Thursday, September 02 2010
Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Wednesday, September 1, 2010
FIELD OF NINE SET FOR SATURDAY’S SAPLING STAKES
A field of nine 2-year-olds will head postward this Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,000 Sapling Stakes at Monmouth Park, the racetrack’s premier event for juvenile runners.
Among the likely favorites in this year’s 76th renewal of the Sapling are Canadian-invader Madman Diaries, maiden Nacho Saint, undefeated Tyro winner Vengeful Wildcat and Sanford winner Maybesomaybenot.
Monday, August 30 2010
JUST JENDA GOES OUT A WINNER IN MOLLY PITCHER
Oceanport, N.J. * In the final start of her career, J. Larry and Cindy Jones’ Just Jenda went out a winner and re-affirmed her love for Monmouth Park by capturing the 65th running of the Grade 2, $300,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes, while A Brilliant Idea stormed home to take the Junior Champion Sunday at Monmouth Park.
Ridden by Terry Thompson for trainer Cindy Jones, Just Jenda rallied from mid-pack to collar odds-on favorite Malibu Prayer in the stretch and go on to a 3 1/2-length score. The 3-1 second choice in the field of five covered the one mile and 1/16 in 1:43 2/5.
Sunday, August 29 2010
TEAKS NORTH CAPTURES RESTORATION STAKES AT MONMOUTH
Oceanport, N.J. * Julia C. Boutelle’s Teaks North upset his eight rivals in the $100,000 Restoration Stakes, winning by a length as My Irish Gal reported home a 2 ¾ length winner in the $100,000 Miss Woodford Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
Trained by Justin Sallusto, Teaks North covered the mile and an eighth over firm turf in 1:46 2/5 and paid $24.60, $9 and $4.80. Post-time favorite Beau Choix checked in second, paying $3.60 and $2.60 and completing the $75.60 exacta. It was another length and three-quarters back to Lighthouse Sound, who paid $3.60 to show.
Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Saturday, August 28, 2010
QUEEN MARTHA FACES FIVE FOES IN SUNDAY’S MOLLY PITCHER
A field of six will head to the post in Sunday’s $300,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes, among them Queen Martha, who comes off a runner-up finish over the Monmouth Park main track to reigning Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.
That race was on July 24, and Queen Martha stole away early to a clear lead before being collared by Rachel around the far turn and held well to be a good second, just three lengths behind the champ. After Queen Martha it was nearly eight lengths back to Ask the Moon in third.
Saturday, August 28 2010
TODD GOT EVEN CAPTURES FRIDAY FEATURE AT MONMOUTH PARK
OCEANPORT, N.J. * JMJ Racing Stables LLC’s Todd Got Even wore down Nuclear Wayne and pacesetter Drift King in the final sixteenth of a mile to post a length victory in the $84,000 feature race at Monmouth Park on Friday.
Trained by Scott Volk and ridden by Jose Valdivia Jr., Todd Got Even covered the six furlongs in 1:10 flat and returned $11.60, $5.20 and $3.80. Nuclear Wayne completed the $33 exacta and paid $3.80 to place and $2.80 to show. It was another length and a half back to Drift King, who paid $4.20 to show.
Friday, August 27 2010
Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Friday, August 27, 2010
TARRANT DUO READY FOR SATURDAY’S RESTORATION STAKES
When trainer Amy Tarrant saddles her pair of runners in Saturday’s $100,000 Restoration Stakes, she knows she’s going in with a proven winner and a horse that has something to prove.
Leading the charge of the “provens” is The Cognac Kid, who left handicappers scratching their heads after paying $208.20 to win in breaking his maiden on May 31 here, his first start on turf. He hasn’t left the turf course since, finishing third in an entry level allowance on July 3 and then sixth in the Jersey Derby on Aug. 1.
Tuesday, August 24 2010
MONMOUTH’S FALL MEET AVERAGE PURSES AT $375,000; PURSE STRUCTURE EXCEEDS PROJECTIONS, EXPECTATIONS
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Monmouth Park’s fall meeting gets underway on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010, and the new schedule isn’t the only thing creating a buzz. Average daily purses for the 22-day meeting will be $375,000, nearly $100,000 more than originally anticipated.
