the Long Branch Stakes July 11 and Godolphin purchased the colt from George and Lori Hall. The sale had clouded Atomic Rain's status for the Haskell as Godolphin's racing manager, Simon Crisford, said he was purchased to race in Dubai this winter.
"We will make a decision shortly with regard to his more immediate future," Crisford said in a statement.
The immediate future now includes the Haskell, to be run next Sunday.
Mettee, Godolphin's Belmont Park-based assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor, confirmed Friday that Atomic Rain will remain at Monmouth for the track's showcase event.
"As of right now, Saeed plans on taking a shot in the Haskell," Mettee said. "The horse is down there at Monmouth, he'll stay at Monmouth and then ship up to Saratoga after the race. Monmouth has always been about horses for courses, and they felt like they had nothing to lose by taking a shot in there.''
Dore will fly in from England to oversee Atomic Rain's preparations for the race.
Since finishing 16th in the Kentucky Derby, Atomic Rain has thrived at Monmouth. He easily won a first-level allowance on June 6 and drew off to a 4 3/4-length win in the Long Branch, the traditional prep for the Haskell.
With Atomic Rain back in the Haskell lineup, the race now has six definite runners. Rachel Alexandra, the filly sensation looking to duplicate her win over the colts in the Preakness, is the main attraction. She will take on Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird; Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem; Munnings, who most recently beat older sprinters in the Grade 2 Tom Fool Handicap at Belmont; and Bunker Hill, 2 for 3 at Monmouth, including a win last year in the off-the-turf Continental Mile.
Haskell possibles are Duke of Mischief and Together Indy.
Trainer David Fawkes will work Duke of Mischief, the Iowa Derby winner, one more time at Calder before making a Haskell decision.
Together Indy is a New Jersey-bred who has never gone beyond seven furlongs. Trained by George Weaver, he has won twice at this meet against statebreds.
Rachel to school in paddock July 31
Rachel Alexandra, who figures to be the Haskell favorite, is slated to arrive at Monmouth on July 31.
Fans can catch an early glimpse when she schools in the paddock that afternoon with the sixth-race horses.
Summer Bird has second session
Summer Bird was alert and on his toes for his paddock schooling session before Friday's third race.
His ears pricked when the bugler sounded the call to post. It took two handlers to hold him steady when he tried to join the horses as they headed from the paddock to the track.
It was his second paddock session since arriving at Monmouth. Summer Bird will have his final Haskell breeze Sunday morning with Kent Desormeaux aboard and is slated for one more paddock schooling sometime next week.
"When it's time to run, he might just think he's up here to school," trainer Tim Ice joked. "When that saddle goes on his back, he'll know what to do."
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RACHEL ALEXANDRA SET TO ARRIVE AT MONMOUTH PARK ON JULY 31
Monmouth Park.com
Sensational filly Rachel Alexandra, who takes on the boys again in the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on Sunday, Aug. 2, is scheduled to ship to Monmouth Park on Friday, July 31, trainer Steve Asmussen said.
The 3-year-old daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, who made short work of distaff rivals in both the Kentucky Oaks (a 20¼-length score) and Mother Goose Stakes (a 19¼-length win), beat male rivals in the Preakness to become the first filly to win the second jewel of racing’s Triple Crown in 85 years. Calvin Borel, who has been aboard in all of Rachel Alexandra’s wins this year, will ride in the Haskell.
Asmussen said the filly will arrive at Monmouth the morning of July 31, and is scheduled to school in the paddock with the field for the day’s sixth race, an event for fillies and mares that goes off at about 3:10 p.m.
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MONMOUTH-BASED HORSES WILL TOP OCEANPORT ON HASKELL DAY CARD
Monmouth Park.com
Monmouth will offer a stakes bonanza on Haskell Invitational Day, Sunday, Aug. 2, with a total of eight stakes events, topped by the $1.25 million Haskell Invitational (G1).
Two other graded events are scheduled for the day, with fillies and mares contesting the $200,000 Taylor Made Matchmaker (G3) and older runners competing in the $200,000 Oceanport Stakes (G3) on the turf course.
The Oceanport, at a mile and a sixteenth, will attract its share of invaders, but the horses to beat will be the Monmouth-based runners, namely Get Serious, Kiss the Kid and Roman Tiger.
Get Serious, who runs for Dinan, Moore & Phantom House Farm, has already won the Elkwood and Battlefield Stakes at Monmouth this year, both in front-running fashion. He’ll try to carry his speed all the way again in the Oceanport, which will be his first try in a graded stakes on the grass. John Forbes and Pat McBurney share the training of the 5-year-old son of City Zip.
Kiss the Kid, owned and trained by Amy Tarrant, will move back to the turf for the Oceanport after running fifth in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile last out. The 6-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid became a graded stakes winner on the grass last fall at the Meadowlands when he took the Grade 3 Cliff Hanger.
Dennis Manning owns and trains Roman Tiger, who was an unlucky third in the Jersey Derby on Haskell Day last year. The lightly raced 4-year-old son of Tiger Ridge was also second in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes at Delaware last season.
Roman Tiger has made just one start here this year, making up a huge amount of ground at one mile after a horrible start on July 4. The gelding broke through the gate before the start, suffering cuts and bruises. When he left the gate, the jockey, Carlos Marquez Jr., said Roman Tiger acted dazed the first part of the race, when he trailed far behind. He made up eight lengths in the stretch to finish third in a race run in 1:33.66, just a few ticks off the course record.
In addition to the three graded races on Haskell Day, Monmouth will also offer five stakes events with purses of $100,000 each. The Regret at six furlongs and the Lady’s Secret at a mile and a sixteenth are filly and mare events, while the Majestic Light (mile and a sixteenth) and Teddy Drone (six furlongs) are for older horses. Three-year-old turf runners will compete in the 66th Jersey Derby, the oldest Derby in the nation, first run in 1864.
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ALBERTRANI READY FOR ANYTHING IN DESERT VIXEN STAKES SATURDAY
Monmouth Park.com
Turf, dirt, whatever … trainer Tom Albertrani is ready for Saturday’s $65,000 Desert Vixen Stakes.
The Desert Vixen is scheduled to be run at a mile and a sixteenth on the grass. However, the recent unsettled weather patterns call for some guessing as to what the racing surfaces will be like on Saturday, and so Albertrani entered a pair of 3-year-old fillies for the event.
The Albertrani barn – which is winning races at a 39 percent clip at the meeting so far – will send out Deserado Stables’ Powder Burn if the race stays on the grass, or Repole Stable’s Driven by Passion, entered for “main track only.”
Adele Bellinger, Albertrani’s assistant at Monmouth, says both fillies are ready to roll.
“I don’t know whether to root for rain or not,” she said with a smile.
Powder Burn, a Maria’s Mon filly, broke her maiden on the turf here on May 30, and last out on June 27 was beaten a neck in an allowance race. She has made four lifetime starts, all on grass.
“She only runs on turf,” Bellinger said. “Before she ran, Tom watched her working on the dirt, and decided to breeze her on the grass, and she looked great.
She was green in her first start (an eighth-place finish on March 13 at Gulfstream), but she showed a lot of improvement in her second start (a third on April 15 in Florida). Then she ran like a racehorse here.”
“She’s been training like a little monster for this,” Bellinger said.
Driven By Passion, a daughter of Flatter, broke her maiden on the inner track at Aqueduct in January, and then moved into stakes company on Feb. 22, finishing last in the mile and a sixteenth Busher.
“It took her some time to get it back together,” Bellinger said. “But we gave her the time, and she ran well her first start back (a second to graded stakes winner Mary’s Follies on June 11 here).”
Bellinger, a native of Barryville, New York, who was raised in Wyoming, has served as Albertrani’s assistant for seven months. After working with quarter-horses out west, she started with Thoroughbreds four years ago. This is her first time ever at Monmouth Park.
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PAPA CLEM SETS SIGHTS ON HASKELL INVITATIONAL
Monmouth Park.com
Trainer Gary Stute said Thursday that he’s “95 percent sure” that Bo Hirsch’s Papa Clem will make his next start in the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) here on Sunday, Aug. 2.
“It’s almost definite we’re going” Stute said from his Santa Anita base. “The only thing we’re not sure of right now is the jockey.”
Rafael Bejarano, who became Papa Clem’s regular rider last year and was aboard in the colt’s Arkansas Derby victory, was injured in a spill at Del Mar on Wednesday, suffering facial fractures.
“His agent (Joe Ferrer) told me that Rafael probably could ride in a couple of weeks wearing one of those cages that covers the face,” Stute said. “He didn’t have any other fractures, which is great. He’s such a good guy, I hope he recovers quickly.”
Stute said that he has heard from the agents of both Tyler Baze, who rode Papa Clem in his first two starts, and Elvis Trujillo, who was aboard in the Long Branch Stakes here, but has not yet made a decision.
Papa Clem, who has been stabled at Monmouth since the week before running third in the July 11 Long Branch, turned in a sharp breeze (6 furlongs in 1:12.60) here on Monday, and will likely work once more before the Haskell.
“I’ll breeze him one more time, probably next Monday,” Stute said, “and maybe blow him out right before the race.”
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SUMMER BIRD TO SCHOOL FRIDAY WITH 3RD RACE FIELD
Monmouth Park.com
Summer Bird, the Belmont Stakes winner who has been at Monmouth since early July getting ready for the Haskell Invitational, is scheduled to school in the paddock with the field for Friday’s third race.
Trainer Tim Ice has schooled the Birdstone colt here before, but not during racing hours.
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BUNKER HILL, BLINKERS ON, WORKS BULLET :59.40 FOR HASKELL
Monmouth Park.com
Flying Dutchman Thoroughbreds’ Bunker Hill looked sharp in his new blinkers Thursday morning as he drilled five furlongs in a bullet :59.40 to get ready for the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) here on August 2.
Clockers caught the colt in :22.80 for the quarter, :46.60 for the half, and galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.40.
Trainer Derek Ryan said he had originally planned to breeze the Trippi colt on Friday or Saturday, but decided to move the work up to today because of the threat of rain the next few days.
Bunker Hill has not worn blinkers in a race, and this was the first time he breezed while wearing the hood, although Ryan said the colt has been galloping in blinkers in recent days.
“He’s been working gangbusters with the blinkers on,” Ryan said, “and he’ll wear them for the Haskell.”
Bunker Hill, who has two seconds in two stakes at Charles Town this year, has not won since taking a stakes at Delaware last September. He does have two victories on the main track at Monmouth, both as a 2-year-old.
Bunker Hill will have his work cut out in the Haskell, taking on Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra and Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird among others.
“If the filly runs her race,” Ryan said, “we’re all running for second money, but that’s all right.”
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HASKELL PURSE GETS BOOST TO $1,250,000
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – The richest horse racing invitational in North America just got richer, as the purse for the 42nd running of Monmouth Park’s Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2, got a quarter-million dollar boost to $1,250,000.
The new purse distribution for the Haskell is:
1st $700,000
2nd $250,000
3rd $125,000
4th $85,000
5th $50,000
6th – last $20,000
The Grade 1 Haskell Invitational is the centerpiece of the Monmouth Park racing season and has featured 24 champions, including five Horse of the Year honorees.
This year’s renewal of the mile and eighth race is expected to draw superstar filly and Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra, Belmont Stakes champion Summer Bird as well as Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem, multiple graded stakes winner Munnings and Monmouth Park stakes victor Bunker Hill. Duke of Mischief, who won the Iowa Derby last out, is considered possible for the race.
The entire Haskell card will be featured on the Television Games Network (TVG). The race will be run as the 13th on a 14-race program, with an estimated post time of 6:14 p.m. Gates will open on Haskell Day at 10 a.m., with the first race set to go at noon.
A limited number of reserved seats are still available and can be purchased at the reserved seat booth on the 2nd floor of the Grandstand on any live racing day or by calling 732-571-5563. In addition, fans can also buy tickets at www.ticketmaster.com.
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MONMOUTH CONTEST SEARCHES FOR THE 'ULTIMATE RACHEL FAN'
Monmouth Park.com
In anticipation of Rachel Alexandra taking on the boys again in the Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2, Monmouth has started a contest to search for the “ultimate Rachel fan.”
To enter, fans are asked to post their most creative video to the Monmouth Park Facebook Fan Video page at www.facebook.com/monmouthpark. The video that receives the most “thumbs-up” votes as of 12 noon EST on Friday, July 31, will be declared the winner.
The grand prize for the contest is a VIP Haskell package that features the privilege of accompanying the Haskell field, including Rachel Alexandra, on the walk from the backstretch to the paddock prior to the race.
Also included in the package are Haskell seats, designation as the Haskell Facebook Fan of the Day; a TV interview on Haskell Day with host Mike Curci, and a private backstretch tour and breakfast in the track kitchen.
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BUNKER HILL WILL HAVE HASKELL BREEZE LATER IN WEEK
Monmouth Park.com
Flying Dutchman Thoroughbreds’ Bunker Hill, whose next start will be the $1 million Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2, will have his final breeze for the Grade 1 event later this week, trainer Derek Ryan said.
“He’ll breeze either Friday or Saturday, depending on the track condition,” Ryan said.
Bunker Hill, a son of Trippi, has not run since he finished second to Big Drama in the seven-furlong Red Legend Stakes at Charles Town on June 20. He has not breezed since he turned in a bullet work here on June 14.
The colt was entered in last Sunday’s Barbaro Stakes at Delaware Park, but was scratched after drawing Post 11 in the field of 12.
“It was a terrible post,” Ryan said, “with all the speed inside him. He had the best speed figures in the race, but the post forced us to take him out.”
This 42nd running of the mile and an eighth Haskell will be headlined by Preakness and Kentucky Oaks winner Rachel Alexandra, and Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird. Other possible starters are graded stakes winner Munnings; Iowa Derby winner Duke of Mischief, and Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem.
Bunker Hill, out of the High Yield mare Never Yield, won his first two career starts at Monmouth last year. He broke his maiden on Aug. 7, and on Aug. 16 won the Continental Mile Stakes. He followed with a stakes victory at Delaware, and finished his 2-year-old season with a nose loss in the Dover Stakes.
This year, he has been second in two Charles Town stakes events, and ran fifth in the Spend a Buck Stakes here on May 30. The only really poor race of his career came in the Grade 3 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 1, when he got off to a bad start, and then was forced to change course to avoid an injured horse. He was allowed to just gallop around after that.
Ryan originally planned to start Musket Man, who was third in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, in the Haskell. But that colt suffered a bone bruise and is sidelined for the season.
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ATOMIC RAIN SOLD TO GODOLPHIN; HASKELL PLANS UNCERTAIN
Monmouth Park.com
Atomic Rain, who won the Long Branch Stakes here on July 11 for George and Lori Hall as his prep for the Haskell Invitational, has been sold to Godolphin and his status as a starter in the Aug. 2 race is now uncertain.
Simon Crisford, Godolphin racing manager, said in a statement, “We have purchased Atomic Rain to race in Dubai this winter, but we will make a decision shortly with regard to his more immediate future.”
Kelly Breen, who had trained Atomic Rain since purchasing the Smart Strike colt at the 2007 Keeneland September yearling sale for $125,000, said the colt was being shipped to New York Wednesday and the deal would be finalized sometime today.
Earlier this summer, the Halls sold another of their top 3-year-old colts, West Side Bernie, to Godolphin. He was also purchased for a winter campaign in Dubai.
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SEATS GOING FAST FOR AUG. 2 HASKELL AT MONMOUTH PARK
Monmouth Park.com
While Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra and Belmont champ Summer Bird continue to make their final preparations for the $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park on Aug. 2, racing fans can still make their final plans to get a reserved seat to see the superstars of racing.
A limited number of reserved seats are still available in the Grandstand at $10 each. There are select seats remaining in the Skyview, with the preferred section priced at $14 and general at $10.
Seats can be purchased by calling 732-571-5563, by visiting the reserved seating booth on the second floor of the Grandstand during any racing day (Wednesday through Sunday), or at www.ticketmaster.com.
A limited number of picnic tables in the rear picnic area are also available. The $125 charge includes eight admission passes, programs and of course the commemorative Haskell hat.
Picnic tables can be reserved by calling the Group Sales office at 732-571-5544.
Grandstand admission on Haskell Day will be $5, seniors pay $3. Clubhouse Admission is set at $8 (seniors $5). Children 12 and under are free. All paid admissions will receive the traditional Haskell hat, while supply lasts.
In addition to Rachel Alexandra and Summer Bird, the Grade 1 Haskell is expected to draw multiple graded stakes winner Munnings, Long Branch champ Atomic Rain and Bunker Hill, who captured the Continental Mile last year over the Monmouth main track. Those considered possible for the mile and an eighth race are Arkansas Derby victor Papa Clem and Duke of Mischief, winner of the Iowa Derby last out.
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JUST JENDA MUCH THE BEST IN SERENA'S SONG STAKES; LIBOR LADY GOES ALL THE WAY IN KLASSY BRIEFCASE
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Cindy Jones’s Just Jenda moved to the lead around the far turn before drawing off to an 8 ¼ length score in the $70,000 Serena’s Song Stakes as Libor Lady broke on top and never looked back in winning the $60,000 Klassy Briefcase at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
Ridden by Eddie Castro, Just Jenda returned $3, $2.60 and $2.10 as the 1-2 choice in the field of six 3-year-old fillies. She stepped the mile and 70 yards over a fast main track in 1:41 2/5. Oro Blanco rallied to complete the $25 exacta and paid $6.80 and $3.20. It was a head back to Bandora, who returned $2.60 to show.
“She turned out to be a real nice filly when we stretched her out,” said winning trainer Larry Jones, who conditions the filly for his wife. “We’ll be back with her for the Monmouth Oaks (Aug. 15, Grade 3). We won it last year with Maren’s Meadow and we want to defend our title.”
The Serena’s Song Stakes win was the fifth in nine starts for Just Jenda, who is by 1999 Haskell winner Menifee from the Pine Bluff mare Liberty School. The graded stakes winner has now earned $294,380.
Trained by Michael Pino, Libor Lady covered the about 5 ½ furlongs over firm turf in 1:01 1/5 and returned $4.60, $3.40 and $2.40 as the 13-10 favorite in the field of eight fillies and mares that went postward in the Klassy Briefcase. Anofficerandalady, who finished three-quarters of a length behind the winner, returned $8.80 and $5 and completed the $36.20 exacta. It was 4 ½ lengths back to My Kim, who paid $3.40 to show.
“She is a very fast filly and I was told to just let her roll right out the gate,” said winning jockey Daniel Centeno. “I knew we were flying early on, but when I asked her turning into the lane, she kicked it in and opened up a couple more lengths at the top of the stretch.”
A 4-year-old daughter of Exchange Rate from the Irish Castle mare Laughing Erin, Libor Lady scored her eighth win in 18 starts and has now banked $282,835 for owner David A. Ross.
Live racing returns to Monmouth Park on Wednesday, July 22 – first post 12:50 p.m. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for racing from across the country and around the globe.
