Monday, August 04 2008

BIG BROWN, 1-5 FAVORITE, WINS HASKELL INVITATIONAL

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Dual classic winner Big Brown displayed championship form at Monmouth Park on Sunday as he dug down deep to catch a stubborn Coal Play in the final furlong to win the $1 million Haskell Invitational Presented by Vonage (G1) by nearly two lengths.

The 45,132 fans on hand on a perfect summer afternoon were treated to a tremendous horserace as the 1-5 Big Brown was forced to call on all his reserves to gain his fourth Grade 1 victory of the year as jockey Kent Desormeaux kept him in a drive from the quarter-pole to the wire.

Sunday, August 03 2008

BIG BROWN ARRIVES AT MONMOUTH FOR HASKELL INVITATIONA

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Big Brown arrived quietly on the Monmouth Park backstretch at 8 a.m. Saturday and settled into trainer Rick Dutrow Jr.’s barn as he gets ready for a major test in Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational Presented by Vonage (G1).

Winner of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, but pulled up in the Belmont Stakes, Big Brown makes his first start since that enigmatic effort on June 7 in the mile and an eighth Haskell. The Boundary colt starts from Post 4 and will be an odds-on favorite against six rivals with regular rider Kent Desormeaux aboard.

Wolfson Team Leads Calder Connections on Haskell Day at Monmouth

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (August 2, 2008) – Calder-connected horses and horsemen had a good weekend at Monmouth Park during the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in late October, including the victory of Maryfield in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint with Elvis Trujillo aboard and Gottcha Gold finishing second in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile for trainer Eddie Plesa, Jr.

The biggest day at Monmouth since then comes on Sunday with the running of the $1 million Haskell Invitational with a full menu of other stakes to be run earlier on the card, and trainer Marty Wolfson has sent a team of four stakes runners from Calder for three of the races with former Calder leading riders Eddie Castro and Trujillo to ride them.

Saturday, August 02 2008

Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Friday, August 1, 2008

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Big Brown blew out on the turf at Aqueduct Friday for Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational Presented by Vonage (G1) and is scheduled to school in the Monmouth paddock Saturday afternoon * The Kentucky Derby-Preakness winner goes from Post 4 in the mile and an eighth Haskell and is the 1-2 morning line favorite.

BIG BROWN, Post 4, 1-2 * The dual classic winner, who starts from the middle of the field in Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational Presented by Vonage (G1), had his final breeze for the race Friday morning at Aqueduct when he blew out three furlongs in :38 3/5 over the Big A turf course.

Thursday, July 31 2008

A fresh challenger in the Valid Video will be Devil Eleven Stable’s Go Go Shoot with jockey Ariel

OCEANPORT, N.J. *Big Brown, winner of two-thirds of the Triple Crown, drew Post 4 and was installed the odds-on favorite as a field of seven 3-year-olds was entered Thursday for Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational Presented by Vonage, centerpiece of Monmouth’s summer meeting.

Big Brown, who was unbeaten in five races before he was pulled up in the Belmont Stakes on June 7, will try to get back on the right track in this 41st running of the mile and an eighth Haskell, and Monmouth oddsmaker Brad Thomas has made him the 1-2 morning line favorite to resume his winning ways.

CORVO, $18.60, CAPTURES FEATURE AT MONMOUTH

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Nicholas Picariello’s Corvo rallied on the inside in the stretch and drew of to a nearly five-length victory in the $51,000 allowance feature at Monmouth Park on Wednesday.

The winner, trained by Joseph Picariello and ridden by David Cohen, raced the one mile and 70 yards in 1:43 and paid $18.60, $8.20 and $4.40 across the board as second longest shot in the field of six.

Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Wednesday, July 30, 2008

NISTLE’S CRUNCH ARRIVES FOR SUNDAY’S HASKELL INVITATIONAL; BIG BROWN SCHEDULED TO BREEZE AT BIG A FRIDAY, ARRIVE SATURDAY

OCEANPORT, N.J. - A field of seven, topped by Big Brown, is in prospect for Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational Presented by Vonage * Big Brown is expected to breeze Friday at Aqueduct and ship to Monmouth on Saturday * Nistle’s Crunch, the only New Jersey-bred in the field, arrived at Monmouth Wednesday morning after a van ride from Kentucky * Atoned schooled in the gate with blinkers on Wednesday morning * The Haskell draw at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, will be webcast live on the Monmouth web site --- http://www.monmouthpark.com -and can be found in the “live video” section of the Racing menu.

Wednesday, July 30 2008

BIG BROWN LIKELY TO FACE SIX FOES IN HASKELL ON SUNDAY

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown is likely to face six foes when he ships to Monmouth Park for his date in Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational.

“If everything goes perfect, I’d like to breeze him 3/8ths on Friday (at Aqueduct) and ship down to Monmouth on Saturday,” said trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., who conditions the colt for IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr. “He looks amazing. He’s shiny, he’s happy. He looks as good as he always has.”

Monday, July 28 2008

MONMOUTH CANCELS AFTER 5TH RACE DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Monmouth Park Racetrack cancelled live racing following the running of the 5th race on Sunday due to inclement weather that included heavy rains and lightning.

“The safety of our riders and our horses is our paramount concern,” said Dennis Dowd, senior vice president of racing for the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. “With the weather conditions we experienced, and no break in sight, we were left with not other option than to cancel the remainder of the card.”

Sunday, July 27 2008

Monmouth Park Recap for Saturday, July 26, 2008

OCEANPORT, N.J. * Maggi Moss’s Shopton Lane took charge out of the gate and never looked back, scoring by two and a half lengths in the $70,000 Skip Away Stakes at Monmouth Park Saturday.

In the day’s second feature, Fellow Crasher rallied in the stretch to capture the $65,000 Tyro Stakes for 2-year-olds.

No one picked all six winners in the 60-Minute Six wager, and there will be a carryover of $46,881 into next Saturday’s 60-Minute Six pool.

LOCAL HOPES WILL SQUARE OFF IN OCEANPORT ON HASKELL DAY

The 62nd running of the $150,000 Oceanport Stakes (G3) at a mile and a sixteenth will be one of the highlights of the Haskell Day undercard on Aug. 3, and three Monmouth-based runners are expected to be among the main rivals.

Topping the local contingent is Patricia Generazio’s Presious Passion, who is coming off a victory in the Grade 1 United Nations Stakes. Trainer Mary Hartmann said the Oceanport will serve as a prep for Presious Passion’s run at another Grade 1 turf event * the $500,000 Sword Dancer Invitational at a mile and a half on August 16 at Saratoga.

WOLFSON SENDING PAIR FOR TAYLOR MADE MATCHMAKER

Florida-based trainer Marty Wolfson, whose horses always bear watching at Monmouth, is sending two fillies up from his Calder base for the $150,000 Taylor Made Matchmaker Stakes (G3), which highlights the Haskell Day undercard.

Wolfson will be represented by Edmund A. Gann’s Eclisse and Howard Roberts Farm’s Dancing Band in the mile and an eighth turf race for fillies and mares.