The fall meet will feature racing on Saturdays and Sundays through Nov. 21 – all at Monmouth Park. For the first time since 1977, Thoroughbreds will not race at the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority’s other racetrack, the Meadowlands in East Rutherford.
Sunday, August 22 2010
LOVE THAT DANCE TAKES TRENTON STAKES
OCEANPORT, N.J. * John Petrini’s Love That Dance charged hard in the lane to post a length-and-a-half win in the $100,000 Trenton Stakes as Hop Skip and Away went from last to first to take the $100,000 Colts Neck Handicap at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
Ridden by Elvis Trujillo, Love That Dance covered the six furlongs over a sloppy main track in 1:09 4/5 and returned $26, $12.80 and $6.40. Longshot All Giving held for second, paying $41 to place and $15 to show.
It was another half-length back to Lady Alexander, who returned $3 to show. The exacta in the field of nine fillies and mares paid $716.60.
Saturday, August 21 2010
DUKE OF MISCHIEF, $34.60, UPSETS RIVALS IN ISELIN STAKES
OCEANPORT, N.J. * With a powerful move around the far turn, Duke of Mischief swept to the lead and opened up to a 2 ¼ length win in the Grade 3, $300,000 Iselin Stakes before a crowd of 13,404 at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
After sitting off slow fractions of :24 4/5 for the quarter and :49 2/5 for the half-mile, Duke of Mischief began to inch closer going into the far turn before he was asked for his best by jockey Eibar Coa and exploding to the lead just inside the quarter pole.
“The Duke” returned $34.60, $8.20 and $3.40 and topped a $118 exacta. Redding Colliery, the odds-on choice in the field of six colts, gained command near the 3/8ths pole, but could not answer the big move of Duke of Mischief. Redding Colliery returned $3.20 to place and $2.20 to show. I Want Revenge, making just his second start since scratching as the morning line favorite in last year’s Kentucky Derby, checked in four lengths further back in third, good for a $2.20 show mutuel.
Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Saturday, August 21, 2010
QUEEN MARTHA OUT TO PROVE HER DIRT FORM IN MOLLY PITCHER
The last time we saw Queen Martha in action at Monmouth Park, she was making her main track debut in the Lady’s Secret Stakes on July 24. And quite a debut it turned out to be as she held off champion Rachel Alexandra for a furlong in the stretch, and then finished an emphatic second, nearly eight lengths before the third finisher.
The 4-year-old daughter of Rahy will continue to race on the main track, trainer Patrick Biancone says, with her next mission the $300,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes (G2) on Sunday, Aug. 29.
THEY CALL ME GIANT ODDS-ON WINNER OF MONMOUTH FEATURE
OCEANPORT, N.J. * George and Lori Hall’s They Call Me Giant didn’t disappoint his many backers in the $80,000 allowance feature at Monmouth Park on Friday, reporting home a 2 ¼ length winner as the 9-10 choice in the field of nine colts and geldings.
Trained by Kelly John Breen and ridden by Joe Bravo, They Call Me Giant covered the mile and a sixteenth over firm turf in 1:40 3/5 and returned $3.80, $2.80 and $2.20 as the favorite. Tune Me In completed the $16
exacta and paid $4.20 to place and $3.40 to show. It was a nose further back to Bad Debt, who paid $2.80 to show.
Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Friday, August 20, 2010
ALEXANDER FINDS ANOTHER GOOD SPOT FOR LADY ALEXANDER
Trainer Bruce Alexander has a good one in the 4-year-old filly Lady Alexander, and mostly he’s been making all the right moves in planning her schedule. And that’s why the filly goes in Sunday’s $100,000 Trenton Stakes at six furlongs rather than next weekend’s Grade 2 Molly Pitcher Stakes around two turns.
“The Molly Pitcher is just too tough,” Alexander said. “I learned my lessons from Emerald Earrings,” he said, citing his best horse from a few seasons ago whom the trainer spotted most ambitiously several times.