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SUMMER BIRD BREEZES, CONTINUES MARCH TO HASKELL; BELMONT WINNER TO MEET RACHEL ALEXANDRA AUG. 2
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, who is slated to take on Preakness champion Rachel Alexandra in the Aug. 2, $1 million Haskell Invitational, put in a work of 1:13 4/5 for six furlongs at Monmouth Park on Sunday as he continues to prepare for the Grade 1 test.
“He was perfect again,” said Tim Ice, who watched the workout from the clocker’s stand on the Monmouth Park backstretch. “Everything is exactly on schedule. He’ll have his final breeze next Sunday. Kent (jockey Desormeaux) will be here for that.”
Desormeaux, who was aboard for the Belmont win, has the return call in the Haskell. He will be looking to become the first rider in MonmouthPark history to win back-to-back Haskells, having won it last year aboard Big Brown.
“He galloped out strongly,” Ice added. “He’ll gallop between now and his next work and then gallop up to the race.”
A winner of two of five starts, Summer Bird broke his maiden at second asking on March 19, at Oaklawn Park. He returned to run third in the Arkansas Derby before running on to be sixth in the Kentucky Derby. He followed that up with a 2 ¾ length win in the Belmont Stakes.
Owned and bred by Drs. Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman, Summer Bird has earned $723,040. He is by Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone from the Summer Squall mare Hong Kong Squall.
In addition to classic winners Rachel Alexandra and Summer Bird, the mile and an eighth Haskell is expected to draw Munnings, Atomic Rain and Bunker Hill. Considered possible for the race are Papa Clem and Duke of Mischief.
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ALL OF HER TWIST, $27.80, UPSETS DEARLY PRECIOUS STAKES; PRETTY PROLIFIC 2ND, GEMSWICK 3RD AT MONMOUTH
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. -- George and Lori Hall’s All of Her Twist saved her best for last and rallied stoutly through the stretch to capture Saturday’s $70,000 Dearly Precious Stakes by one length at Monmouth Park.
The winner, allowed to go off at 12-1 in the field of seven 3-year-old fillies, raced the six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:10 3/5 and paid $27.80, $9.80 and $4 across the board.
Pretty Prolific, the 2-1 favorite, made a late run to gain the place, a half-length before Gemswick Park. Pretty Prolific paid $4.20 and $2.80 and completed the $103 exacta. Gemswick Park paid $4.20 to show.
It was the first career stakes victory for All of Her Twist, a daughter of Forest Wildcat trained by Kelly Breen and ridden by Stewart Elliott. The filly won an allowance race in her previous start here.
The winner was allowed to settle back behind a fast pace set by Gemswick Park and Frolic’s Dream, with Pretty Prolific running last down the backstretch. Turning for home, Elliott turned All of Her Twist loose and the filly responded with a burst of speed that carried her into the lead at the sixteenth pole.
Pretty Prolific also rallied strongly, but was never a threat to the winner.
“This was really the backup plan,” Breen said. “We had Bold Union ready for this spot, but she got a little sick, so we went to this horse. She just keeps getting better and better with every start. This was a really impressive race from her.”
“I had never been on her before,” Elliott said. “Mr. Breen said it might be best to let her sit off the pace and just try to make one big run with her. We got the good pace setup we were looking for, and she really kicked into gear when I asked her.”
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ATOMIC RAIN IN TOP FORM APPROACHING HASKELL INVITATIONAL
Monmouth Park.com
George and Lori Hall’s Atomic Rain earned his berth in the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) with a powerful victory in the Long Branch Stakes, arguably the best performance of his career.
He came out of the race in fine fettle, according to trainer Kelly Breen, and should roll into the mile and an eighth Haskell at the top of his game.
“He’s back galloping and he’s acting good and he feels good,” Breen said Saturday. “Everything’s cool.”
Breen said he has not set a schedule to bring the 3-year-old colt by Smart Strike up to the Haskell, which is now just two weeks away.
“I don’t know if he’ll have one breeze or two breezes before the race,” Breen said. “I’ll let him tell me.”
Atomic Rain came from off the pace and ran strong through the stretch en route to a nearly five-length score in the Long Branch. Despite the Odds and Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem were left far behind in his wake. In the Kentucky Derby, Atomic Rain had finished some 24 lengths behind Papa Clem, who ran fourth.
It was the second straight win for Atomic Rain, who took an allowance event here on June 6 for his first win since he broke his maiden here one year earlier.
“He’s in great form right now,” Breen said. “At his best at the right time.”
Atomic Rain will have to be at his best in the Haskell, where his rivals will include Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra and Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird.
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PERFECT OFFICER SETS RECORD IN FEATURE AT MONMOUTH
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. -- R.A. Hill Stable’s Perfect Officer ran down the speed in the stretch to capture Friday’s $42,000 allowance feature in course record time.
Perfect Officer, trained by George Weaver and ridden by Joe Bravo, stopped the timer in :54.77 for the five furlongs over a firm turf course, just under the previous mark of :54.79 set last week by StarfishBay. The race was run over the Lennox Course, with the portable rail set out 36 feet from the hedge.
Perfect Officer won by three lengths and paid $5.20, $3 and $2.40 as second choice in the field of seven. Inhaler, a 12-1 chance, closed to be second, a half-length in front of Earlswood Pete and completed the $43 exacta. Inhaler paid $8 and $3.80 and Earlswood Pete returned $3.40 to show. Regardlessofoutcome, the even-money favorite, ran fifth.
I’m Entitled jumped to the lead out of the gate and set torrid fractions of :20 4/5 for the quarter and :43 flat for the half-mile before giving way to Perfect Officer and the others.
The winner, a 3-year-old son of Officer, was winning his third of the year in seven starts and provided Bravo with his third winner of the day. Bravo had won the seventh with Bickersons and the fifth with Softly Spoken.
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ALLOWANCE PURSES RAISED $10,000 ON HASKELL DAY PROGRAM
Monmouth Park.com
Mike Dempsey, Monmouth Park’s director of racing, announced that purses for the allowance races on Haskell Invitational Day, Sunday, Aug. 2, are being raised $10,000 each.
Six allowance events are scheduled to be run on that day, along with eight stakes races, for a 14-race program. First post on Haskell Day is 12 noon.
Topping the stakes events that day is the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1), which has attracted the winners of two Triple Crown events – Rachel Alexandra, who took the Preakness, and Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird. Post time for the Haskell is set at 6:14 p.m.
The other stakes races are the $200,000 Oceanport and $200,000 Taylor Made Matchmaker, both Grade 3 events; the $100,000 Jersey Derby, oldest Derby in the nation; the $100,000 Lady’s Secret; the $100,000 Majestic Light, $100,000 Regret; and $100,000 Teddy Drone.
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July 16, 2009
PREAKNESS WINNER RACHEL ALEXANDRA ST TO START IN HASKELL; MEETS BELMONT
WINNER SUMMER BIRD AT MONMOUTH ON AUG. 2
Monmouth Park.com
Stonestreet Stables’ Rachel Alexandra, the Kentucky Oaks and Mother Goose winner who beat colts in the Preakness Stakes, will take on the boys again in the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) at Monmouth Park on Sunday, Aug. 2, it was announced late Tuesday by Jess Jackson, who owns the filly.
Trainer Steve Asmussen said Wednesday that he plans to send Rachel Alexandra to Monmouth early in the week preceding the mile and an eighth Haskell.
“Depending on the weather, we’ll ship in on Tuesday of race week,” Asmussen said. “If everything goes to plan, we’ll breeze her (at Saratoga) on Monday and ship on Tuesday. We’ll continue to breeze her on Mondays up to the race.”
Asmussen said the distance of the Haskell was perfect for the filly, who has won twice at nine furlongs this year.
“With her race in the Mother Goose at a mile and an eighth,” he said, “this should suit her very well.”
Asmussen brought Curlin to Monmouth Park in 2007, and the colt’s victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic sealed his Horse of the Year title that season.
“I guess along with the World Cup (in Dubai), the Breeders’ Cup win at Monmouth was the biggest of my career,” Asmussen said. “I’m looking forward to being back there.”
A winner of nine races in 12 career starts, Rachel Alexandra burst onto the national scene with a dominating score in the Kentucky Oaks on May 1, this year. She was subsequently sold to her current connections, who took their superstar to Pimlico where she became the first filly in 85 years to capture the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of racing’s Triple Crown. She followed that up with another tour de force performance against 3-year-old fillies when she posted a nearly 20-length score in the Mother Goose Stakes at BelmontPark on June 27, her most recent start.
Rachel Alexandra, by Medaglia d’Oro – Lotta Kim, by Roar, has earned $1,798,354 on her way to becoming a national sensation. As proof of her celebrity, she is currently featured in the August issue of the worldwide magazine Vogue.
“Bringing the biggest names in sports and entertainment to the GardenState is what the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority is all about,” said Dennis R. Robinson, president and CEO of the NJSEA, which owns and operates Monmouth Park. “Having a superstar of Rachel Alexandra’s caliber in the starting gate for the Haskell only adds to the rich tradition of that race and will certainly bring national and international attention to Monmouth Park.
“While the economic impact of the filly’s entrance in the Haskell may never be quantified, clearly, the big winners here are the people of New Jersey. From hoteliers to restaurateurs, the additional revenues and subsequent taxes generated from Rachel Alexandra’s presence in New Jersey will be a big boost to the state coffers.”
Waiting to take on Rachel Alexandra in the mile and an eighth Haskell is Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird, who shipped to Monmouth Park on July 3. Also expected in the starting gate for the Grade 1 Haskell are Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem, Long Branch Stakes winner Atomic Rain and Continental Mile Stakes winner Bunker Hill.
Considered possibles for the Haskell are Munnings, who just won the Grade 2 Tom Fool Handicap over older horses for trainer Todd Pletcher, and the David Fawkes-trained pair of Red Legend Stakes winner Big Drama, and Iowa Derby winner Duke of Mischief.
Tim Ice, trainer of Summer Bird, said he anticipated meeting Rachel Alexandra in the Haskell when he shipped in for the race.
“The good horses should meet each other,” Ice said. “The Haskell will be a good race.
“I’m certainly not going to run away and look for another spot because the filly’s coming,” he said. “If we beat her, then Summer Bird is the best 3-year-old. If she beats us, well, she was supposed to win.”
Summer Bird continued his Haskell training with a five-furlong breeze in 1:01.40 here on Sunday with jockey Eddie Castro aboard.
“Eddie did a good job,” Ice said. “The colt finished up strong – the last quarter in :24 2/5 – which is what I wanted to see. He’s doing really well here so far.”
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IN SUMMATION TAKES MCSORLEY STAKES IN BLANKET FINISH; WAY WITH WORDS TAKES SPRUCE FIR 'CAP BEFORE 13,725 ON-TRACK
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OCEANPORT, N.J. – Waterford Stable’s In Summation closed with a flourish to post a nose victory in the $60,000 John McSorley Stakes as Way With Words won the $60,000 Spruce Fir Handicap at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
Trained by Christophe Clement, In Summation angled out for the drive before hitting the wire in a blanket finish with runner-up Duffy’s Tavern and Atticus Kristy, who was another nose back in third. Sent off the 9-10 favorite, In Summation paid $3.80, $2.80 and $2.40 across the board and topped a $40.80 exacta. He stepped the about distance of 5 ½ furlongs over a “good” turf course in 1:01 3/5. Duffy’s Tavern returned $7 to place and $3.60 to show. Atticus Kristy paid $2.80 to show in the field of six older colts and geldings.
“This is a real classy horse and Mr. Clement was very confident in him today,” said winning rider Joe Bravo. “This horse has a big kick and he showed it today. Good horses make it look easy.”
A 6-year-old horse by Put It Back from the Dayjur mare Fiesta Baby, In Summation earned $36,000 for his efforts on Sunday which moved his lifetime bankroll to $1,226,166. The graded stakes winner is being pointed toward the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Handicap at Del Mar on Aug. 8, with an ultimate goal of the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 7 at Santa Anita.
In winning the Spruce Fir Handicap, Way With Words, under jockey Eddie Castro, covered the mile and 70 yards over a fast main track in 1:40 3/5 and returned $14.40, $6.60 and $3.80. It was a three quarters of a length back to Love That Dance, who paid $6.20 and $3.40 and completed the $72 exacta. Post-time favorite Talkin About Love was another length and three quarters back in third, good for a $2.60 show mutuel.
“We wanted to run her long, but the opportunity just hasn’t come up,” said winning trainer Mary Eppler. “She’s a really nice and kind horse to train. She was a little heavy when she came back from Aiken (South Carolina) this year. She can run on anything, anywhere, so the options are pretty wide open with her.”
A 5-year-old mare by Sefapiano from the Belong to Me mare Swiftly Tilting, Way With Words has now earned $258,590 for her owner, George L. Schwartz.
Live racing continues at Monmouth Park on Wednesday, July 15 – first post 12:50 p.m. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.BELMONT WINNER SUMMER BIRD BREEZES FOR AUG. 2 HASKELL; BIG DRAMA TO WORK MONDAY, ATOMIC RAIN PERFECT AFTER LONG BRANCH
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OCEANPORT, N.J. -- Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird took to the Monmouth Park racetrack just after 9:00 a.m. on Sunday morning as the colt by Birdstone continues to prepare for the Aug. 2, $1 million Haskell Invitational, the centerpiece of the Monmouth meeting.
With Eddie Castro in the irons, Summer Bird was caught in 1:01 4/5 by the clockers, going the last quarter in :24 2/5. After overnight rains, the track surface was sealed and wet.
“It was exactly what we wanted,” said trainer Tim Ice, who shipped his Classic winner to Monmouth on July 3rd. “His last two works here pretty easy, so I wanted to get a little something more into him today. This was what I was looking for.”
Summer Bird breezed five furlongs at Louisiana Downs on June 27, going in 1:04 2/5. He had an identical work here on July 6.
A winner of $723,040 with two wins from just five career starts, Summer Bird broke his maiden at second asking on March 19 at Oaklawn Park. He was then third in the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby, beaten a length and a quarter by Papa Clem, who is also being pointed for the Grade 1 Haskell. After running on to be sixth in the Kentucky Derby, Summer Bird went from next to last to first in the Belmont Stakes, winning by nearly three lengths.
Owned by Jayaraman, Kalarikkal and Vilasini, Summer Bird will have two more works before the Haskell.
“He’ll continue to work on Sundays,” Ice said. “Desormeaux (jockey Kent, who was aboard for the Belmont win) will be here for his last work on the 26th.”
Another Haskell hopeful, Big Drama, skipped a workout on Sunday and instead will go out on Monday, just after the break.
“I didn’t like the track condition this morning, so we’ll wait for tomorrow,” said trainer David Fawkes, who conditions the Montbrook colt for Harold L. Queen.
A six-time winner in nine outings, Big Drama boasts earnings of more than $1 million, with a graded stakes win in the Grade 3 Delta Jackpot last December at Delta Downs.
In other Haskell news, trainer Kelly John Breen reported that Atomic Rain came out of Saturday’s Long Branch Stakes in perfect order and is on target for the mile and an eighth Haskell.
With a big run on the far turn, Atomic Rain ran past his rivals and posted a nearly five length score in the mile and a sixteenth Long Branch, Monmouth’s traditional prep for the Haskell. Despite the Odds was second in the Long Branch, with Papa Clem third.OCEANPORT, N.J. – Atomic Rain waited patiently early on before moving wide for the drive and running up the score with a 4 ¾ length win in the $175,000 Long Branch Stakes, the traditional prep for Monmouth Park’s showcase event, the $1 million Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2.
After breaking sharply, Atomic Rain took back early on before making his big run to the lead. He stepped the mile and a sixteenth over a fast main track in 1:43 3/5 and returned $7, $3.80 and $2.40 as part of the coupled entry with Rapid Redux, who set most of the pace. Despite the Odds completed the $54 exacta and paid $6.60 to place and $3.40 to show. Arkansas Derby winner Papa Clem, who was sent off the 6-5 favorite, ran into some trouble early, but rallied to pay $2.40 to show.
“This was the most professional race I’ve seen him run,” said winning trainer Kelly John Breen. “I don’t know yet what we’ll do between now and the Haskell. He was pretty cranked up for this, but if I can crank him up anymore I will. He’s really coming into his own and if there’s a time for that, it’s now.”
Winning rider Joe Bravo said, “It’s unbelievable how much this horse has matured. Right from the start of the race he wanted to go. I kind of had to try to relax him heading into the first turn. He always had the ability and now his mind is on track.”
Michael Trombetta, trainer of Despite the Odds, was non-committal about his colts next start, but Papa Clem’s trainer, Gary Stute, said, “We’ll have to talk it over, but I’m pretty sure we’ll stick around for the Haskell.”
The Long Branch victory was the third in 10 starts for Atomic Rain, a 3-year-old colt by Smart Strike from the Cox’s Ridge mare Paradise Pond. He has now earned $248,540 for owners George and Lori Hall.
In the $70,000 Battlefield Stakes, Get Serious took the lead out of the gate and never looked back, scoring by two lengths and covering the flat mile over firm turf in 1:32.70, besting his own course record of 1:32.78, which he set on May 23 of this year.
Sent off the 2-1 choice in the field of seven older colts and geldings, Get Serious returned $6.20, $3.60 and $2.80 across the board and topped a $43.20 exacta. Pleasant Strike, who was away awkwardly, rallied for second and paid $6.60 to place and $4.20 to show. It was another length back to Steve’s Double, who returned $2.80 to show.
“He’s really established himself as a horse that loves the Monmouth Park turf course,” said winning trainer John Forbes. “The plan is the Oceanport (Grade 3 at Monmouth on Aug. 2). It’s a mile and a sixteenth and that’s within his grasp.”
The Battlefield Stakes score was the seventh in 22 starts for Get Serious, a 5-year-old gelding by City Zip from the Java Gold mare Java Gal. He has now banked $312,441 for owners Dinan, Moore and Phantom House.
MARIO MADRID TO MISS COUPLE OF MONTHS AFTER SURGERY
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Journeyman Mario Madrid is expected to miss a couple of months of racing after being involved in a four horse spill at Delaware Park on July 1.
“He had surgery on his right cheek bone the other day and is slated for surgery on his left ankle on Monday,” said his agent Bruce Golub. “He needs to have some pins and screws put into his ankle.
“He’s a young kid and is in good spirits. He’s hoping to bounce back quickly and get back in the saddle.”
A regular on the New Jersey racing scene the past several seasons, Madrid had four wins from 51 mounts at Monmouth before being injured. The 26-year-old native of El Salvador will undergo Monday’s procedure at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, N.J.
'SCOOTER' DICKEY BRINGS 10 HORSES TO MONMOUTH
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With the close of Churchill Downs, some Kentucky shippers have appeared on the Monmouth backstretch.
Trainer Charles (Scooter) Dickey, no stranger to the Oceanport track, is back with 10 horses that fit nicely into Monmouth’s program.
Dickey also brought in Oxbow Racing’s Flat Out, who was on the Triple Crown trail earlier this year when he won the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park. But the colt was stopped after running sixth behind Papa Clem in the Arkansas Derby in April.
“He had a stress fracture of the shoulder,” Dickey said. “He’s about ready to go back into training, so he’ll be working at Monmouth. I hope to have him ready by the end of the meeting here.”
