September, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Handle Jumps 25% at Monmouth; Lopez, Gonzalez Take Meet Titles

Monmouth Park showed a 25.2% increase in total handle and a 16.07% increase in on-track handle, while Paco Lopez won his ninth riding title and Claudio Gonzalez earned his first training title as the Jersey Shore track closed out its 77th season Sunday.

Total handle was $217,243,199 this summer compared to $173,511,611 a year ago. On-track handle was $17,753,794 in 2022 compared to $15,216,978 a year ago.

Total attendance was 368,101. Monmouth ran 60 live days of racing this year compared to 55 a year ago.

“We're extremely pleased by the increase in handle for the 2022 meet, which we feel is a reflection of the quality of the product we were able to offer and the commitment from the horsemen to our program,” said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, operators of Monmouth Park. “The numbers show the strength of our product and the willingness of bettors to wager on it. As we look forward to 2023, we want Monmouth Park fans and horsemen to know they can count on our ongoing commitment with additional facilities upgrades and to the highest quality of racing we can offer.”

Thoroughbred racing in New Jersey now shifts to the Meadowlands Racetrack for a nine-day all-turf meet that gets underway Friday, Sept. 23, and runs through Saturday, Oct. 22. First race post time throughout the meet will be 7 p.m.

Lopez, 36, easily outdistanced the competition with 91 winners. His nine riding titles leave him behind only Joe Bravo's 13 for the most in Monmouth Park history. He punctuated his latest title with a four-winner day on Sunday.

“Every title for anyone I think is special,” said Lopez. “It's going to be hard to catch Joe Bravo but I'm going to try. It's not going to be easy. But I am going to enjoy this one. Winning the title at Monmouth Park is always special for me. I'm very grateful to all of the owners and trainers who put me up on horses and helped me have success.”

Gonzalez, who started his career at Monmouth Park as an assistant to Ben Perkins, Jr. in 1995, owns 16 training titles at Laurel and two at Pimlico. He finished with 32 winners, three better than runner-up Kelly Breen.

“I started here. I still feel like this is my home,” Gonzalez said of Monmouth Park. “I feel this one is special for me. I really wanted to win the title here this year, especially after we got off to such a fast start. And we got it. I'm very happy. I have a great crew of workers. Any time you win a title it's a team effort.”

Leading owner wound up as a four-way tie with eight winners between Bergen Racing, Dave Gruskos, Monster Racing and the partnership of Joseph and Gayle Ioia and Chuck Spina.

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Monmouth Park Meet Concludes With Solid Handle Gains; Lopez Takes Jockeys Title, Gonzalez Tops Trainers

Monmouth Park showed a 25.2 percent increase in total handle and a 16.07 percent increase in on-track handle while Paco Lopez won his ninth riding title and Claudio Gonzalez earned his first training title as the Jersey Shore track closed out its 77^th season on Sunday.

Total handle was $217,243,199 this summer compared to $173,511,611 a year ago. On track handle was $17,753,794 in 2022 compared to $15,216,978 a year ago.

Total attendance was 368,101.

Monmouth ran 60 live days of racing this year compared to 55 a year ago.

“From start to finish this was a meet everyone involved with Monmouth Park can be proud of, highlighted by Cyberknife's track record performance in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1). As we look forward to 2023, we want Monmouth Park fans and horsemen to know they can count on our ongoing commitment with additional facilities upgrades and to the highest quality of racing we can offer.”

Lopez, 36, easily outdistanced the competition with 91 winners. His nine riding titles leave him behind only Joe Bravo's 13 for the most in Monmouth Park history.

He punctuated his latest title with a four-winner day on Sunday.

“Every title for anyone I think is special,” said Lopez. “It's going to be hard to catch Joe Bravo but I'm going to try. It's not going to be easy.

“But I am going to enjoy this one. Winning the title at Monmouth Park is always special for me. I'm very grateful to all of the owners and trainers who put me up on horses and helped me have success.”

Gonzalez, who started his career at Monmouth Park as an assistant to Ben Perkins Jr. in 1995, owns 16 training titles at Laurel and two at Pimlico. But winning one at Monmouth Park, he said, is particularly meaningful.

He finished with 32 winners, three better than runner-up Kelly Breen.

Leading owner wound up as a four-way tie with eight winners between Bergen Racing, Dave Gruskos, Monster Racing, and the partnership of Joseph and Gayle Ioa and Chuck Spina.

The six-race Meadowlands cards will be conducted every Friday and Saturday from Sept. 23 through Oct. 22 with the exception of Saturday, Oct. 15, when Far Hills conducts its 101^st steeplechase meet.

The $75,000 Honey Bee Stakes on Friday, Oct. 7, and the $75,000 Born to Run Stakes on Friday, Oct. 14, highlight the abbreviated Meadowlands meet.