Dickey was a regular on the New Jersey circuit in the late 1980s, but has been racing in Kentucky for the last two decades. His first trip back to Monmouth came in 2006.HARTMANN PLANNING WHAT'S NEXT FOR PRESIOUS PASSION
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Pat Generazio’s Presious Passion ran the most dramatic race of his life last Saturday as he scored a repeat victory in the Grade 1 United Nations Stakes and smashed the turf course record by nearly two full seconds.
So what does he do for an encore?
“We’re not sure,” said trainer Mary Hartmann, who is finally getting used to Presious Passion’s theatrics. “To tell the truth, we haven’t really started thinking about it yet. We figured we’d take a few days off to bask in the glow.
“He came out of the race perfect, not even tired,” the trainer said.
Hartmann said that long-term plans call for Presious Passion to use his “Win and You’re In” ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Turf this year. The Grade 1 race will be run at Santa Anita on Saturday, Nov. 7.
“We know he’ll handle the course out there,” Hartmann said. “He was second in the Sunshine Millions Turf out there, and that was on a softer track. He should get a firm track in the fall.”
Hartmann said she will work backwards from the Breeders’ Cup to map out a course for the 6-year-old son of Royal Anthem, with perhaps one race a month.
“For his race in August, we’ll look at the Arlington Million (Aug. 8) and the Sword Dancer at Saratoga (Aug. 15),” the trainer said.
In the U.N., Presious Passion opened an enormous early lead of 20 lengths, and set fractions of :45.20 for the half and 1:34.67 for the mile before completing the 11 furlongs in 2:10.97, nearly two seconds faster than the track record.
“That was him being him,” Hartmann said of Presious Passion’s race. “He was on a mission, and when he’s like that, Elvis (jockey Trujillo) just sits there like a statue and lets him do what he wants. You can’t fight him when he’s on a mission, so why try?
“The first time he ran off like that, in the Mac Diarmida (Feb. 21 at Gulfstream), I got nervous. But now I know that’s just him being him, and I don’t worry about it.”SUMMER BIRD, BUNKER HILL COMING UP TO HASKELL ON WORKS
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Summer Bird, the Belmont Stakes winner, and Bunker Hill, standing in for the injured Musket Man, will be brought to the August 2 Haskell Invitational on works alone, according to their trainers.
Summer Bird, who won the Grade 1 Belmont in just his fifth career start, had his first breeze at Monmouth on Monday, getting five furlongs in a leisurely 1:04 1/5 with exercise rider Leo Atempo aboard.
“He handled the track just fine,” trainer Tim Ice said. “I didn’t want him to do too much since we got here only a couple of days before. He’s still got three more works before the race.
“He’ll start working on Sundays this week,” Ice said. “I like to work him a week before the race.”
Ice said the Birdstone colt has settled in nicely at Monmouth after the long ship from Louisiana Downs and is back in a good routine.
“He’s happy,” Ice said, “and I’m happy that he’s happy.”
Bunker Hill, trained by Derek Ryan, will also train up to the Haskell. The Trippi colt last raced on June 20, when he finished second behind Haskell candidate Big Drama in the seven-furlong Red Legend Stakes at Charles Town.
Bunker Hill broke his maiden at Monmouth last August, and then won the Continental Mile Stakes, which was taken off the turf and run on the fast main track here. He’s been training well here in recent weeks, with a five-furlong breeze in :59 3/5 to his credit here on Sunday.
“The jockey (Kendrick Carmouche) has been telling me to put the blinkers on this horse for a while now,” Ryan said. “So I put the blinkers on for this work, and he works in 59 and change. I guess the rider was right.”
Ryan had expected to go to the Haskell with Musket Man, the colt who ran a game third in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes after winning the TampaBay and Illinois Derbys. However, Musket Man developed a bone bruise that will sideline him for the year.
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Starfish Bay, the 2-5 favorite, went to the front at the start of Wednesday’s $41,000 allowance feature at Monmouth Park and improved her position from there as she cruised to a course record in the five-furlong event.
The winner, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Chris DeCarlo, stopped the timer in :54.79 for the distance over a “good” grass course, breaking the mark of :55.18 set last year by Duffy’s Tavern. Today’s event was contested over the Lennox Course, with the portable rail set out 36 feet from the hedge.
Starfish Bay paid $2.80 and $2.10 in the field of five fillies and mares, and topped a $5.40 exacta with Myakka, the second choice who finished three and a quarter lengths behind and paid $2.80 to place. Now Is The Time finished third. There was no show wagering on the race.
The winner, a 3-year-old filly by Elusive Quality owned by Gainesway Stable, scored her second career victory in four starts.
Musket Man, third in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, will miss the Aug. 2 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park and the rest of the 2009 racing season with a bone bruise in his left front foot.
“It’s nothing major,” said Derek Ryan, who conditions the colt for Eric Fein and Vic Carlson. “We could run him in the Haskell, but that extra kick he gives in the stretch probably won’t be there. It wouldn’t be fair to him.
“Instead, he’ll go to the Vinery in Ocala where he’ll get some rest for this year. We’ll bring him back at Tampa next year and pick out five or six races for a 4-year-old campaign. What those races will be, I’m not sure, it’s way too early. Dubai could be a possibility. The main goal, with the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill, is to get to the Classic.”
With five wins and three seconds in eight career starts, Musket Man, a Yonaguska colt, has earned $893,600 for his connections.
But even with “the big horse” out of the Haskell, Ryan won’t have to miss the centerpiece of the Monmouth Park racing season, as he has Bunker Hill ready to go in the mile and an eighth Grade 1 event.
“I’m really just fortunate enough to have two really nice 3-year-olds,” Ryan said. “It’s a good position to be in, that’s for sure.”
Bunker Hill, a colt by Trippi, worked on Sunday morning at Monmouth, going five furlongs in :59 3/5, best of 37 on the worktab.
“We worked him in blinkers today for the first time,” said Ryan. “Carmouche (jockey Kendrick) has ridden him three times and kept saying to put blinkers on him. It looks like he was probably right because he worked great today. He’ll wear blinkers in the Haskell.
“Right now, I’m not sure if he’ll run before the Haskell. I’m leaning toward working him up to the race.”
From eight lifetime outings Bunker Hill sports a record of 3-3-0 for earnings of $195,804. He is a stakes winner over the Monmouth main track, taking the 2008 Continental Mile before winning a stakes at Delaware. Last out, he was second in the Red Legend Stakes at Charles Town, beaten seven lengths by Big Drama, who is also expected for the Aug. 2 Haskell.
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OCEANPORT, N.J. – Custom For Carlos broke on top and never looked back scoring an impressive 6 ¼ length victory in the Grade 3 $200,000 Jersey Shore Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday as Laureate Conductor came home on top in the $65,000 Choice Stakes. The day’s crowd of 7,865 pushed the 3-day holiday weekend attendance to 33,731.
After setting fractions of :22 1/5 for the quarter and :44 2/5 for the half mile, Custom For Carlos ran up the score, finishing the six furlongs over a fast main track in the nice time of 1:08 flat.
“I could tell turning for home, looking at the jockey, that he had plenty left,” said Eddie Kenneally, who conditions the colt for Homewrecker Racing and Avalon Farm. “He’s been running against some very good competition.
“There’s a couple of races at Saratoga for him, so that’s where we’ll go next. The Breeders’ Cup (Nov. 7 at Santa Anita) would be a nice goal, 3-year-olds have won it before.”
Custom For Carlos, by More Than Ready from the Meadowlake mare Meadow Oaks, returned $5.40 and $2.60 and topped an $8.40 exacta. Odds-on favorite Snapshot ran second, good for a $2.40 place mutuel. Happy Bull was another length back in third with Wildcat Brief rounding out the field of 3-year-old colts.
“My horse broke well and landed right on the lead,” said winning rider Eddie Castro. “There was no specific game plan designed, we were just going to go with the flow and react to what happens. This horse was going fast and doing it well. Turning for home he really kicked it in and drew off.”
The Jersey Shore win was the third is six starts for Custom For Carlos, who has now earned $196,090.
In the Choice, Laureate Conductor made a big middle move before passing pacesetter Ghost Five in the stretch to post a ¾ length victory.
Trained by Christophe Clement, Laureate Conductor covered the mile and an eighth over firm turf in 1:47 flat and returned $5.20, $3.20 and $2.20 in the field of five 3-year-old colts and geldings. Ghost Five completed the $41 exacta and paid $8 to place and $3.40 to show. Swining Bernie rallied up the inside, finishing another neck back, good for a $2.60 show mutuel.
“This horse is really coming into himself,” said winning jockey Joe Bravo. “It took him a couple of races to figure it all out, but he’s got it. The pace was so slow up front I decided to give him his head and that was when we made that move. He’s a real nice colt.”
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Wildcat Brief won’t be the favorite in Sunday’s $200,000 Jersey Shore Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old sprinters, but the colt will have history on his side.
The son of Forest Wildcat is owned by the GSP Stable, a group of New Jerseyans that includes Ben Perkins Sr. Their green silks with a white “GSP” on the back are meant to be reminiscent of the late Garden State Park’s substitute colors.
Ben Perkins Jr., who saddles Wildcat Brief Sunday, won the very first running of the Jersey Shore in 1992 with Surely Six when the race was part of the Atlantic City Race Course schedule. Ben Sr. won the Jersey Shore in 1995, when he saddled Fort Stockton in the last of the seven-furlong renewals.
All that is more than mere background – it’s the main reason Wildcat Brief is entered.
“We figured we could take a shot with him here,” Ben Jr. said. “I don’t think he’s overmatched, and since we won the first running of the Jersey Shore we feel it’s a good spot.”
Wildcat Brief, bred in Kentucky by New Farm, broke his maiden at Aqueduct in January this year, and then ran second in the Fred Capossela Stakes at the Big A in February. The colt never raised a gallop in an allowance race on the Polytrack at Keeneland in April, but bounced right back for his second career win in an allowance event here on May 10.
Last out, Perkins put Wildcat Brief in the Rumson Stakes, and the colt chased the speed without success, finishing fifth, three lengths behind Great Love, who won in 1:08 2/5.
“He ran close to the pace in that race,” Perkins said, “but that was on a speed-favoring track. The track’s not playing as fast now.
“We had planned on trying him in a two-other-than allowance,” Perkins said. “And that’s what this stakes came up. It’s a really tough two-other-than, but the purse is good and we’re taking a shot.”
The Jersey Shore was run for the first time at Monmouth in 1997, and it was won by none other than Smoke Glacken, who went on to be sprint champion that year.
The list of winners includes some very successful sprinters, including Good and Tough, Yes It’s True, Disco Rico, City Zip, and Idiot Proof, who set the track record for six furlongs (1:07.47) when he won in 2007.
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OCEANPORT, N.J. – Presious Passion celebrated the Fourth of July with his own kind of fireworks Saturday, putting on an incredible display of speed and power to win the $750,000 United Nations Stakes (G1) on the Monmouth Park turf.
The 6-year-old son of Royal Anthem thrilled the holiday crowd of 15,210 as he led every step and shattered the course record in winning his second straight U.N., racing the mile and three-eighths over firm turf in 2:10.97. The previous record was 2:12.89 set by champion grass horse English Channel in 2007. The world record for the distance is 2:10.20 set by With Approval at Belmont Park in 1990.
In the day’s other Breeders’ Cup “Win-and-You’re-In” event, Robert LaPenta’s Coal Play employed front-running tactics to score by three lengths in the $250,000 Salvator Mile (G3) with Joe Bravo aboard.
Presious Passion, trained by Mary Hartmann and ridden by Elvis Trujillo, scored by two lengths over Lauro in the United Nations, with Brass Hat four and a half lengths farther back. The order at the finish was exactly the same as it was after the first quarter-mile as no horse in the field of eight could close any ground in the stretch.
Presious Passion, a dedicated front-runner, was sent to the front immediately by Trujillo and opened an enormous lead that reached more than 20 lengths at one point in the first half-mile. He raced the opening half in :45 1/5 and the three-quarters in 1:09 4/5, and still held a 10-length margin after a mile in 1:34 3/5.
There was never a question of whether he could carry his speed to the wire as no horse in the race was able to mount any kind of challenge. The margin shrunk to a few lengths nearing the wire, but Presious Passion was home free.
The winner, sent off second choice, paid $7.40, $3.80 and $3 across the board and topped the $89.80 exacta. Lauro, off at 12-1, paid $11 to place and $7.20 to show, and Brass Hat, 14-1, returned $8.20 to show. Court Vision, the 9-5 favorite, finished sixth.
“I think it was a super performance,” Hartmann said. “Elvis rides him great. He’s really grown up and matured. Obviously I was worried when I saw the first fractions, but when he’s able to get clear up front he just relaxes nicely.
“This year I’m hoping to go to the Breeders’ Cup (Nov. 7) with him. If all goes well and he stays healthy, it’s very likely.”
Trujillo said, “This is the way this horse likes to run. He wants to go to the lead, and I’ll let him go as fast as he wants. There is no fighting this horse.
“I knew we were going pretty fast,” the jockey said, “but I didn’t see anybody coming after us when I took a look at the top of the stretch. In deep stretch, when the horses started to get closer, he just dug in more. He loves to win.”
Presious Passion earned a prize of $450,000 for owner Patricia Generazio, hiking his career total to $1,842,018.
In the Salvator Mile, Coal Play employed the same tactics that nearly brought him an upset victory over Big Brown in last year’s Haskell Invitational. The Mineshaft colt took the track out of the gate and set solid fractions on the lead as Bravo kept his speed under control.
Coal Play galloped along unchallenged on the front end through splits of :23 3/5 for the quarter, :46 3/5 for the half and 1:10 flat for six furlongs, and was never in danger at any point.
Through the stretch, the colt widened his lead as Smooth Air, the 7-5 favorite, drifted out, losing any chance of threatening. Solar Flare was third, three lengths farther back after chasing the leaders most of the way.
Coal Play hit the wire in 1:34 2/5 for the mile over a fast main track, just three ticks off the track record of 1:33 4/5. As fourth choice in the field of eight older horses, Coal Play paid $14.40, $5.40 and $4 across the board and topped a $45.80 exacta. Smooth Air paid $2.80 and $2.10 and Solar Flare returned $3.40 to show.
“When this horse gets things his way, he’s real tough,” Bravo said. “They gave me the first quarter (:23 2/5) and after that they tried him several times, but he just kept giving me more. The fractions were pretty honest. He’s a really cool horse to ride and kept digging through the stretch.”
Chad Brown, trainer of Smooth Air, said, “We’re not disappointed with the race. We thought he ran well today. We’ll check him out when we get back to the barn. He was drifting out a little bit in the lane, but he does that sometimes, so I’m not too worried about him.”
This was the third victory in five starts at Monmouth for Coal Play, who last year won the Majestic Prince Stakes and an allowance race here, and finished a strong second to Big Brown in the Haskell.
The $150,000 winner’s share of the Salvator Mile raised his lifetime bankroll to $506,708.
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Belmont Stakes winner Summer Bird rolled into the Monmouth Park stable area at 5:30 Friday morning and settled into his stall in Barn 3 as he prepares for his next start, the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on Sunday, Aug. 2.
Trainer Tim Ice, looking sleepy after the long road trip from Louisiana Downs that included a stopover at Churchill Downs, said the Birdstone colt had handled the trip well.
“Better than I did,” Ice said with a grin. “I’m tired, but he got off the van full of himself at Churchill, and he was full of himself when we got here. He shipped great. I just want to take a nap.”
Summer Bird and his trainer left Louisiana at 9 p.m. Wednesday night and arrived in Louisville at 9:30 a.m. Thursday morning. They pulled out of Kentucky at 5 p.m. Thursday evening, and arrived at Monmouth at 5:30 Friday morning.
This was the second long road trip for Summer Bird, who made a similar van trip from Louisiana to New York when he came in early to prepare for the Belmont Stakes, a race he won by nearly three lengths over Dunkirk.
Ice said that Summer Bird will get a feel for the Monmouth track on Saturday.
“He’ll be out on the track to train on Saturday and Sunday,” the trainer said, “and if everything’s okay with him, he’ll work on Monday. He’s due for a work.
“After that, I’ll get him on a Sunday work rotation. I like to work him a week before a race, and the Haskell is on a Sunday, so that will be his work day after this week.”
Summer Bird had his first work since the June 6 Belmont at Louisiana Downs last Saturday, breezing five furlongs in a leisurely 1:04.20
Ice also brought a 4-year-old named Independence War to run in allowance races here, and says he is bringing in a pair of 2-year-olds to keep him busy in the time preceding the Haskell.
Another Haskell candidate, Papa Clem, also came in early, but the colt will run in next Saturday’s $175,000 Long Branch Stakes, Monmouth’s major prep for the Haskell. The race is also expected to draw Atomic Rain.
Summer Bird, bred by his owners, the Drs. K.K. and V. Devi Jayaraman, has packed a lot of excitement into six months of racing. The colt out of the Summer Squall mare Hong Kong Squall debuted at Oaklawn Park on March 1, and ran fourth. He broke his maiden on March 19, and then ran a strong third in the April 11 Arkansas Derby (won by Papa Clem) and was sent to Churchill Downs where he finished sixth behind Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby.
Ice, based at Louisiana Downs near Shreveport, La., brought the colt home for two weeks and then shipped him to Belmont three weeks before the final Triple Crown event. With Kent Desormeaux replacing Chris Rosier in the saddle, Summer Bird won convincingly in the Belmont Stakes.
Desormeaux will try to make it two Haskell victories in a row this year, after winning the race last year aboard Big Brown.
Summer Bird is bedded down in Barn 3 with the horses trained by John Mazza, who has had stalls in that barn for the past 42 years, and has hosted a number of famous runners.
Mazza’s guests have included champions Spectacular Bid, winner of the 1980 Iselin Handicap, and Miesque’s Approval, winner of the 2006 Red Bank Stakes, and Coronado’s Quest, winner of the 1998 Haskell.
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OCEANPORT, N.J. – Go Go Shoot scored a swift victory in the $75,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes, and American Border captured the $70,000 Miss Liberty Stakes before a holiday crowd of 10,656 at MonmouthPark on Friday.
Go Go Shoot, trained by Bruce Levine and ridden by Eddie Castro, assumed command in mid-stretch and then was all out to hold off Timely Advice by a half-length in the six-furlong Mr. Prospector, run in 1:08 3/5. Unwritten, who briefly got to the lead at the top of the stretch, settled for third, two and a quarter lengths farther back.
This was the second straight stakes score for Go Go Shoot, who went off the 6-5 favorite in the field of six older horses and paid $4.60, $2.60 and $2.40 across the board. Timely Advice, the 8-5 second choice, paid $3 and $2.20 and completed the $10.40 exacta. Unwritten paid $3 to show.
Go Go Shoot, a 4-year-old son of Songandaprayer who won the Longfellow Stakes here by nine and a half lengths on June 6, broke near the lead and dueled with Secretintelligence through a quarter in :21 2/5 and a half in :44 1/5. He gained command nearing the eighth pole and then had to run all-out to the wire to hold off the charge of Timely Advice, who was away slowly and had to try to rally from far back.
“I was on a very fast horse and went right to the lead out of the gate,” Castro said. “The horse from the inside (Secretintelligence) ran on with me and it seemed like we were going pretty quick.
“This horse really kicked in for me when I called on him,” Castro said, “and dug in to hold off the horse coming up to me (Timely Advice). This is just a very fast and game gelding.”
In the Miss Liberty, Mr. Amore Stable’s American Border rallied off a slow early pace and then was all-out at the wire to hold off Quiet Meadow by a head.
The winner, trained by Jason Servis and ridden by Elvis Trujillo, stopped the timer in 1:45 1/5 for the mile and a sixteenth over a “good” turf course and paid $16.20, $7.80 and $3.40 across the board.
Quiet Meadow, second choice at 2-1 in the field of eight fillies and mares, completed the $106.60 exacta and paid $4.60 to place and $3.60 to show. Captain’s Lover finished third and returned $3.20 to show. All Is Vanity, the favorite, finished fifth.
American Border, a 5-year-old mare by Boundary, scored her second win of the year in four starts, and her first stakes victory since she took the Grade 3 Violet at the Meadowlands last October. This was her third victory at Monmouth in six career starts here.
The winner tracked a slow early pace set by Royalties (half in :52 3/5 and three-quarters in 1:17 1/5) before making her move in the stretch. She got the jump on Quiet Meadow and held that one safe to the wire in a driving finish.
“We sat right up on the pace, and it was a very slow pace,” Trujillo said. “I knew my horse was fresh and felt good turning into the lane. As soon as I asked her, she kicked in well for me and dug in gamely all the way to the wire.”
Servis said, “I didn’t tell Elvis anything. The pace was the deciding factor. She was real game to the wire. The Matchmaker (Aug. 2) is a real possibility for her.”
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Saturday’s $750,000 United Nations Stakes came up looking like a Grade 1 turf race should, with a solid mix of old and young performers in the field of nine, including Patricia Generazio’s Presious Passion, who will be out to duplicate his 2008 score in the mile and three-eighths event.
Only this time, victory won’t come as a surprise for the 6-year-old son of Royal Anthem, and you definitely won’t get 13-1 at the windows. Presious Passion turned in a powerful prep for the 56th running of the U.N. by winning the Monmouth Stakes here on June 13, regaining the lead in deep stretch after he looked beaten, and that race should set him up for a repeat.
“That race set him up right for this, and I’m happy with him,” said trainer Mary Hartmann. “He’s coming up to the race the right way.”
Presious Passion, who was a problem child at 4, has turned into a professional racehorse at 5 and 6, and comes into this running of the United Nations as a multiple graded stakes winner with more than $1.2 million in career earnings.
“He acted like a wild kid at 4,” Hartmann said. “It wasn’t until he turned 5 that he learned to relax and stopped doing stupid things all the time.”
Last year was the gelding’s best season yet, with victories in the Grade 1 United Nations, Grade 2 W.L. McKnight and Grade 3 Pan American.
This year, he’s won the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida and the Monmouth Stakes and comes into the U.N. ready to roll.
“I don’t breeze him between races,” Hartmann said, “because he gallops so aggressively every day. And it seems like it takes most of the day when we bring him out.
“I’ve tried to keep him relaxed and happy between races,” the trainer said. “He goes out after the last break when there’s no traffic on the track and he can be relaxed. He stands out there for a half-hour, and then he backs up to the quarter-pole and stands for another 15 minutes, and then he gallops two miles. It keeps him happy.”
There will be some new shooters gunning for Presious Passion in this edition of the U.N., including the 4-year-olds Court Vision and Wesley. There will also be some old challengers like Better Talk Now, the 2005 U.N. winner who tries again at age 10.
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UNITED NATIONS, SALVATOR MILE TOP 6 HOLIDAY WEEKEND STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
Monmouth will celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with six stakes races, topped by the $750,000 United Nations (G1) and the $250,000 Salvator Mile (G3), the first two Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” races in North America.
The two graded stakes highlight Saturday’s Fourth of July program, with the 56th running of the United Nations at a mile and three-eighths on the grass offering a berth in the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) to the winner, and the 62nd running of the Salvator Mile promising a berth in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile to the best horse. The Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be held at Santa Anita on Nov. 6-7 this year.
The Independence Day celebration gets underway on Friday, with the $75,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes and the $70,000 Miss Liberty Stakes. The weekend concludes with Sunday’s program, topped by the $200,000 Jersey Shore Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds, and the $65,000 Choice Stakes for 3-year-olds on the turf.
The United Nations will offer a look at some of the best American turf horses in training, topped by last year’s winner, Presious Passion. Invaders coming in for the major turf event include Brass Hat, a stakes winner at Churchill Downs last out, and Spice Route, who won the Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland in April for trainer Roger Attfield.
The Salvator Mile will be headed by Solar Flare, who won the Frisk Me Now Stakes here as his prep for this, and Smooth Air, who ran a close second to Bribon in the Grade 1 Metropolitan Mile at Belmont last out.
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HASKELL REPORT: PAPA CLEM ARRIVES; MUSKET MAN GALLOPS; SUMMER BIRD EN ROUTE
Monmouth Park.com
With just a little over five weeks until the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on August 2, the 3-year-olds are on the move.
Papa Clem, who ran sixth in the Preakness his last start, arrived at Monmouth Park at 6:30 Wednesday morning after shipping from California. The 3-year-old colt, owned by Bo Hirsch and trained by Gary Stute, is pointing for the $150,000 Long Branch Stakes on July 11 as his prep for the mile and an eighth Haskell.
The son of Smart Strike finished fourth in the Kentucky Derby after winning the Arkansas Derby (G2). He went back to his Santa Anita base after the Preakness and has turned in a string of sharp morning workouts over the synthetic strip there.
Musket Man, who finished third in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness and will be brought up to the Haskell on works alone, according to trainer Derek Ryan, galloped at a “two-minute lick” over the firm turf course here Wednesday morning.
With jockey Daniel Centeno aboard, the Yonaguska colt went an easy six furlongs in an unofficial time of 1:24.
“It was a good two-minute lick,” Ryan said. “and he looked like he handled the turf just fine. We just want to get him back to where we were before we gave him a break.”
Musket Man, who has not run since he was third in the May 16 Preakness, breezed on the main track here last week. Ryan has decided he will keep the colt on the grass for now.
“He’ll breeze on the turf next Wednesday,” Ryan said, “probably five-eighths.”
Summer Ice, winner of the Belmont Stakes after running sixth in the Kentucky Derby, will start the long journey from Louisiana Downs to Monmouth Park by van on Wednesday night, trainer Tim Ice said.
“It will be a little shorter than the van ride to New York from here,” Ice said Wednesday morning, “probably about 20-21 hours.”
The trainer said he planned to stop off at Churchill Downs Thursday so the Birdstone colt would not have to travel during the hottest part of the day, and he expected to arrive on the MonmouthPark backside early Friday morning.
Summer Bird will breeze up to the Haskell, getting to know the Monmouth main track.
George and Lori Hall’s Atomic Rain, who won an allowance race here on June 6 as he bounced back from a 16th place finish in the Kentucky Derby, continued to move toward a scheduled start in the Long Branch with a swift breeze here Monday.
The Smart Strike colt, trained by Kelly Breen, worked five furlongs in :59 4/5, going in company with stablemate Raising Thunder.
“He worked dynamite,” Breen said, “and he came out of it in good order. He’s ready for the Long Branch. He started a couple of lengths behind Raising Thunder and finished a couple of lengths ahead of him, and did everything the right way.”
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HALL OF FAMER JORGE VELASQUEZ AGENT FOR JOSE VELEZ JR.
Monmouth Park.com
Jorge Velasquez, the retired Hall of Fame rider, will take the book of Jose Velez Jr. starting Saturday.
Velez, 46, and Velasquez were riding rivals in the 1980s, and Velez said he was looking forward to their partnership.
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TRUJILLO, LEVINE, REPOLE CONTINUE TO LEAD MONMOUTH STANDINGS
Monmouth Park.com
After nearly two months of racing at the 2009 Monmouth
Park meeting, some familiar faces continue to show the way for top honors come
meets-end on Sept. 27.
Elvis Trujillo continues to lead the jockey standings having booted home 55
winners, nine more than Eddie Castro. Thirteen-time Monmouth champion Joe Bravo
is third in the rankings with 30 winners.
In the trainer’s race, Bruce Levine, top conditioner last season at Monmouth, is
once again on top, currently with 18 victories, two more than Jason Servis.
Jane Cibelli rounds out the top three, visiting the winner’s circle 12 times.
The owner’s race has Repole Stable, with 12 victories, showing the way as they
go for their second consecutive Monmouth owner’s title. George and Lori Hall
are second with nine wins, two more than Amy Tarrant’s Hardacre Farm.
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GIRLFRIENONTHESIDE RIDES RAIL TO VICTORY IN CRANK IT UP
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Dubb & Park Avenue Racing Stables’ Girlfrienontheside waited patiently early on before driving up the inside rail to best pacesetter Snow Lass by a neck in the $60,000 Crank It Up Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
Trained by Anthony Dutrow, Girlfrienontheside returned $5, $3.40 and $2.80 as the 3-2 favorite in the field of nine 3-year-old fillies. She stopped the timer in 1:02 flat for 5 ½ furlongs over a firm turf course. Snow Lass completed the $48.60 exacta and paid $10.60 to place and $7.20 to show. Lady Alexander was another neck back in third, good for a $5.60 show mutuel.
“We sat in behind the early speed and had to wait for a hole,” said winning rider Chuck C. Lopez. “I had no choice but to wait because I had horses on all sides. The lane opened up and she had a good kick.”
Sunday’s win was the third in seven starts for Girlfrienontheside, a filly by Indian Charlie from the Unbridled’s Song mare Refrain. She boosted her bankroll to $126,990 for her connections.
Live racing returns to MonmouthPark on Wednesday, July 1 – gates open 11:30 a.m., first post 12:50 p.m. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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MARY'S FOLLIES RALLIES ON RAIL TO CAPTURE BOILING SPRINGS
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Mary’s Follies closed resolutely along the rail in the stretch to score an upset victory in the $150,000 Boiling Springs Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
The 3-year-old daughter of More Than Ready, trained by John Forbes and ridden by Stewart Elliott, went off as the fourth choice in the field of eight fillies and paid $15.40, $8.20 and $5.80 across the board.
Kiawah Kat, a 9-1 chance, finished second, a half-length behind the winner and a length and a quarter in front of Obsequious. She completed the $182.20 exacta and paid $10 and $7. Obsequious returned $6 to show. Blind Date, the 2-1 favorite, finished seventh after a wide trip.
Mary’s Follies, who was making her debut on the turf, raced the mile and a sixteenth over a “good” course in 1:41 1/5.
She sat well off a strong pace set by Platinum Girl and Sandi’s Ready until straightened away in the stretch. At the eighth pole, Elliott asked her to close down the inside, and Mary’s Follies went past horses on the rail and went right on by the leaders.
Owned by the partnership of James Dinan, BDL Stables and Phantom House Farm, Mary’s Follies was winning her second straight race at Monmouth. She scored by nearly three in an allowance race on the main track here on June 11.
A $40,000 yearling purchase, Mary’s Follies ran her career bankroll to $163,880 with today’s victory with three wins in six lifetime starts.
“She’s really a neat filly,” Forbes said. “We thought the two (Platinum Girl) and the four (Sandy’s Ready) would go out front and hopefully set up a quick pace. We pretty much left everything up to Stewie (jockey Elliott).
“This really opens up a whole new door for this horse,” the trainer said. “We’ll have to sit down and map out a plan with her. She certainly seemed to like the turf today, and right now I can’t say whether she’ll stay on turf or not.”
Elliott said, “I was expecting a hole to open up turning for home, and I knew I had enough horse to go through it. It opened up for us in the lane and she just kicked on through. She really impressed me today.”
Monmouth Park. com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – A throng of 18,802 flooded Monmouth Park on Sunday, the largest crowd thus far at the 2009 season, and saw At the Disco win the $60,000 Bernie Dowd Handicap as Ask the Moon took home the top prize in the $70,000 Lighthouse Stakes on the Father’s Day card. In addition, jockey Eddie Castro equaled a track record in winning six races on the 11-race program.
In the colors of Cheval Corporation, Ask the Moon and jockey Joe Bravo took command out of the gate and never looked back, splashing home over the sloppy track a length and a quarter winner. Ask the Moon returned $19, $10.60 and $4.60 and topped a $123.20 exacta. Talkin About Love rallied from last and paid $13.20 to place and $6.40 to show. Annabill, who finished another length and a quarter back in third, paid $4.60 to show.
“We were looking for the lead in here,” said winning trainer Ned Allard, “unless someone else wanted to really gun for the front, we would have let them go. She’s just a really nice filly and when you’re out of conditions this is the type of race you have to be in.”
Sunday’s score was the sixth in 14 lifetime starts for Ask the Moon, a 4-year-old filly by Malibu Moon out of the Valid Appeal mare Always Asking. She has now earned $200,250.
Owned by Patricia A. Generazio, At the Disco covered the mile and 70 yards over the sloppy main track in 1:40 4/5 and returned $10, $4.80 and $3.60. LunaPark, seven lengths behind the winner, completed the $46 exacta and paid $3.80 to place and $3.20 to show. Flirtatious Smile was another half length back in third, good for a $5.80 show mutuel. Cuba, the post time favorite, never appeared comfortable and trailed throughout.
“We got a great trip stalking the early speed,” said winning jockey Eddie Castro. “He was nice and relaxed down the backside. Once we hit the turn I started to ask him a little bit and he inched closer with every stride. Once I really called on him he kicked it in at the top of the stretch and ran off for me.”
Sunday’s win marked the sixth lifetime and first stakes victory for At the Disco, a 5-year-old horse by Disco Rico from the Concorde’s Tune mare Mary Lou’s Magic. He has now banked $306,435 for his connections.
Castro’s record day started in the opener with Mithall ($6.80). The 24-year-old native of Panama then won the fourth aboard Golden Rainbow ($7.60), the fifth with Precursor ($6.60), the sixth atop Clear Faith ($4.80), the Bernie Dowd Handicap and the finale with Top of My Game ($3.60). The record for most wins on a single card was first set by Walter Blum on June 9, 1961. It was later equaled by Chris Antley, Julie Krone, four-times by Joe Bravo, and last season by Jose Lezcano.
Live racing returns to MonmouthPark on Wednesday, June 24 – first post 12:50 p.m. As always the track is open seven days a week for simulcast racing from across the country and around the globe.
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HOTSTUFANTHENSOME MAKES 9-YEAR-OLD DEBUT ON WEDNESDAY
Monmouth Park.com
Donald J. Carroll’s Hotstufanthensome, who boasts an impressive record at Monmouth Park, makes his seasonal debut here on Wednesday against nine rivals in the $48,000 allowance/optional claiming feature at a mile and a sixteenth on turf.
The 9-year-old son of Awesome Again, whose six wins at Monmouth include the Elkwood Stakes in 2005, is entered with a $75,000 claiming tag.
Ben Perkins Jr., who took over training the gelding last fall, said the oldtimer is doing well and has been ready to go since April.
“What with the weather and all, there hasn’t been a spot for him before this,” Perkins said. “He’s a neat old horse, really easy on himself and us. I don’t know if he’ll ever get back to stakes races, but I know he tries every time he runs.”
Hotstufanthensome was trained by Norman Pointer early in his career when he was a graded stakes winner in New Jersey (Grade 3 Cliffhanger in 2005) and Florida (Grade 3 Mac Diarmida in 2006). Trainer Teri Pompay claimed the gelding in January of 2008 and trained him through the Monmouth meet last year, when Hotstuf won an allowance race.
Perkins saddled the horse to win the John Henry Stakes at the Meadowlands last November. Joe Bravo, who was aboard that night, gets the call again Wednesday.
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JOEY P. RECOVERING AFTER SURGERY: DUE TO RETURN IN FALL
Monmouth Park.com
John Petrini’s Joey P., who was all set to answer the million dollar question in an out-of-town race this weekend, underwent surgery for a twisted intestine Thursday evening and will be out of action for at least two months.
Trainer Ben Perkins Jr. said the 7-year-old New Jersey-bred, one of the most popular horses ever to run at Monmouth, is expected to return to action at the Meadowlands in October.
Joey P. was due to be vanned Friday to West Virginia to seek a repeat in Saturday night’s Charles Town Invitational Dash, a race which could have put him over the $1 million mark in career earnings. However, plans changed suddenly on Thursday afternoon.
“Everybody in the barn was excited about the race and looking forward to it,” Perkins said. “Joey was fine through the morning, everything normal. Then in the afternoon, the groom noticed he was uncomfortable in his stall.
“We called the vet, and then he got worse so fast it was frightening. We put him on the van and sent him to the Midlantic Clinic in Ringoes. Dr. Patty Doyle worked on him.
“They had to make an incision,” Perkins said, “but fortunately they were able to untwist the intestine manually, and they didn’t have to resect it. Dr. Doyle said it will take a couple of months for the incision to heal, and then he can go back into training.
“The change in him after the surgery was amazing,” Perkins said. “By 11 o’clock that night, he was looking for his supper.”
Joey P. has a career record of 16-7-1 in 35 starts and earnings of $973,472 through his last start on May 23, when he won the Reilly Handicap here. At Monmouth, Joey P. has compiled a 13-5-1 mark in 24 lifetime starts, with earnings of $697,991.
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OUR EDGE NEVER HEADED IN CORNADO'S QUEST; BEACON HILL ROAD, $21, RALLIES TO WIN ANDERSON FOWLER
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Robert V. LaPenta’s Our Edge led every step to win the $70,000 Coronado’s Quest Stakes and Char-Mari Stable’s Beacon Hill Road rallied to capture the $60,000 Anderson Fowler Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
The old adage of “bet speed on the rail in the slop at a mile and a sixteenth” was never more true as Our Edge took command immediately from his inside post and splashed his way to victory. His margin at the end was just a head over a determined Gone Astray, the 8-5 favorite who closed in the final yards. Endymion was third, five lengths farther back.
Our Edge, trained by Nick Zito and ridden by leading jockey Elvis Trujillo, raced the mile and a sixteenth over the sloppy track in 1:43 2/5 and paid $6.60, $3.60 and $2.60 across the board as second choice in the field of six 3-year-olds. Gone Astray completed the $22.80 exacta and returned $3.60 to place and $2.10 to show. Endymion paid $2.60 to show.
This was the second straight win for Our Edge, a son of The Cliff’s Edge who broke his maiden last out in May at Delaware Park, also in front-running style.
“He’s really a nice colt,” Zito said from New York. “It looks like he has a bright future. He beat some nice horses today, and it is very possible he’ll be back there (at Monmouth) at some point in the summer.”
“No one wanted to go with me from the break,” Trujillo said. “He was going up the backstretch with his ears up and just enjoying himself. We put up soft fractions and had plenty left. I saw the other horse (Gone Astray) come up to me, but I knew I was home by then.”
In the Anderson Fowler, originally scheduled for turf but run over the sloppy main track, Beacon Hill Road ran down the speed in the stretch to score by half a length over the fast-closing Southern Exchange. Valiancy, who gained command turning for home, held on for third, a nose farther back.