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‘I Had A Lot of Horse Under Me When I Asked Her To Go’: Faith In Humanity Romps Gate To Wire For Franco In Pebbles

Klaravich Stables' Faith in Humanity topped a trifecta of Chad Brown-trained horses in Sunday's $150,000 Pebbles (G3), a one-mile inner turf test for sophomore fillies, at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

The victory marked a record-extending fifth Pebbles score for the four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner, who also saddled runner-up Gina Romantica and third-place Bahamian Club.

The Manny Franco-piloted Faith in Humanity, a French-bred daughter of Lope de Vega, posted a gate-to-wire score and avenged her last-out defeat to Gina Romantica in the restricted Riskaverse on August 25 at Saratoga Race Course.

Franco said he knew that Gina Romantica would come calling late in the lane.

“I was worried about that one because she beat me last time and I knew that was the horse to beat, but at the same time I had a good feeling going to the three-eighths pole because I knew I had horse,” Franco said. “I knew they'd have to run hard to get me. The turns are pretty good for the horses being near the pace.”

A debut winner in July at Monmouth Park ahead of the Riskaverse, Faith in Humanity led the field through splits of :24.13, 49.55, and 1:13.65 over the firm going from post 4, as A Mo Reay tracked in second position with Breeze Easy saving ground in third.

The pacesetter opened up a 2 1/2-length lead at the stretch call as the Flavien Prat-piloted Gina Romantica came with her wide bid, easily surging past A Mo Reay to take aim at the leader. Gina Romantica fought gamely down the lane but Faith in Humanity continued to find more, staving off her stablemate for a half-length score in a final time of 1:36.36.

Gina Romantica completed the exacta by three-quarters of a length over Bahamian Club with the late-running Majestic Glory, A Mo Reay, Miss Carol Ann, Golden Rocket, Sail By and Breeze Easy completing the order of finish. Howdyoumakeurmoney, Lia Marina, Saratoga Chrome and Wonka were scratched.

Franco said his filly was traveling easily on the lead.

“She was so nice and comfortable on the lead with her ears up,” Franco said. “I think that was the key, that she relaxed for me. I had a lot of horse under me when I asked her to go.”

Prat said Gina Romantica, who rallied from deep to win the 1 1/16-mile Riskaverse, may have been hampered by her outside post.

“I got myself as close as I could from that post and then there was a slow pace,” Prat said. “The leader is actually a good filly, she kicked home and we just ran out of ground.”

Brown, who won three races on Sunday's card, has captured the Pebbles previously with Partisan Politics [2015], Rubilinda [2017], Stella di Camelot [2018] and Blowout [2019]. Earlier on Sunday's program, Brown sent out Klaravich Stables' Expected Value [Race 1] and Peter Brant's Veronica Greene [Race 3] to maiden special weight scores.

Bred in France by Ecurie Des Monceaux and Lordship Stud Limited, Faith in Humanity was produced by the Fastnet Rock mare Sharavana. She banked $82,500 in victory, while improving her record to 2-1-0 from three starts. The Arqana Deauville September Yearling Sale purchase returned $13.80 for a $2 win ticket.

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Stakes-Winning Owner Shankle Registers First Training Victory At Pimlico

Already a multiple stakes-winning owner, Joanne Shankle got her training career off to a flying start when 4-year-old gelding Dr. Ferber cruised to a 5 ¼-length victory in Sunday's fourth race at Pimlico Race Course.

Under jockey Tais Lyapustina, Dr. Ferber ($6) won the 1 1/16-mile claiming event for 3-year-olds and up in 1:45.57 over a fast main track. It was the 24th career race for Dr. Ferber, a son of Lookin At Lucky out of the Housebuster mare Thrill Seeker.

Lyapustina rated Dr. Ferber in sixth through a half-mile in :48.28. Kept in the clear, Dr. Ferber began to roll midway around the far turn and swept to the lead once straightened for home, edging clear under a hand ride for his fourth career win and second in three starts following a nine-length romp July 23 at Laurel Park.

“I was nervous,” Shankle said of her first starter as a trainer, “[but] we had won with him before and felt that he belonged in the race.”

Shankle has worked as an assistant to trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon for nearly 10 years and was also one of his owners. She claimed Dr. Ferber for $8,000 out of a third-place finish in March at Laurel.

“We've been planning on it,” Shankle said. “I've been wanting to run the horses in my name.”

As an owner, Shankle has 30 wins from 171 starters since 2018, including 11-for-45 this year. Her top horse is 6-year-old mare Can the Queen, winner of the The Very One on May 21 and 2021 Sensible Lady Turf Dash, both at Pimlico. She is being pointed to a defense of her Sensible Lady victory Sept. 24.

“She's my assistant, she's my right hand, she's my pretty much everything. She has learned well,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “She's great. She's a hard worker.”

“I'm very, very proud of her,” he added. “She's doing things right and I hope that she continues to do things the same way that we do.”

Sanchez-Salomon said the plan is for Shankle to stay with him while she gets more experience before branching out.

“We're going to work together until she gets better and then she's going to go out on her own,” he said. “This is a great start for her.”

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