The winner, trained by Jason Servis and ridden by Carlos Marquez Jr., stopped the timer in 1:02 4/5 for the five and a half furlongs and paid $21.20, $11 and $6.60 across the board. Southern Exchange, an 8-1 chance, completed the $162.40 exacta and paid $9.20 to place and $5 to show. Valiancy paid $3 to show. Slew of Smoke, the 5-2 favorite in the field of eight 3-year-olds, finished sixth.
This was the first win of the year in four starts for Beacon Hill Road, a son of Forestry – Road to the Ball, by Cahill Road, who is a half-brother to the millionaire stakes winner Park Avenue Ball.
The colt broke his maiden on the main track here last year and won on the grass at the Meadowlands. This was his first start on the dirt since last August.
Today Beacon Hill Road was content to sit off the pace. He kicked into gear rounding the turn, collared Valiancy in mid-stretch, and then held off Southern Exchange late.
“This horse has just been training great,” Servis said. “He’s been terrific in the morning. I couldn’t say whether he’s better on turf or dirt. He’s good on both.”
Marquez said, “He broke running, settled down and let the speed go. We got to the best part of the racetrack and he just went on from there.”
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JOEY P., BIG DRAMA OFF TO WEST VIRGINIA FOR SATURDAY STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
John Petrini’s Joey P., one of the most popular Monmouth runners of all time, and Harold L. Queen’s Big Drama, a candidate for the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on Aug. 2, will van to West Virginia together on Friday for stakes races at Charles Town on Saturday night.
Joey P., a 7-year-old son of Close Up trained by Ben Perkins Jr., won the Reilly Handicap here on May 23 – his 13th career victory at Monmouth – to get ready for a repeat try in the $250,000 Charles Town Invitational Dash. Joey P. won the four and a half-furlong race by three lengths last year, and will again be ridden by Travis Dunkelberger.
An in-the-money finish would put Joey P. over the $1 million mark in career earnings. He goes into the race with a lifetime bankroll of $973,472, and is bidding to become just the sixth New Jersey-bred ever to go over the $1 million mark.
Big Drama, trained by David Fawkes, turned in two sharp works here to get ready for the $250,000 Red Legend Stakes at seven furlongs. The son of Montbrook had finished first in six straight races before running fifth behind Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness.
Fawkes said his plan is to use Saturday’s race as a prep for the Haskell, Monmouth’s signature event at a mile and an eighth that will be run on Sunday, August 2.
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PRESIOUS PASSION PUTS ON DISPLAY OF HEART IN U.N. PREP
Monmouth Park.com
Presious Passion, who turned in one of the gamest performances of his career to win Saturday’s Monmouth Stakes, is on course to seek a repeat in the $750,000 United Nations (G1) on July 4, trainer Mary Hartmann said.
“He came out of the race great, ate up everything,” Hartmann said. “He’s in good shape for the U.N.”
Presious Passion, a 6-year-old gelding owned by Patricia Generazio, prepped for the U.N. in the Monmouth Stakes. Before the race, Hartmann noted that although he needed the race to get ready for the U.N., everything was against her star. She thought the distance (a mile and an eighth) was too short, and the track (rated “good” after days of rain) was too soft.
But Presious Passion, as he has done before, proved once again that a big heart can overcome any obstacles.
In his first start in nearly three months, the Florida-bred shot to the lead from the gate, opening up more than five lengths down the backstretch under Elvis Trujillo. Turning for home, the favored Proudinsky hooked Presious Passion and by the eighth pole held a one-length lead.
“I figured that was it,” Hartmann said. “Even if he didn’t win, I thought he’d had a good prep, and that was that. And then Elvis let him see that other horse, and he took off again.
“That was him being him,” the trainer said. “He’s a professional racehorse with a big heart, and he showed it.”
It was the second stakes win of the year in four starts for Presious Passion and the 11th victory of his career. The winner’s share of the Monmouth Stakes purse brought his earnings to $1,392,018.
Presious Passion won last year’s running of the United Nations by a neck after a front-running trip, getting the mile and three-eighths in 2:13 4/5.
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Rayzin the Bar Stables’ Fearless Leader sat off the early pace before grabbing the lead in the stretch and holding all rivals safe at bay in capturing the $70,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday by 2 ¼ lengths.
Trained by Michael Lerman, Fearless Leader raced the six furlongs over a track labeled “good” in 1:09 flat and returned $34.40 and $10.40 as the longest shot in the field of five fillies and mares. D’Wild Ride rallied from last to complete a $154.60 exacta and paid $4.20 to place. All Giving was third with Love for Not fourth and Access Fee, the post time favorite, last. There was no show wagering offered on the Blue Sparkler.
“I was expecting the one horse (Access Fee) to show speed,” said winning rider Daniel Centeno, “but she didn’t fire today. I was in the perfect spot early and when I called on her in the lane she just took off.”
Sunday’s win was the fifth lifetime for Fearless Leader, who was making her first start since Jan. 3 at Tampa Bay Downs. The 5-year-old daughter of Suave Prospect from the Robyn Dancer mare Truly Romantic increased her lifetime bankroll to $161,445.
The Blue Sparkler Stakes was the last leg in the 50 cent Pick 5 series, which paid $212.45 for four of five. The Pick 5 kicked off in the 5th race with Little Stitch ($6.40) and continued with D’Wild Affair ($8.60) in the 6th. Noisy Feet ($9.40) captured the 7th race as Implicate ($44.20) took the 8th. A carryover of $13,385 will be added to Wednesday’s Pick 5 pool, which starts in race five and has a base wager of 50 cents.
Live racing returns to MonmouthPark on Wednesday, June 17 – first post 12:50 p.m. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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PRESIOUS PASSION DRAMATIC WINNER OF MONMOUTH STAKES, BEATS BANROCK BY A NOSE; TRUJILLO WINS 5, SWEEPS BOTH STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Patricia A. Generazio’s Presious Passion ran one of the gamest races of his stellar career before a crowd of 14,204 at Monmouth Park on Saturday, as he fought back to regain the lead in midstretch, and then held off a determined Banrock at the finish for a nose victory in the $200,000 Monmouth Stakes, presented by IEAH Stables.
The 6-year-old son of Royal Anthem, trained by Mary Hartmann, gave jockey Elvis Trujillo his fourth win of the day and a sweep of the stakes events. Trujillo rode Chirac to victory in the $70,000 Skip Away Stakes the previous race.
Presious Passion, who was prepping to seek a repeat in the $750,000 United Nations (G1) on July 4, displayed great heart in the second running of the Monmouth Stakes. He opened a long lead out of the gate, gave way to Proudinsky, the 9-5 favorite, around the turn, and then fought back along the rail to regain command inside the eighth pole. In the final yards, he was all out to hold off the fast-closing Banrock.
Presious Passion stopped the timer in 1:47 1/5 for the mile and an eighth on a “good” turf course, and paid a surprising $14.80, $6.80 and $3.40 across the board. Banrock, sent off second choice, paid $4.80 and $3.20 and completed the $75 exacta. Proudinsky finished a length farther back in third and paid $2.60 to show.
“I thought he was beat when he got passed,” Hartmann said. “He really stepped up to the plate today. He’s such a nice horse. The mile and an eighth is a little short for him, but coming in this fresh I thought he would run well, and he did.”
“This is just a really nice gelding,” Trujillo said. “There is no trickery with him. He likes to race on the front end and always runs tough, so we just let him get to the front and roll.
“He really loves to win,” Trujillo said, “and always does as much as he can to get to the wire first, as he showed today.”
Kent Desormeaux, the rider of Banrock who won the first running of the Monmouth Stakes last year aboard Big Brown, said, “I really thought I won the race. It seemed like we got up right at the wire. I’m flabbergasted that Presious Passion really came back on the inside like that. I still can’t believe I didn’t get up.”
The winner’s share of $120,000 boosted Presious Passion’s lifetime bankroll to $1,392,018.
Eddie Castro, who rode Proudinsky, said, “I thought we were in good shape when we made the lead. I never thought that horse (Presious Passion) would come back on us like he did.”
In the Skip Away, Pia M. Kirkham’s Chirac took the track at the track at the start and never looked back, scoring by a length and a quarter for the first stakes victory of his career.
The winner, trained by Jane Cibelli and ridden by Trujillo, stopped the timer in 1:35 3/5 for the one mile over a fast main track. Chirac, who went off the fourth choice in the field of five older horses, paid $8, $3.60 and $2.40 across the board and topped a $25 exacta.
Gold Trippi made a late run at the winner, but never seriously threatened and settled for second, three and a quarter lengths before Famous Patriot. Gold Trippi paid $3.60 and $2.40, and Famous Patriot returned $2.40 to show.
This was the second straight win at Monmouth for Chirac, a 4-year-old gelding by Sligo Bay who captured an allowance event here on May 16. The Kirkham homebred has now won five of 13 lifetime starts, and the winner’s share of $42,000 brought his career earnings to $132,630.
“He just loves this racetrack,” Cibelli said. “He’s going great right now.”
Trujillo, who completed a riding triple aboard Chirac, said, “My horse broke very sharp and ended up on the early lead. Instead of trying to wrestle him back, I just figured it would be best to let him roll and take a shot on the front end.
“He just kept going right to the wire. He really dug in gamely and didn’t want to let anyone go by.”
Trujillo’s five wins began with race two aboard Veer ($12.20) and continued in the fourth atop C’Est Valliere ($7.20). He then captured both stakes before taking the finale with Witchesofwestfield ($5).
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HASKELL HOPE BIG DRAMA TURNS IN SHARP MONMOUTH BREEZE
Monmouth Park.com
Harold L. Queen’s Big Drama, who is on course to run in Monmouth’s $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on August 2, tuned up for his next start with an eye-catching breeze over the fast main track here Saturday morning.
The 3-year-old son of Montbrook, who finished fifth in the Preakness last out after a world of trouble, worked five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 under jockey Channing Hill.
Trainer David Fawkes was all smiles when the horse came back to the barn, mostly because of the way Big Drama finished up the move.
“By my watch, he came home in :23 (the last quarter), and that’s running,” Fawkes said. “He pulled up great, and he’s not even blowing hard.”
Big Drama, who had finished first in six straight races before the Preakness, was off rather slowly in his breeze, the first quarter-mile in :26 flat. But then he picked up the pace, clocked in :37 3/5 for the three-eighths, :48 3/5 for the half-mile and 1:01 1/5 for the five furlongs. The colt galloped out six furlongs in a sprightly 1:12 4/5.
Fawkes said the colt will prep for the Haskell in next Saturday’s $250,000 Red Legend Stakes at Charles Town. Eibar Coa will ride in that seven-furlong test.
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MUSKET MAN ON COURSE IN HASKELL PREPARATION
Monmouth Park.com
Trainer Derek Ryan said that Musket Man, third in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, is scheduled to have his first breeze at Monmouth since the Triple Crown events next weekend. The colt has not worked in the morning since May 12 when he was getting ready for the Preakness.
“He’ll breeze either Saturday or Sunday,” the trainer said. “We’ll see where we go from there.”
Musket Man, a son of Yonaguska owned by Eric Fein and Vic Carlson, is scheduled to work his way to the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on August 2.
Ryan’s original plan was to work the colt one-mile between races sometime in July as his final Haskell prep. However, he has not completely ruled out getting a race into Musket Man if he can find a suitable spot before the mile and an eighth Haskell.
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HORSE FOR A COURSE CHIRAC STEPS UP IN SKIP AWAY
Monmouth Park.com
Just like last year, Chirac won his debut race at Monmouth in May, and is headed into a stakes race on the second Saturday in June. Unlike last year, when she took a shot with the Sligo Bay gelding in the Spend a Buck Stakes, trainer Jane Cibelli has high hopes for the 4-year-old in the $70,000 Skip Away Stakes.
“I think the Skip Away is a good spot for him,” the trainer said. “He fits well in there, and I don’t think there are any monsters in there like there were in the Spend a Buck.”
Last year, Chirac ran a game third behind graded stakes winners Cool Coal Man and Atoned, who were prepping for the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational.
The Skip Away drew a field of seven older horses, and Chirac is a course-and-distance winner in the one-mile test.
Chirac, owned by Pia Kirkham, raced on turf at Tampa Bay this winter, although Cibelli thinks he’s a better horse on the main track.
“He had a soft tissue injury last summer,” Cibelli said, “so we gave him plenty of time to recuperate. He was ready to come back in Florida, but he doesn’t like the dirt track at Tampa, so I ran him on the grass.
“He likes the Monmouth track, though,” the trainer said, “and he’s in the right spot.”
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EVER ALWAYS DELIVERS EYE-CATCHING PERFORMANCE
Monmouth Park.com
A star was born here Wednesday when Dennis Drazin’s Ever Always turned in one of the most impressive performances of this or any other season at Monmouth.
The 3-year-old New Jersey-bred filly won a state-bred allowance race for fun, scoring by 15 ¼ lengths in 1:08.47 for the six furlongs on a track rated only “good.” And that’s with jockey Elvis Trujillo taking a triple hold most of the race.
Trujillo had her in an armlock to the three-eighths pole, when he let out just a notch. That was enough for Ever Always to simply take off. She just galloped through the stretch, widening with every stride as the rider sat chilly.
And that was her second straight big performance this year. She won her first level allowance by 9 ¼ lengths in 1:08.87 on May 16.
State-breds can rest easy, though, because that was probably her last start for now in a restricted race. The unbeaten Ever Always is headed straight for the big time.
“I have to move her up now,” trainer Jason Servis said. “I’m going to look for a 3-year-old filly stakes for her next start.”
Ever Always debuted here last year on June 25. She finished second in a roughly run race, beaten a neck, and was placed first by the stewards. She came out of that maiden race with some bumps and bruises.
“She twisted her back a little when she got bumped,” Servis said. “So we stopped on her and gave her plenty of time. We wanted to run her against New Jersey-breds, so there was no reason to get her ready for winter racing, so we gave her the time off.”
Ever Always has a deceptive pedigree. She’s out of a little known stallion (Mr. Nugget) who stands at Evergreen in Colts Neck, N.J., for a $1,000 stud fee. She’s out of Judge’s Song, a Florida-bred mare who won in open company for Drazin and Servis in 2002.
“The stallion is very underrated,” Servis said. “He’s by Mr. Prospector, and his dam, Korveya, is a major stakes producer. I think she sold for $8.8 million as a broodmare.”
The record shows that Korveya, by Riverman, produced 10 foals that included Group stakes winners like Hector Protector, Great Success, Bosra Sham and Shanghai. Mr. Nugget raced twice, and broke his maiden on the turf at Atlantic City in 2001.
“And the dam of Ever Always could run,” Servis said. “She won twice for us (at Monmouth and the Meadowlands in 2002) when she was in foal with her first baby.”
Judge’s Song, by the top sire Saint Ballado, broke her maiden at Monmouth in August and then won an allowance event at the Meadowlands in November of 2002, and then dropped her first foal, Hi It’s Me, in April of 2003. Hi It’s Me, by Songandaprayer, was an allowance winner at Monmouth.
The mare has since died, Servis said, but Drazin still has a 2-year-old filly, as yet unnamed, and a weanling out of Judge’s Song.
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JASON SERVIS, BRUCE LEVINE TIED; ELVIS TRUJILLO TOP RIDER
Monmouth Park.com
Through racing of Sunday, June 7, Jason Servis and Bruce Levine were tied for leading trainer honors with 10 winners each. They finished 2008 one-two in the standings with Levine taking top honors.
The two trainers finished the first 16 days of racing here with identical win percentages – both had sent out 10 winners from 25 starters, a 40 percent win rate.
Elvis Trujillo pulled ahead in the jockeys race through the period, finishing the first 16 days of the meet with 30 wins from 111 mounts. Eddie Castro (24) and Joe Bravo (23) were neck-and-neck for second. Bravo had the best win percentage among the leaders, scoring with 23 of 74 mounts, a 31 percent strike rate.
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Jedburgh Stud’s All is Vanity rallied down the center of the turf course to post a neck victory in the Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes as Janet L. Wayson’s Great Love powered past the pacesetters in the stretch to post a length and a quarter win in the Rumson Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
All is Vanity, sent off the second choice in the field of eight fillies and mares, returned $7.20, $4.60 and $3.20 after stepping the mile and sixteenth over a turf course rated “good” in 1:41 3/5. Quiet Meadow completed the $55.80 exacta and paid $10.20 and $6. It was another length and half back to Chestoria, who paid $7.40 to show. Ariege, the post time favorite, checked in fourth.
“This mare is very consistent,” said winning trainer Christophe Clement. “She has not finished off the board in any stakes race in the U.S. We got lucky we found some room in the lane, and luck is always good to have. Anytime you put Joe Bravo on your horse in New Jersey you know you’re going to get a good ride.”
Bravo was pretty confident once he found that hole in the stretch, “At the 1/16th pole she came up to that other filly (Quiet Meadow) and I knew we had it then,” said the jockey. “She was nice and relaxed…real professional today.”
A five-year-old mare by Gold Away from the Inchinor mare Castilly, All is Vanity improved her record to 9-3-6 from 22 starts. The winner’s share of the $150,000 Eatontown Stakes boosted her lifetime bankroll to $477,338.
The Rumson Stakes win marked the sixth in 12 starts for Great Love. The 3-year-old colt by Great Notion covered the six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:08 2/5 and returned $22.20, $9.80 and $4.40. Royal Vindication completed the $92.80 exacta and paid $5 and $3. It was another length and a quarter back to Checklist, who paid $2.60 to show.
“This horse is like an ATM machine,” said winning jockey Joe Bravo. “He gets checks after checks. He’s a very mature horse. We just sat off the speed and waited and waited. When it was time to go he just went by no problem.”
Trained by John J. Robb, Great Love has now earned $197,205 for his connections.
Live racing returns to Monmouth Park on Wednesday, June 10 – first post 12:50 p.m. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcast racing from across the country and around the globe.
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GO GO SHOOT NEVER HEADED IN LONGFELLOW; REATA'S QUIK PUNCH CAPTURES CANDY ÉCLAIR
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Repole Stable’s Go Go Shoot took command at the start, and by the eighth pole was gone, gone, gone as he won Saturday’s $70,000 Longfellow Stakes by nine and a half widening lengths before a crowd of 12,803 at Monmouth Park.
In the day’s second feature, Reata’s Quik Punch employed similar front-running tactics to capture the $60,000 Candy Éclair Stakes for fillies and mares, a race that was moved from the turf to the main track.
Go Go Shoot, trained by Bruce Levine and ridden by Eddie Castro, never had an anxious moment as he held control from gate to wire, stopping the timer in a very quick 1:07 4/5 over the fast main track, just two ticks off the record.
The winner, a 4-year-old son of Songandaprayer, paid $13, $6.40 and $3.80 as third choice in the field of eight older horses and topped a $69.40 exacta.
Celtic Innis won a blanket finish for the place by a nose over Man of Danger, with favored Disco’s Son just a head farther back. Celtic Innis paid $5.40 and $3 and Man of Danger returned $3.80 to show.
This was the first win of the year for Go Go Shoot in just his second start after returning from an eight-month layoff.
The gray gelding broke fastest of all and zipped through a quarter in :21 2/5 and a half-mile in :43 3/5. When they straightened into the stretch, Castro asked Go Go Shoot for his best, and the winner responded with a burst of speed that carried him far clear of competition.
“This horse has a lot of speed, so the game plan was to go right to the front,” Castro said. “He got stronger as the race went on and just opened up.”
Reata’s Quik Punch, trained by Joe Orseno and ridden by Carlos Marquez Jr., won an early scramble for domination and then had everything her way thereafter, drawing off to win the Candy Éclair by four and a quarter lengths. The 4-year-old daughter of Two Punch stopped the timer in 1:03 3/5 for the five and a half furlongs on a fast main track and paid $6.20, $4.20 and $2.60.
Rap Tale, longest price on the board at 13-1 in the field of five, rallied to be second, completing the $88.40 exacta and paying $11.60 and $3.80. Sheets, the slight favorite, was third and paid $2.40 to show.
Orseno entered Reata’s Quick Punch as main track only for the stakes, and the filly owned by Reata’s Thoroughbred & S.J.B. Stable demonstrated her love of the main track. This was her second career win in four starts at Monmouth, and her first start of the year.
In the day’s third race, George and Lori Hall’s Atomic Rain ran himself into the Haskell Invitational picture with a three and a quarter-length victory in the smart time of 1:35.24 over a track labeled “good.”
The 3-year-old son of Smart Strike, who was fourth in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial in April and then ran 16th in the Kentucky Derby in May, was winning for the first time since he broke his maiden at Monmouth on June 5, 2008.
Trainer Kelly Breen said when he entered Atomic Rain in today’s allowance race that the horse needed a victory to get into the mix for the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) here on Aug. 2.
“This race was the perfect set-up,” Breen said. “From here, we’ll go to the Long Branch (July 17), and then the Haskell. That’s the dream plan right now.
“Everything worked out perfectly today,” the trainer said. “The time was good, he ran well, and he should have learned a lot from this.”
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TRAINER RALPH NICKS A NEW PRESENCE ON MONMOUTH BACKSTRETCH
Monmouth Park.com
Ralph Nicks, who has an impeccable pedigree when it comes to training horses, is stabled at Monmouth for the first time this year, and after the Churchill Downs meet closes on July 5, will have an imposing group of 30 runners here in Barn 22.
Nicks, a 42-year-old Texas native, got his start with his father, trainer Morris Nicks, and then served as head assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Buill Mott for 14 years.
“I like to think I got my bachelor’s degree in horse training under my dad,” Nicks said, “and my master’s degree under Bill Mott.”
While with Mott, Nicks worked with 1995 and 1996 Horse of the Year Cigar, and Breeders’ Cup champions Fraise, Ajina and Escena.
Nicks, 42, who went out on his own in 2004, put his experience to good use, training Cool Conductor to win the Grade 2 Dixie Handicap in 2005 for his first graded stakes success.
Nicks said he’s bringing a solid group of runners to Monmouth, including the 3-year-old colt Flying Pegasus, who was second to Friesan Fire in the Grade 3 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, and the grass specialists Sugar Baby Love, Seaspeak and El Caballo.
Sugar Baby Love, a German-bred mare who sports four turf wins, goes in Sunday’s Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes on the grass here.
Seaspeak, a 4-year-old son of Mizzen Mast, won the Dallas Turf Handicap (G3) at Lone Star Park last out, while El Caballo, a 5-year-old by El Corredor, was second by a nose in the Mervin Muniz Handicap (G2) at Fair Grounds and then ran seventh behind the formidable Einstein in the Grade 1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on May 2.
El Caballo is a candidate for the $200,000 Monmouth Stakes on the turf here on June 13, a prep for the $750,000 United Nations (G1) to be run on July 4.
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ATOMIC RAIN LOOKING FOR A WIN IN SATURDAY’S 3RD RACE
Monmouth Park.com
When last seen under colors, George and Lori Hall’s Atomic Rain was tiring to finish the mile and a quarter more than 31 lengths behind Mine That Bird in the Kentucky Derby. Saturday’s third race, a first-level allowance at one-mile, figures to be a lot easier – but maybe even more important.
“Well, he’s running on Belmont Day, just not in the Belmont,” trainer Kelly Breen said. “But we’re trying to get him a win. We’re trying to tune him up for the Haskell, and this looks like the place to start.”
Atomic Rain, a 3-year-old son of Smart Strike out of the Cox’s Ridge mare Paradise Pond, has always looked, trained and run like a very good horse. It is not surprising that Breen is pointing the Halls’ runner for the centerpiece of Monmouth’s meeting, the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on August 2.
The fact that he has just one victory – his maiden score here on June 5 last year – is probably the most surprising thing about Atomic Rain.
“He’s always trained well,” Breen said, “and he’s run some very good races. If he can’t win Saturday, we haven’t tuned him up right.”
Last year, Atomic Rain ran second in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct, and this year in his start before the Kentucky Derby, ran fourth in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial behind I Want Revenge and then-stablemate West Side Bernie.
Breen said that Saturday’s race and the $175,000 Long Branch Stakes on July 11 will serve as Atomic Rain’s prep events.
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LEVINE GETS GO GO SHOOT READY TO GO IN LONGFELLOW SATURDAY
Monmouth Park.com
Saturday’s $70,000 Longfellow Stakes at six furlongs drew a field of nine older horses, with one name – Benny the Bull – standing out.
The Rick Dutrow-trained Eclipse Award champion sprinter, who has not run in nearly 11 months, is also entered in the Grade 2 True North Handicap Saturday at Belmont, a race he won last year.
Bruce Levine, who entered both Man of Danger and Go Go Shoot in the Longfellow, is one of the several trainers hoping Benny the Bull stays close to home in New York this weekend.
“It was a little surprising to see his name show up in this race,” Levine said. “But right now I’m debating whether to run one or both horses.
“They both have similar styles,” Levine said, “and they both want the lead. I’m leaning to running just Go Go Shoot.”
Go Go Shoot, a 4-year-old son of Songandaprayer, was purchased privately by Levine on behalf of Repole Stable this winter.
The gray gelding won three stakes races last year when trained by Jim Ryerson, and was third in the Rumson Stakes and fifth in the Grade 3 Jersey Shore Stakes in his two Monmouth starts.
Levine is just getting to know Go Go Shoot, who now trains at Monmouth and turned in a bullet work here (a half-mile in :48 flat on June 1) getting ready for the Longfellow.
Go Go Shoot, who had been idle since last August, has made just one start for Levine, finishing eighth in the Moscarelli Memorial at Delaware on April 25.
“It was his first start in eight months, and he got hooked up in a speed duel with Acting Zippy. They went very fast early (a quarter in :21 1/5 and a half in :43 3/5) and he tired.
“He’s been training well since, and he should be ready for this.”
Acting Zippy, it should be noted, came right back to win the Decathlon Stakes at Monmouth on opening day, May 9.
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CIBELLI, CASTRO HOLD NARROW LEADS IN JOCKEY, TRAINER RACES
Monmouth Park.com
Jane Cibelli, who is off to a fast start, led all trainers through the first month of Monmouth’s 2009 meeting, and Eddie Castro is atop the jockey standings, although just by a nose.
Through the first 11 days of racing (May 9-May 31), Cibelli was sporting a gaudy win percentage of 40 percent and an in-the-money percentage of 73 percent with a record of 6-2-3 from 15 starters.
Close behind, with five wins each, were Bruce Levine and Jason Servis – one-two in last year’s trainers’ race – and Kelly Breen and Rick Dutrow Jr.
Castro, who finished second to the now-departed Jose Lezcano in last year’s jockey race, had 19 winners from 68 mounts through May 31.
He’s in a tight race with Elvis Trujillo, who had 18 winners during the month, and Joe Bravo, who had 17. Bravo, who has won a record 13 riding titles at Monmouth, had the best win percentage of the top 10 riders, scoring with 31 percent of his mounts.
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SUNDAY’S EATONTOWN KICKS OFF GRADED STAKES PROGRAM
Monmouth Park.com
The first of 13 graded stakes on the Monmouth calendar this summer comes up for decision on Sunday, when fillies and mares contest the $150,000 Eatontown Stakes (G3) at a mile and a sixteenth on turf.
A total of 34 distaff runners were nominated for the Eatontown, including Richard Santulli’s Social Queen, who won the stakes last year. The Alan Goldberg-trained 5-year-old by Dynaformer has won four of her six career starts at Monmouth, and most recently won the Grade 3 Gallorette Handicap at Pimlico.
Also nominated is the Christophe Clement-trained All Is Vanity, who finished just a head behind Social Queen in the Gallorette last out.
The 13 graded stakes at Monmouth include two Grade 1 events – the Haskell Invitational on August 2, and the United Nations Stakes on turf July 4 – and the Grade 2 Molly Pitcher Stakes on August 30.
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LOVE THAT DANCE GOES ALL THE WAY
IN OPEN MIND HANDICAP
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – John
Petrini’s Love That Dance took command at the bell and never looked back,
posting a 3 ½ length win in the Open Mind Handicap at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
Trained by Ben Perkins Jr., Love That Dance carved out fractions of :22 2/5 for
the quarter and :45 1/5 for the half before reporting home in 1:09 2/5 for the
six furlongs over a fast main track. The filly by Not For Love returned $14,
$5.80 and $4 across the board and topped a $226.80 exacta. Love For Not, the
longest shot in the field of six fillies and mares, returned $16.60 and $6.60.
It was another length and three quarters back to Open Skies, who paid $4.20 to
show. Way With Words, sent off the odds-on choice, never fired and finished
fifth.
“She’s a lot like her stable mate (referring to multiple stakes winner Joey
P.),” said winning jockey Joe Bravo. “After the first jump, the race was over.
She’s a very fast filly and awesome to ride. Right out of the gate she landed
on the front end and relaxed for me.”
Sunday’s win marked the fourth lifetime and first this year for Love That
Dance. She has now earned $154,549 for her connections.
Live racing returns to Monmouth Park on Wednesday, June 3. Gates open at 11:30
a.m. with first post set for 12:50 p.m. As always, the racetrack is open seven
days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
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LORD JUSTICE NEVER HEADED IN
SPEND A BUCK STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Stronach
Stables’ Lord Justice led all the way to win the $70,000 Spend a Buck Stakes,
and Edith R. Dixon’s Smart Enough was a facile winner in the $60,000 Wolf Hill
Stakes on turf before a crowd of 8,365 at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
In the Spend a Buck Stakes for 3-year-olds, Lord Justice used his good speed to
secure an early lead, and then had enough left to hold off the late charge of
Santana Six to score by a half-length. It Happened Again, the 2-1 favorite in
the field of eight, was third, three lengths farther back.
The winner, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Chris DeCarlo, raced the one
mile and 70 yards over a fast main track in 1:39 4/5 and paid $15.60, $8 and
$4.20 across the board. Santana Six, second choice in the betting at 3-1,
completed the $75 exacta and paid $5 to place and $4 to show. It Happened Again
paid $2.80 to show.
Lord Justice gained command soon after the start and cut out fractions of :22
3/5, and :45 4/5. He turned into the stretch with the lead after six furlongs in
1:10 and opened a clear lead at the eighth pole. Santana Six cut into the
margin, but was no real threat to the winner.
This was the second win of the year in three starts for Lord Justice, a bay colt
by A.P. Indy – Buy the Sport, by Devil’s Bag. It was the first stakes win for
the Stronach homebred.
“I was surprised and worried when I saw the fractions,” said Anthony Sciametta
Jr., Pletcher’s assistant at Monmouth. “This horse has been training really well
in the morning, and he showed it today.”
“I was told to hit the half in 48 seconds and I went in 45,” DeCarlo said. “The
horse was just going so easily that it didn’t seem that fast. He was comfortable
the whole way and very relaxed on the lead. He had his ears pricked the whole
way around.”
In the Wolf Hill, Smart Enough was the 4-5 favorite and ran that way as he
scored by nearly two lengths. He took command out of the gate and was never
threatened as he hit the line in 1:01 for the “about” five and a half furlongs
over a turf course rated “good.”
Smart Enough, trained by John R.S. Fisher and ridden by Eddie Castro, returned
$3.60, $2.60 and $2.10 across the board. Atticus Kristy, an 11-1 chance, closed
for the place, paying $7 and $3.40 and completing the $26.20 exacta. Awakino
Cat, second choice in the field of seven, paid $2.80 to show.
This was the first win of the year in two starts for Smart Enough, a 6-year-old
son of Horse Chestnut who improved his record at Monmouth to four wins in five
starts here.
“He’s back to himself,” said Fisher. “For him to run that fast over this course
was impressive. He’ll go next in the Highlander at Woodbine (June 21). That’s
six furlongs, but he can do that no problem.
“We’ll probably be back here later this summer. We love coming to Monmouth. It’s
just such a wonderful place to race.”
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MONMOUTH STARTS FIVE-DAY RACING SCHEDULE ON WEDNESDAY
Monmouth Park.com
Wednesday, June 3, marks the start of a five-day racing week at Monmouth, with live programs scheduled Wednesday through Sunday each week through August, with six days of racing slated from Sept. 2 through the Labor Day weekend. The track goes back to four days a week (Thursday through Sunday) from Sept. 10 until closing day, Sept. 27.
First post time every racing day is 12:50 p.m., with gates opening to the public at 11:30 a.m. The only exception will be Haskell Invitational Day on Sunday, Aug. 2, when first post is 12 noon, with gates opening at 10 a.m.
____________________________
MUSKET MAN BACK AT MONMOUTH, WILL TRAIN UP TO HASKELL
Monmouth Park.com
Eric Fein and Vic Carlson’s Musket Man, third in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, is back at Monmouth Park after a brief break, and will start jogging on Sunday as he prepares for the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on Aug. 2.
Trainer Derek Ryan said the Yonaguska colt, who won the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and Illinois Derby (G2) coming into the Kentucky Derby, will jog for three or four days and start galloping on Wednesday.
Ryan said he does not plan to run his charge before the Haskell. Instead, he plans to work the colt in the afternoon between races as part of Musket Man’s preparation for the big event.
After running third behind Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird in the Preakness on May 16, Musket Man returned to Monmouth and then was sent to a nearby farm for a two-week vacation. Ryan said the colt returned to his barn on Wednesday.
____________________________
NICK’ IS ASPIRING TO BERTH IN
HASKELL INVITATIONAL
Monmouth Park.com
Trainer Tim J. Kelly has big
plans for Daniel J. Ljoka’s Aspiring Nick, starting with Saturday’s $70,000
Spend a Buck Stakes for 3-year-olds, and if they pan out, fans can expect to see
the colt reach the big time in August.
“The goal is the Haskell,” Kelly said, referring to the centerpiece of
Monmouth’s meeting, the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on August 2. “He
has to do well in this race, and then the Long Branch (July 11) to get invited.”
The Spend a Buck, at a mile and 70 yards, will be a good test for Aspiring Nick,
a chestnut colt by Graeme Hall – Aspiring Sue, by Proof. It will be his first
start of the year after a juvenile season in which he won two of five starts,
with a second and a third. And it will also be his fourth meeting with Bunker
Hill, trained by Derek Ryan.
“They’ve battled it out three times, and I mean battled,” Kelly said. “The last
two races, there were inquiries. It’s some rivalry.”
Both horses broke their maiden at Monmouth, and then Bunker Hill was a nose the
best in the Continental Mile here. In September, Bunker Hill was a head in front
of Aspiring Nick in an off-the-turf stakes at Delaware, complete with foul
claims and inquiries. Then in the Dover Stakes on Oct. 11, Aspiring Nick
outfought Bunker Hill and survived an inquiry to win by a nose.
The only poor race “Nick” has run in his career was his first – a four and a
half-furlong maiden event last May when he finished sixth of seven.
“He’s so big, I knew sprinting wasn’t really his game,” Kelly said. “He got off
slow, and it was all over. He never had a chance to show anything.
“I waited for the two-turn maiden races, and he broke his maiden going a mile.
He can run all day.”
Aspiring Nick has been working steadily toward his 3-year-old debut, most
recently with a five-furlong drill in :59.60 on May 24, second best of 34 at the
distance, with new rider Chuck C. Lopez aboard.
“Chuck loves him,” Kelly said. “He’s been breezing ‘Nick’ all along, and he’s
really high on him.
“Now it’s up to the horse,” Kelly said. “If we want to make the Haskell, he’s
got to step up in here. And if he’s the horse we think he is, he’ll do well in
this spot.”
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LARRY JONES POINTING FRIESAN FIRE FOR HASKELL ON AUG. 2
Monmouth Park.com
Trainer Larry Jones, who has been winning Monmouth stakes on a regular basis the past two years, said Sunday that the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1) on Aug. 2 is the main objective this summer for Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm’s Friesan Fire.
“That’s the number one target, the Haskell,” said Jones, who saddled Hard Spun to a runner-up performance in the 2007 Haskell. “You’ll be seeing a lot of us at Monmouth this summer.”
A 3-year-old colt by A.P. Indy, Friesan Fire started the favorite in the Kentucky Derby, but grabbed a quarter at the break and never ran his race. In the Preakness, he again had trouble at the start and failed to fire.
Jones, whose stable is based at Delaware, will again be a frequent Monmouth visitor this season. Last year, he won the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes with Honest Man and the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks with Maren’s Meadow. This season so far, Jones has shipped in On the Menu to take the Just Smashing Stakes, and Solar Flare to win the Frisk Me Now Stakes.
He said Maren’s Meadow will be pointed for the $300,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes (G2) here on Aug. 30, and that either Honest Man or Solar Flare will be pointed for the $300,000 Iselin on Aug. 22. He said there was a chance both could go in that mile and an eighth event.
_________________________
MAREN’S MEADOW GAME WINNER OF
MONMOUTH BEACH STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
Oceanport, N.J. – Maren’s
Meadow returned to Monmouth Park to win the $70,000 Monmouth Beach Stakes in
front-running fashion and Sleepless Knight made a big move around the turn to
capture the $65,000 Lamplighter Stakes before a crowd of 11,565 at Monmouth Park
on Memorial Day.
Ridden by Justin Shepherd, Maren’s Meadow returned $7.40, $4.60, and $3.20 and
topped a $35.40 exacta. All Night Labor, who tried the winner in the lane,
settled for second, a head behind, and paid $4.80 and $2.80. You Asked rallied
for third, a length and half back, and returned $5 to show.
“We were hoping to make the lead, that seems to be her best,” said winning
trainer J. Larry Jones, who earlier in the day confirmed Kentucky Derby favorite
Friesan Fire is targeting Monmouth’s Haskell Invitational on Aug. 2. “When she
makes the front she just relaxes nicely. The fractions today were good for
her.”
After going the opening quarter in :23 and the half in :46 3/5, Maren’s Meadow
hit the six furlong mark in 1:10 4/5 before stopping the timer in 1:40 2/5.
Last season the daughter of Meadowlake captured the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks.
Monday’s stakes win moved her lifetime earnings to $353,725 for owner River
Ridge Ranch.
Trained by Kelly John Breen, Sleepless Knight covered the mile and a sixteenth
over firm turf in 1:41 1/5 and returned $11.40, $5.20 and $3 in the
Lamplighter. It was a length and a half back to Tamborim, who paid $4 and
$2.80, and completed a $59.20 exacta. Sal the Barber was a nose farther back,
good for a $3.60 show mutuel.
“Wow, this is a nice colt,” said winning jockey Joe Bravo. “The first time I
rode him I was thinking Jersey Derby (at Monmouth on Aug. 2), and he’s really
developing into the type of colt that can handle it. He’s growing into a
professional and is showing his maturity.”
A 3-year-old colt by War Chant from the Cherokee Run mare Dream About, Sleepless
Knight increased his record to 2-1-0 from three starts and has now banked
$66,650 for owners George and Lori Hall.
Live racing returns to Monmouth Park on Friday, May 29 – first post 12:50 p.m.
As always, the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcast racing from
across the country and around the globe.
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SOLAR FLARE CAPTURES FRISK ME NOW
STAKES AT MONMOUTH
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Fox Hill
Farms’ Solar Flare romped to a nine-length victory in the $70,000 Frisk Me Now
Stakes, and Donald and Mary Zuckerman’s Platinum Girl pulled off a 20-1 upset in
the Little Silver Stakes on turf before a crowd of 11,452 at Monmouth Park on
Sunday.
In the Frisk Me Now Stakes, Solar Flare went off the longest price in the field
of four and had the biggest stretch kick as he stopped the timer in 1:41 flat
for a mile and a sixteenth on the fast main track.
The winner, trained by Larry Jones and ridden by Gabriel Saez, paid $10.80 and
$4.20 and topped a $30 exacta. Nite Light, the 8-5 favorite, finished second and
paid $2.80. There was no show betting. Formal King, the 9-5 second choice was
third, with Understatement, at 2-1, fourth.
The Frisk Me Now is the first Monmouth prep for the $300,000 Philip H. Iselin
Stakes (G3) that will be run here on Aug. 22.
Solar Flare, a 5-year-old son of Salt Lake, sat just behind an early speed duel
as Understatement and Formal King hooked up for a half in :45 3/5 and six
furlongs in 1:09 2/5.
Turning into the stretch, Solar Flare made his move and quickly went by the
tiring front-runners. He opened up as the jockey pleased through the stretch as
Nite Light, who had trailed early, made a belated move into second.
This was the first win of the year for Solar Flare, and the first stakes victory
of his career, which began in his native Argentina. Last year, he finished
second in the Grade 1 Suburban Handicap at Belmont.
“He’s shown us at times he can be really good,” Jones said. “He’s told us he
can’t stand a sloppy track, and today we finally got a fast surface. Today he
got everything his way – with the outside draw and able to sit off the pace.
“We won the Iselin last year with Honest Man, and our goal is to be back for
that race with at least one of them (Solar Flare and Honest Man).”
“We got a perfect trip,” Saez said. “He was very comfortable sitting in behind
the early speed. At the top of the lane I started to ask him and he responded
powerfully.”
In the Little Silver, Platinum Girl shot out of the gate, assumed command and
was never threatened as she scored by 1 ½ lengths as one of the longest shots in
the field of seven 3-year-old fillies.
The daughter of Mineshaft, trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Eddie Castro,
raced the one mile on firm turf in 1:33 3/5 and paid $43.40, $17 and $7.20
across the board. La Rocca, also trained by Pletcher, rallied on the rail for
the place, a head before My Magic Moment, the favorite, who had a nose on
Sandi’s Ready. La Rocca paid $5.20 and $3 and completed the $172.60 exacta. My
Magic Moment paid $2.80 to show.
This was third win of the year in five starts for Platinum Girl and her first on
the turf since she broke her maiden at Delaware last year.
“The game plan was to go to the front and let them catch me if they can,” Castro
said. “It worked out perfectly. We got to the lead early on and nobody was able
to catch us. This filly ran a big one today.”
A special 11-race Memorial Day card is set for Monday at Monmouth Park – first
post 12:50 p.m.
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JOEY P., GET SERIOUS RELAX AFTER BIG STAKES EFFORTS SATURDAY
Monmouth Park.com
The 7-year-old Joey P. and the 5-year-old Get Serious relaxed at the barn Sunday morning after powerful efforts here on Saturday on dirt and turf.
Joey P. moved closer to joining the ranks of New Jersey-bred millionaires as he turned in one of the most impressive races of his career, an eight and a quarter-length win in the Reilly Handicap, his six furlongs in 1:08 3/5.
“He’s an amazing horse,” said trainer Ben Perkins Jr. “Everything went perfect for him and he looked great.”
The John Petrini homebred was out more than two months after a lung infection put him on the sidelines in March.
“The time off helped him,” Perkins said. “But he’s an ‘easy doer’ and always has been. He hadn’t run since March, and all he had going in to this race was two half-mile breezes and he was ready.”
Joey P. increased his career bankroll to $973,472 with a record of 16-7-1 in 35 starts. He’ll have a chance to go over the $1 million mark next month in the $250,000 Charles Town Invitational Dash, a race he won last year.
Get Serious, trained by the team of John Forbes and Pat McBurney, was lazily munching grass Sunday morning, a day after shattering a Monmouth turf course record by running one mile in 1:32.78.
“He must be tired,” McBurney said. “He isn’t giving anybody a hard time.”
Get Serious, owned by Hampshire Farms and Jacques Moore, is known to be an ornery customer, a trait that has continued even after he was gelded, and McBurney said he had already kicked two hotwalkers this year.
But his talent on the Monmouth grass is obvious, and his nearly three-length score in Saturday’s Elkwood Stakes was his fourth win in six starts over the local grass course.
His next start will likely be the $200,000 Monmouth Stakes at a mile and an eighth on the green on June 13.
___________________________
GET SERIOUS SETS TURF RECORD IN
WINNING ELKWOOD STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Get Serious
set a new turf course record in winning the $70,000 Elkwood Stakes, and Joey P.
turned in one of the most impressive victories of his career in the $60,000 John
J. Reilly Handicap as a crowd of 10,350 got their money’s worth on the Saturday
program at Monmouth Park.
Get Serious, trained by the team of John Forbes and Pat McBurney and ridden by
Pablo Fragoso, blazed to the lead rounding the turn and roared off through the
stretch to stop the teletimer in 1:32.78 for one mile on the firm turf course.
He shattered the course record of 1:33.36 that was set in the 2006 Red Bank
Stakes by Miesque’s Approval, who went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile that
year.
Get Serious, sent off an 8-1 chance in the field of 10, reached the line nearly
three lengths before Carson Hall, the 2-1 favorite. Silver Tree rallied to be
third, a half-length farther back.
The winner, a 5-year-old son of City Zip, recorded his fourth victory in six
starts on the Monmouth grass, paying $19.20, $9.80 and $7.80 across the board.
Carson Hall completed the $105.80 exacta and paid $4 and $2.80. Silver Tree
returned $5.60 to show.
Get Serious sat behind the speed to the quarter-pole when Fragoso asked him to
go. He went with alacrity, and was never threatened at any point after making
the lead. He earned a prize of $42,000 for owners Hampshire Farm and Jacques J.
Moore.
“He was really nice early on,” said Forbes, “but he was just too rambunctious.
We gelded him last spring and that made all the difference. Today he destroyed
the track record. Pablo (jockey Fragoso) said he stumbled a little bit out of
the gate, but he sure recovered nicely.”
“This gelding is just a really nice horse,” Fragoso said. “He loves the Monmouth
Park turf course, as he showed this afternoon. Mr. Forbes and Mr. McBurney have
done a wonderful job with this horse. They really had him ready to fire.”
In the Reilly, a six-furlong test for New Jersey-breds, Joey P. was the whole
show as he roared into command turning for home and then romped through the
stretch en route to an eight and a quarter-length victory, his 13th in 24 career
starts at Monmouth. He stopped the clock in 1:08 3/5 for six panels over the
fast main track.
The big battle was for the place well behind Joey P.’s victory march as
Hermosillo, a 101-1 shot got up by a nose over Flirtatious Smile, with Who’s the
Cowboy a closing fourth.
Joey P., a John Petrini homebred trained by Ben Perkins Jr., went off the 6-5
favorite under Joe Bravo in the field of nine and paid $4.40, $2.80 and $2.40
across the board. Hermosillo, making his first start of the year, paid $25.80 to
place and $10.20 to show and completed the $244.80 exacta. Flirtatious Smile,
part of the 6-1 entry with Who’s the Cowboy, paid $2.80 to show.
This was the third victory in the Reilly Handicap for the 7-year-old Joey P.,
who also won in 2006 and last year, also with Bravo aboard. The $36,000 winner’s
share gave him a career bankroll of $973,472.
The race was simplicity itself from Joey P.’s standpoint. The son of Close Up
sat third behind Unwritten and Flirtatious Smile, who were cutting out a fast
pace. When Bravo moved his hands slightly on the turn, Joey P. took off,
grabbing the lead entering the stretch. The afterburners kicked in and Bravo
never put the old warrior to any pressure as he increased his lead with every
stride.
“When we drew the outside,” Perkins said, “we figured we’d just sit off the
early pace. That was real impressive. We’re really lucky he came back so good.
“We’ll probably go to that race at Charles Town (the $250,000 Charles Town
Invitational Dash on June 20). He won it last year, so that’s likely where we’ll
go.”
Bravo, who has been aboard in 11 of Joey P.’s 16 career victories, was impressed
again.
“This horse is just tons of fun to ride,” Bravo said. “He makes the job so easy
for me. When we were heading toward the top of the lane, the two horses inside
him were really working hard and he was just in a morning gallop. This J-bred
just keeps impressing people more and more every time he hits the track.”
___________________________
MUSKET MAN HEADS FOR THE FARM;
HASKELL ON AUG. 2 NEXT TARGET
Monmouth Park.com
Musket Man, one of the most
consistent 3-year-old colts on the Triple Crown trail this year with thirds in
both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, left his Monmouth stall Thursday
morning and headed for the farm for a vacation.
“We’ll let him chill out on the farm for two or three weeks,” trainer Derek Ryan
said. “He’s tired of traveling, and so am I."
Ryan said the son of Yonaguska will return to Monmouth in mid-June and
immediately start training for his next start – the $1 million Haskell
Invitational on Sunday, Aug. 2.
“The Haskell has always been our summer goal,” Ryan said. “I want to make sure
he’s ready.”
Musket Man has run at six different racetracks in his eight-race career and has
five wins and three thirds and earnings of $836,000 for owners Eric Fein and Vic
Carlson.
He won his first two starts as a 2-year-old at Belmont and Philly Park, and this
year prepared for the Triple Crown by winning two of three stakes at Tampa Bay
Downs, including the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby.
After that, he shipped to Chicago to win the Illinois Derby (G2) at Hawthorne,
vanned to Churchill Downs, where he ran third (beaten a nose for second) in the
Kentucky Derby, and then vanned to Pimlico (via Monmouth Park) where he ran
third behind Rachel Alexandra and Derby winner Mine That Bird, beaten a length
and a half for all the money.
“He had a real chance to win the Preakness,” Ryan said. “He had to check hard
between the half-mile pole and the three-eighths pole. If he doesn’t get
stopped, he would have been two lengths behind the filly when he made his run in
the stretch, and would have had a chance. But instead, he checked and fell back
10 lengths behind her. He made the same move he always does, but he was too far
back by then. She got the jump on us.”
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CHANNING HILL JOINS MONMOUTH
RIDING COLONY
Monmouth Park.com
Channing Hill, who had been
riding in California this winter and spring, has returned to the East and will
join the jockey colony at Monmouth.
Hill is listed to ride Mr. Madison for trainer Gary Contessa in Friday’s eighth
race, and has three mounts on Saturday’s card.
Jim Riccio, longtime agent for Chuck Lopez, has Hill’s book.
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MONMOUTH OFFERS 6 STAKES, TURF RACING FOR MEMORIAL DAY
Monmouth Park.com
Monmouth Park will celebrate the Memorial Day holiday weekend next week with four days of live racing, Friday through Monday. The track will race three days the following weekend, and then start the normal five-day-a-week schedule on June 3.
Gates open at 11:30 a.m. each day and first post throughout the meeting will be 12:50 p.m. The only exception is Haskell Invitational Day on Sunday, August 2, when gates open at 10 a.m. and the first race will go off at 12 noon.
Six stakes races are scheduled for Memorial Day weekend, including the first major races on the turf course.
The track will offer live racing on Friday, May 22, with a card that includes the first 2-year-old maiden race of the season for colts and geldings.
On Saturday, May 23, the turf course will open for three scheduled events, including the $70,000 Elkwood Stakes, first grass stakes of the season. The day’s other feature will be the $60,000 John J. Reilly Handicap for New Jersey-breds, which is expected to attract the popular sprinter Joey P.
The Sunday, May 24, program offers two more stakes, the $70,000 Frisk Me Now on the main track, and the $65,000 Little Silver on the turf.
On Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, two stakes are slated to top the card, the $70,000 Monmouth Beach on the main track, and the $65,000 Lamplighter for 3-year-olds on the grass.
Monmouth will have three days of racing the following week, with live sport offered on Friday, May 29; Saturday, May 30, and Sunday, May 31.
The track will start five-day-a-week racing on Wednesday, June 3. The Wednesday-through-Sunday scheduled will be maintained through all of June, July and August.
In September, Monmouth will race Wednesday, Sept. 2 through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, and then maintain a four-day-a-week schedule (Thursday through Sunday) until closing day on Sept. 27.
_____________________
ON THE MENU SCORES BY NECK IN JUST SMASHING STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Brereton C. Jones’ On the Menu wore down a stubborn Bold Union
in deep stretch and went on to score a neck victory before a crowd of 10,889 in
the $65,000 Just Smashing Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
The 3-year-old filly trained by J. Larry Jones gave jockey Eddie Castro his
fourth winner of the afternoon and returned $3.60, $2.80 and $2.40 across the
board as the favorite in the field of six 3-year-old fillies. Brereton Jones,
former Governor of Kentucky, was on hand to accept the trophy for winning the
Just Smashing with his homebred filly.
Mary’s Follies, who was away slowly from the gate, closed with a rush to snare
second by a neck over Bold Union, who had forged to the lead in midstretch.
Mary’s Follies, sent off at 12-1, completed the $24.60 exacta and returned $11
to place and $4.80 to show. Bold Union paid $3 to show.
On the Menu, a daughter of Canadian Frontier, stepped the six furlongs over a
fast track in 1:09 2/5 for her first victory in four starts this year.
Garden District made most of the early running with Bold Union pressing from the
outside. Turning for home, Bold Union moved to the lead and gave way grudgingly
in the final furlong as On the Menu proved strongest. Mary’s Follies closed fast
on the far outside to earn the place.
“She broke sharply and then relaxed for me down the backstretch,” Castro said.
“She came right back with a big run on the turn when I started to ask her, and
she dug in gamely all the way to the wire.”
Earlier on the card, Castro won the first race aboard Smart Justice, the fifth
race on R Little Nugget and the sixth race on A.P. Eddie.
On the Menu had run second twice and third once in three stakes tries this year.
This was her first career victory in a stakes race.
_______________________
BOLD UNION BACK AT MONMOUTH FOR SATURDAY’S STAKES RACE
Monmouth Park.com
George and Lori Hall’s Bold Union, who has come back running this year, will
take some catching in Saturday’s $65,000 Just Smashing Stakes.
Trainer Kelly Breen, who had the speedy 3-year-old filly entered in the Miss
Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Friday, decided to keep her home to run in
Monmouth’s six-furlong feature.
“She had the rail post at Pimlico, and we weren’t happy with that,” Breen said.
“She’s happy at Monmouth and she’s doing well here, so we’ll keep her home.”
Bold Union, a daughter of Haskell Invitational winner Dixie Union out of the
Fortunate Prospect mare Bold World, has not run here since she broke her maiden
at first asking on June 1 last year.
In her second career start, she won the Astoria Stakes at Belmont by nearly 10
lengths, and then was favored in the Grade 2 Adirondack Stakes at Saratoga. But
Bold Union had a rough, scary trip from the inside post. She escaped serious
injury, and finished fourth. Her final 2-year-old start came in the one-mile
Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies on Sept. 27, when she set fast fractions over the
synthetic track at Turfway Park and tired to finish fourth.
Bold Union spent the winter in Florida at Palm Meadows Training Center, and made
her 3-year-old debut at Aqueduct on April 9, when she won the six and a
half-furlong Lucky Lavender Stakes.
“I was happy she came back a winner,” Breen said. “It shows that she’s back in
good form. We’ll keep her sprinting for now. The Just Smashing is a good spot
right now.”
Breen said the Halls refused several offers to purchase the filly last year.
“She’s a big, robust filly,” Breen said. “And with the Halls building their
breeding operation, she’ll be a great addition to the broodmare band.”
_______________________
IT’S 2-YEAR-OLD TIME AGAIN AT MONMOUTH ON SUNDAY
Monmouth Park.com
The day many Monmouth fans eagerly await has arrived: The first baby race of the
2009 season is carded for Sunday.
Monmouth’s summer meeting has provided lots of memories to savor over the last
64 years, but for many who follow the action in Oceanport, the highlight of
every season is 2-year-old racing, where hope springs eternal and the gate is
full of potential champions.
Sunday’s maiden event, to be run as the third race on a 10-race program, figures
to live up to the grand tradition of high standards on the Jersey Shore, with
seven fillies entered to begin their careers at four and a half furlongs.
Trainer Tim Kelly has a pair entered in Joyful Linda and Poetic Pal, both owned
by Daniel Ljoka. Both have been training forwardly here.
“We purchased Joyful Linda privately,” Kelly said, “but Mr. Ljoka bred Poetic
Pal. She’s a half sister to three horses we raced at Monmouth -- Poetic Tori,
Las Olas Tori and Poetic Lana.”
Poetic Pa, by Alex’s Pal – Poetic Verse, by Opening Verse, looked sharp in her
most recent breeze, getting three furlongs in :35.60 here on May 12.
Kelly said he has 10 juveniles in training here, and hopes to keep them
separated as much as he can.
Another filly to watch is George and Lori Hall’s Truth and Justice, a daughter
of Yes It”s True – Sala de Oro, by Expelled.
“The most exciting part is that she’s the first foal born on George and Lori
Hall’s farm in Versailles, Kentucky,” trainer Kelly Breen said.
Breen said the Halls bought the mare in foal, and Truth and Justice is literally
the first homebred for the owners.
“She drew the rail, so I hope all goes okay,” Breen said. “I know we’re all
looking forward to her first start.”
Among Breen’s Monmouth maiden winners last year were Bold Union, who has gone on
to be a stakes winner and is in the Just Smashing Stakes here Saturday, and West
Side Bernie, a stakes winner at 2 who ran in the Kentucky Derby and was recently
sold to Godolphin to race in Dubai.
The fact that very good horses come out of Monmouth maiden races is
well-documented. Among the champions to come out of baby sprints are Tosmah
(best 2-year-old filly of 1963 and top 3-year-old filly of 1964); Candy Éclair
(2-year-old filly of 1978); Lord Avie (2-year-old colt of 1980); Open Mind
(2-year-old filly of 1988); Dehere (2-year-old colt of 1993); Holy Bull (Horse
of the Year 1994); Skip Away (Horse of the Year 1998), and Smoke Glacken (top
sprinter of 1996).
The fact that Monmouth baby races are very tough to win is also well-known.
Notable among first-out losers were Dark Mirage, who went on to be named
champion 3-year-old (colt or filly) of 1968, and Top Knight, champion 2-year-old
of 1968.
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MUSKET MAN GALLOPS AT MONMOUTH; SHIPS TO MD. SATURDAY
Monmouth Park.com
Eric Fein and Vic Carlson’s Musket Man, who is aiming to improve on his third
place Kentucky Derby finish when he runs in Saturday’s $1.1 million Preakness
(G1) at Pimlico, galloped a mile and a half around the fast main track at
Monmouth Thursday morning.
“He’s doing fine,” said trainer Derek Ryan, who brought the Yonaguska colt to
his Monmouth home base immediately after the Run for the Roses. Musket Man had
his final breeze for the Preakness at Monmouth on Tuesday morning when he zipped
a half-mile in a bullet :46.60. At the Preakness draw on Wednesday, Musket Man
drew Post 3 in the field of 13.
“He got a good post, he’s doing really well here this week. Everything’s good,”
Ryan said.
Ryan said he plans to ship Musket Man to Pimlico by van very early Saturday
morning for his date in the second leg of racing’s Triple Crown. The trip should
take about four hours.
“We’ll leave at 2 or 2:30 a.m.,” the trainer said. “I’ll be in my car right
behind the van.”
Musket Man shipped from Hawthorne to Churchill Downs the day after winning the
Illinois Derby (G2) on April 4, and was stabled in Kentucky for a month before
the Derby. Ryan rode in the van with the horse for that trip.
“First one to the Derby, last one to the Preakness,” Ryan said with a smile.
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ACCESS FEE GAME WINNER OF RED CROSS STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
Oceanport, N.J. – Sondra D. Bender’s Access Fee set a pressured pace early on
before holding off the late charge of D’wild Ride to win the $70,000 Red Cross
Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday before a crowd of 11,095.
Ridden by Luis Garcia, Access Fee covered the six furlongs in 1:09.90 and
returned $3.60, $2.80 and $2.10 as the odds-on choice in the field of five
fillies and mares. D’wild Ride tried to get by the winner for most of the
stretch, but finished a head behind and paid $6, $2.60. The exacta returned
$26.40. By the Light was another three quarters of a length back in third, good
for a $2.20 show mutuel.
“She fought really hard,” said winning trainer Larry Murray. “This filly looks
around at everything – she even gallops in blinkers. We could have run her at
Pimlico on Friday, but with the crowd and tents there (Preakness week), this
looked like the better spot and we could see how she liked the track and gauge
if we would be back with her later. After that, I think we’ll be back.”
The Red Cross win boosted Access Fee’s career record to 6-1-0 from nine starts.
She has now earned $157,050.
Live racing returns to Monmouth Park on Saturday, May 16. Gates will open at
10:00 a.m. with the first simulcast race coming from Pimlico at 10:15 a.m. The
Preakness will highlight the simulcast schedule and is expected to draw the
Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and the Kentucky Oaks champion Rachel
Alexandra.
As always, Monmouth Park is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across
the country and around the globe.
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ATOMIC RAIN GETS A BREAK, POINTING FOR HASKELL
Monmouth Park.com
George and Lori Hall’s Atomic Rain, who never had room to show much in the
Kentucky Derby, will get some down time now, trainer Kelly Breen said Saturday.
After that, his racing schedule will be planned with the Haskell Invitational on
August 2 the main target.
“He’ll get a little break now,” Breen said. “I want to let him settle down a
little while. He’ll just gallop for 30 days, and then we’ll decide where he runs
next. We’re pointing for the Haskell with him.”
The Smart Strike colt, who broke his maiden at Monmouth last June, was a
last-minute addition to the Kentucky Derby. He breezed here on the Tuesday
before the Derby and then was vanned to Churchill Downs that day, arriving in
Kentucky at 2 a.m. on Wednesday. Joe Bravo rode the colt in the Derby, where
Atomic Rain was in tight quarters much of the way and then tired to be 16th of
19.
West Side Bernie, owned by the Halls and trained by Breen, finished ninth in the
Kentucky Derby. However, he was sold privately to Godolphin Stable and will race
in Dubai later this year.
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MONMOUTH FAVORITES POINTING FOR RACES AT HOME TRACK
Monmouth Park.com
Multiple stakes winners Joey P., Presious Passion and Kiss the Kid, who rank
high on the fan favorites list at Monmouth, will be seen in action here this
meeting, their trainers report.
Joey P., the 7-year-old son of Close Up owned by John Petrini, is pointing for
the John J. Reilly Handicap for New Jersey-breds on Saturday, May 23, trainer
Ben Perkins Jr. said. The gelding has not started since he was sixth in the
Toboggan (G3) at Aqueduct on March 7.
Joey P., who won the Reilly in 2006 and 2008, prepped for the Reilly at Monmouth
Saturday morning when he worked a half-mile in a bullet :47 flat, best of 87
works at the distance.
“We gave him a break after the Toboggan,” Perkins said. “He’s doing great now,
and he’ll be ready for the Reilly. After that, we’ll think about sending him
back to Charles Town for the sprint stake there.”
Last year, Joey P. won the Reilly by more than two lengths over Who’s the
Cowboy, and then shipped to West Virginia where he won the Charles Town Dash by
three lengths. The Dash will be run on June 20 this year.
Presious Passion, who won the United Nations Stakes at Monmouth last year for
trainer Mary Hartmann’s first Grade 1 score, will again point for the $750,000
U.N., which will be run this year on July 4.
“I plan on running him in the Monmouth Stakes ($200,000 mile and an eighth on
June 13),” Hartmann said, “and that will set him up for the United Nations.”
Presious Passion, a 6-year-old son of Royal Anthem owned by Patricia Generazio,
won the Grade 2 Mac Diamida Stakes at Gulfstream Park in February, and then
finished second in the Grade 3 Pan American Stakes on March 21, a race moved
from the turf to the sloppy main track.
“He’s been on vacation since that race,” Hartmann said. “But he’s back training
now, and doing very well.”
Presious Passion breezed five furlongs in 1:03 Saturday morning at Monmouth.
“I just wanted him to stretch his legs a little,” Hartmann said.
Kiss the Kid, owned and trained by Amy Tarrant, had a successful winter in
Florida, winning the Fort Lauderdale Stakes and Grade 3 Appleton Stakes at
Gulfstream.
“I haven’t quite decided on his schedule the next few months, but his mid-season
goal will be the Oceanport Stakes again.”
Kiss the Kid, a 6-year-old son of Lemon Drop Kid, was second in last year’s
running of the Grade 3 Oceanport, which will be renewed this year on August 2.
He has won on both turf and dirt at Monmouth, and was third in last year’s Grade
3 Philip Iselin Stakes.
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MONMOUTH OPENS 2009 SEASON WITH SOLID GATE, HANDLE
GAINS
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Monmouth Park roared out of the starting
gate Saturday with solid gains in attendance and mutuel handle for the first day
of a 94-day meeting.
A crowd of 10,292 was on hand to see Acting Zippy win the opening day feature,
the $70,000 Decathlon Stakes, and on-track wagering topped $664,930.
Both gate and wagering totals were more than double the 2008 numbers, when
Monmouth opened on a Friday. They also represented substantial gains above the
first Saturday of last year’s meet, when 7,069 fans bet $512,000 at Monmouth.
Total wagering for the day was $4,279,440, besting last year’s figure of nearly
$3.6 million.
“It was a great beginning for us,” said Bob Kulina, vice president and general
manager. “Hopefully, it’s a sign of good things to come this summer at Monmouth
Park.”
In the Decathlon, Acting Zippy took control in deep stretch and drew off to win
by a length and three-quarters, stopping the timer in a quick 1:08 1/5 for six
furlongs on a fast track.
Acting Zippy, trained by William D. Bennett and ridden by Eddie Castro, went off
second choice in the field of eight and paid $7.80, $3.20 and $2.60 across the
board. Unwritten, who set the pace before giving in, finished second,
three-quarters of a length in front of He’s So Chic, part of the entry favored
at even-money. Unwritten paid $4.40 and $2.80 and completed the $37.40 exacta.
He’s So Chic returned the minimum $2.10 to show.
It was the second straight stakes win in fast time for Acting Zippy, who scored
at Delaware Park in 1:08 1/5 in April. It was the third win on the day for Eddie
Castro, who also took the fourth race with True Wood and the fifth with
Brickyard.
“I wanted to stay close early,” Castro said. “Speed has been pretty good. In the
stretch, he was lugging in some, and I was just trying to get him to straighten
out. He finally did just before the wire and was clear by then.”
Bennett, who owns the winner in partnership with C. Bowling, said, “He’s at the
top of his game right now and can do anything I ask of him. That’s two starts in
a row going 1:08 1/5. He’s very fast.
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TALKIN ABOUT LOVE MAKES 2009 DEBUT VS. 5 IN RED CROSS STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
Is this the year the real Talkin About Love shows up in Monmouth stakes races? Owner-trainer-breeder Kevin Sleeter sure hopes so.
Sleeter has the 5-year-old mare entered in Sunday’s
$70,000 Red Cross Stakes at six furlongs, and has already made plans to run her
back in the Open Mind Handicap for state-breds on May 31.
What he’s looking to see is the same filly who became the first New Jersey-bred
ever to take the Monmouth Breeders’ Cup Oaks (G3) and won five of her six starts
at Monmouth as a 3-year-old in 2007.
Last year, Talkin About Love was in a season-long slump, her only victory coming
in a conditioned allowance race. She was third in the Open Mind and second in
the Spruce Fir and Jersey Girl for state-breds.
“She’s been at Overbrook Farm (in nearby Colts Neck) for the winter,” Sleeter
said, “and she’s been in training a while now. She’s training really well, and
she’s ready to go.
“Last year, I had to scratch her from the Red Cross
when the track was really sloppy. Then she came up a little short in the Open
Mind. I’m praying the rain stops and the track dries out for opening day.”
Talkin About Love, a daughter of Not for Love, has won at distances from five
furlongs to a mile and a sixteenth in 15 lifetime starts, and all her seven
victories have come at Monmouth Park.
“I think she’s at her best as a closing sprinter,” Sleeter said. “That’s what
I’m expecting in the Red Cross.”
Sleeter has further reason to hope Talkin About
Love comes back with a big season. Her dam, the Northern Idol mare She’s Jane
died earlier this year.
“She had a twisted intestine,” Sleeter said. “We lost her and the foal by Not
for Love she was carrying. It was a real blow to us.”
Another Sleeter Family runner preparing to make his
2009 debut is Who’s the Cowboy, one of the most popular sprinters of recent
years at Monmouth Park. He goes in Saturday’s $70,000 Decathlon Stakes.
The son of Intensity – now a 7-year-old – is coming off one of his better
seasons with wins in the Colts Neck Handicap and Icecapade Stakes, and seconds
in three other stakes races.
The Cowboy, trained by Kevin for his father, Gerry Sleeter, comes into this
season with a career mark of 12-6-4 in 30 Monmouth starts. His only poor year
was 2007, when he failed to win a race.
“He’s the same as always,” Kevin Sleeter said. “Look at his last workout. I got
him in 10 and four (1:10 4/5), and the clockers gave him 1:11 flat. He’s ready.”
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HE’S SO CHIC PRIMED FOR BIG EFFORT IN OPENING DAY’S DECATHLON
Monmouth Park.com
Monmouth’s 2009 season kicks off with a bang
Saturday, with a field of eight entered in the $70,000 Decathlon Stakes at six
furlongs. The stakes will be run as the 10th event on an 11-race card, with
first post set at 12:50 p.m.
The field includes one of Monmouth’s all-time favorites in Gerry Sleeter’s
7-year-old Who’s the Cowboy, and a former claimer turned speedster in the Scott
Volk-trained Unwritten.
But Jason Servis, who finished second in the trainer standings last year, is
holding a strong hand with both He’s So Chic and Brush On By in the first of 79
stakes to be run at the meeting.
The two horses, who run in the colors of Char-Mari
Stable, form a solid one-two punch for Servis, who expects to be in the race for
leading trainer again this year. Jose Lezcano, who won the riding title at
Monmouth last year, was named on both horses.
Of the pair, He’s So Chic is the strong horse. The 5-year-old son of Jump Start
has won three of six Monmouth starts, and he also has a good record on wet
tracks, which will likely come in handy on Saturday.
He’s So Chic, who won twice at Monmouth last year, finished his 2008 season with
a strong second behind Fabulous Strike in the Fall Highweight Handicap at
Aqueduct. This year, he finished fourth in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Stakes at
Gulfstream, and then fourth in the Super Bowl Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
“He’s had a couple of okay races this year,” Servis said, “so now I expect him
to throw a big one on Saturday.”
Servis said He’s So Chic had excuses in both his Florida starts.
“He was in some trouble in the Mr. Prospector,” the trainer said, “but he’s
never really liked the Gulfstream track. He likes Tampa, but I ran him back much
quicker than usual there, and the day after the race he had a 104.2 temperature,
so something was definitely wrong.
“Now he’s had a couple of months to regroup, and I expect him to run a big
race.”
Brush On By, a 5-year-old by Artax, has displayed a big closing kick on
occasion, but has only three seconds and two thirds in 10 Monmouth starts.
“He’s never won at Monmouth, which could be a problem,” Servis said, “but he’s
doing well and belongs in there.”
Both horses come from off the pace, which could be a winning style on Saturday.
“I know Unwritten has a lot of speed,” Servis said, “but I think some other
horses in there will go with him. I’m hoping they set it up for our horses.”
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102 HORSES ENTERED FOR SATURDAY'S 11-RACE MONMOUTH OPENER; WHO'S THE COWBOY TOPS DECATHLON STAKES
Monmouth Park.com
Monmouth Park opens this Saturday, May 9, with an 11-race program attracting a total of 102 entries. The 94-day meeting will run through Sept. 27.
Topping Saturday’s card is the $70,000 Decathlon Stakes for three year olds and upward, which attracted eight starters, including Gerry Sleeter’s Who’s the Cowboy, winner of stakes races at Monmouth in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
The six-furlong Decathlon is the first of 83 stakes races to be run at the meeting, including 13 graded events. Centerpiece of Monmouth’s summer as always will be the $1 million Haskell Invitational, which has its 42nd running on Sunday, Aug. 2. Monmouth’s Grade 1 turf race, the $750,000 United Nations Stakes, will highlight Fourth of July weekend when it is renewed for the 56th time on Saturday, July 4.
Monmouth will offer racing on Saturday and Sunday for the first two weekends in May before running on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day weekend. The track comes back with live racing on Friday, May 29 through Sunday May 31, before picking up the regular schedule of racing Wednesday through Sunday, beginning on June 3.
Gates will open at 11:30 a.m. and first post is set for 12:50 p.m. every day except Haskell Day, Aug. 2, when the gates open at 10 a.m. and first post will be 12 noon.
Who’s the Cowboy, a 7-year-old gelding by Intensity, has not run since Oct. 3, 2008, when second in the Eillo Stakes at the Meadowlands. Last season, he won the Icecapade and Colts Neck, both at Monmouth.
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BREEN, RYAN BRING TOUCH OF MONMOUTH TO KENTUCKY DERBY
Monmouth Park.com
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Two trainers who will be stabled
at Monmouth for the 2009 meeting that opens on May 9, will be very busy on the
Saturday before when they saddle starters in the 135th running of the
Kentucky Derby.
Kelly Breen, who sends out West Side Bernie, and Derek Ryan, who trains Musket
Man, have been Monmouth regulars for many years, and will be participating in
their first Derby.
West Side Bernie has solid New Jersey credentials.
The 3-year-old colt by Bernstein –Time Honored, by Gilded Time, is owned by
Rumson residents George and Lori Hall, and is trained by Breen, a Perth Amboy
native.
The colt made his first career start at Monmouth Park last August 28, winning a
maiden race by a length and a half. He went on to take the Grade 3 Kentucky Cup
Juvenile Stakes at Turfway Park, and then ran a respectable race in the Grade 1
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, when he started from the far outside post and was beaten
just three lengths in finishing sixth.
This year, West Side Bernie has started three times, most recently finishing
second to I Want Revenge in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct.
Derek Ryan, a native of Ireland, makes his home in
Long Branch, and is a consistent winner on the New Jersey racing circuit. Musket
Man, a colt by Yonaguska – Fortuesque, by Fortunate Prospect, trained at
Monmouth last year, but was not ready to make his first start until late
October, a month after the Monmouth meeting ended.
Owned by Vic Carlson and Eric Fein, the colt has lost just once in six career
starts. He won his first three races, including the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay
Downs in January, before running third in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes. After
that setback, however, Musket Man bounced right back to win the Tampa Bay Derby
(G3) and the Illinois Derby (G2).
New Jersey racing fans can look forward to seeing West Side Bernie and Musket
Man in the $1 million Haskell Invitational (G1), Monmouth’s signature event for
3-year-olds that will be renewed here on Sunday, August 2.
Breen had 20 2-year-olds in training at Monmouth
last year, and expects to have the same number of juveniles at the track this
season. West Side Bernie and the filly Bold Union have proven the best of that
group. The colt has earned more than $400,000, and the filly has two stakes wins
and earnings of $140,000.
“I’m really happy to have a horse in the Kentucky Derby,” Breen said from
Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., where he is training West Side Bernie. “But
I’m also looking forward to getting back to Monmouth. That’s home.
“Just like every year, I can’t wait for opening day at Monmouth,” Breen said.
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HORSES ARRIVE FOR 2009 MONMOUTH PARK SEASON
Monmouth Park.com
Oceanport, N.J. –
Heavy rains were no deterrent for the return of Thoroughbreds to Monmouth Park
as the Shore racetrack opened its stable area on Monday in preparation for the
2009 season, set to get underway on May 9.
Among the first to arrive were horses for trainers Russell Cash, Frank Costa and
Pat Marrotta.
“As always the stable area will meet its maximum capacity of 1,600 horses,” said
Bob Kulina, vice president of racing and general manager of <?Monmouth Park.
“We’ll have a great mix of familiar faces and newcomers in the trainer ranks,
which should ensure great competitive racing, at all levels, throughout the
meet.”
Some new faces set to join the Monmouth stalwarts are trainers Kiaran
McLaughlin, David Fawkes, Tom Albertrani, John Terranova, Ralph Nicks and Wesley
Ward.
Monmouth Park is set to offer average overnight purses of $315,000 for the 2009
season, an increase of 3% over last year. Additionally, stakes purses will see
an increase of just over 10% to nearly $5 million. Once again, the season will
be highlighted by the $1 million Haskell Invitational, to be run on Sunday, Aug.
2.
The racing surface is scheduled to open for training later this week.
A total of 94 live racing programs will be offered at Monmouth
this year with the meet running through Sunday, Sept. 27. Post
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