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Breen, Lopez Earn Monmouth Park Titles

Kelly Breen, who capped the season with a pair of stakes wins on the closing-day card, was the leading trainer at the Monmouth Park meet which concluded Sunday. It was Breen’s third training title at the New Jersey oval, but his first in 14 years.

“It means a lot,” said Breen. “To think back to when I last won the title 14 years ago to today, I lost both of my parents over that time and today would have been my mom’s birthday. So it’s special. I felt like I had a little angel on my shoulder this meet. This is a prestigious meet. Monmouth Park is a high-end track and to be the leading trainer at a top-tier track is a significant accomplishment. It means a lot to me, to my barn and to my assistants. We work hard for things like this.”

Paco Lopez was the meet’s leading rider for the seventh time and Klaravich Stables was the leading owner.

The Thoroughbred season in New Jersey will continue with the nine-day Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet beginning Saturday. Following a Sunday card, the live racing schedule for the month will switch to the next three Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 24. There will also be a holiday card Oct. 12. The Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet will feature a stakes race every live racing day, highlighted by the Oct. 10 GII Monmouth S.at nine furlongs on the turf.

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Pimper’s Paradise Earns Breeders’ Cup Turf Slot With Grande Premio Brasil Victory

Haras Doce Vale's Pimper's Paradise (BRZ) powered down the stretch from seventh place to win Sunday's 1 1/2-mile Grande Premio Brasil (G1) at Hipodromo da Gavea in Rio De Janeiro by 1 1/2 lengths over Olympic Impact (BRZ). With this victory, Pimper's, Paradise, ridden by Alexandre Correia, earned an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) through the international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is comprised of more than 80 international stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into corresponding races of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 6-7.

Pimper's Paradise, a 5-year-old by Put it Back out of Bye Caroline (BRZ) by 1990 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner Royal Academy, completed the 1 1/2 miles in 2:26.64.

Sent off as the 2-1 favorite in the nine-horse field, Pimper's Paradise, trained by Venancio Nahid, sat well off the pace set by Olympic Ipswich (BRZ), who built a four-length lead turning for home. Swinging very wide approaching the far turn, Pimper's Paradise made a bold move in the center of the course, rolling from seventh to first just inside the quarter pole. Second choice Olympic Impact made a late bid to move into second but did not threaten the winner. Defending champion George Washington (BRZ) finished third.

Pimper's Paradise improved his record to six wins in 10 starts, and won his third race this year. He captured the 1 ¼-mile Matias Machline (G1) by 5 3/4 lengths on June 27 at the Hipodromo de Cidade Jardim in Sao Paulo. In February, he won the 1 1/4-mile Escorial (G3) by 6 3/4 lengths in preparation for the 1 1/4-mile Longines Gran Premio Latinoamericano (G1) on March 14, where he finished third.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, the Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for Pimper's Paradise to start in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, which will be run at 1 1/2 miles over the Keeneland turf course. Breeders' Cup also will provide a travel allowance of $40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must already be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 26 to receive the rewards.

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Breen Wins First Monmouth Training Title Since 2006; Paco Lopez Top Rider, Klaravich Stables Leading Owner

Kelly Breen celebrated his return to the top of the Monmouth Park trainer standings after a 14-year absence by winning both stakes races during the final day of the Oceanport, N.J., track's 75th season on Sunday.

The 51-year-old New Jersey native led the trainers' race virtually from the start of the meet in claiming his third Monmouth Park training title. He was also the track's leading trainer in 2005 and 2006.

Paco Lopez was the leading rider for the seventh time, with Klaravich Stables finishing as the leading owner.

The Thoroughbred season in New Jersey will continue with the onset of the nine-day Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet beginning Saturday, Oct. 3 (Preakness Day). After also racing Sunday, Oct. 4, the live racing schedule for the month will switch to the next three Wednesdays and Saturdays through Oct. 24. There will also be a holiday card on Monday, Oct. 12.

The Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet will feature a stakes race every live racing day, highlighted by the Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes at nine furlongs on the turf on Oct. 10.

Breen, who put the finishing touches on his title-winning season with a three-victory afternoon, saw promising 2-year-old Pickin' Time surge late for a nose victory over Dalton in the $75,000 Smoke Glacken Stakes. That was followed by a half-length score in gate-to-wire fashion by Like What I See in the $75,000 Joey P. Handicap at five furlongs on the grass.

Breen finished with 32 victories during the 36-day meet. That easily outdistanced runner-up Jose H. Delgado, who had 17 wins.

“It means a lot,” said Breen. “To think back to when I last won the title 14 years ago to today, I lost both of my parents over that time and today would have been my mom's birthday. So it's special. I felt like I had a little angel on my shoulder this meet.

“This is a prestigious meet. Monmouth Park is a high-end track and to be the leading trainer at a top tier track is a significant accomplishment. It means a lot to me, to my barn and to my assistants. We work hard for things like this.”

Lopez, who won his first Monmouth Park riding title in 2010, has been the track's dominant jockey for the past decade in terms of wins. He finished with 51 victories, nine more than co-runner-up Ferrin Peterson. Joe Bravo was third with 41 winners.

Lopez' seven titles are second all-time to Bravo's 13.

“I'm feeling very lucky. I've been coming here almost every year for the past 10 years and it's still exciting to be leading rider,” he said. “I'm doing what I can to follow Joe Bravo, but 13 titles … that's a big number.

“I enjoy being here and it makes it even better when you have success at a place you like.”

Though based in New York, Klaravich Stables had a successful Monmouth Park meet, winning eight times from 15 starters to edge out Colts Neck Stables by one victory for leading owner honors.

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Harvest Moon Shines In ‘Win And You’re In’ Zenyatta Stakes

The lone 3-year-old in the field, trainer Simon Callaghan's Harvest Moon stalked heavily favored Fighting Mad early and took charge turning for home en route to a rousing three-quarter length score in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. The Zenyatta is a pivotal steppingstone to the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland on Nov. 7.

With Bob Baffert-trained Fighting Mad, a recent gate to wire G1 winner going to the early lead as expected, Harvest Moon fell into a perfect stalking trip from her number three post in a field of four fillies and mares. Lapped just outside the favorite in the run up the backstretch, Harvest Moon glided alongside Fighting Mad mid-way around the far turn and held Hard Not to Love safe late for the win.

“We thought Fighting Mad would go to the lead and we wanted to keep pressure on her,” said jockey Flavien Prat, who has now guided Harvest Moon to four consecutive wins. “My filly had never been a mile and a sixteenth, but Fighting Mad was carrying 126 pounds. You never know with a 3-year-old against older, but we got eight pounds, so that was good. It turned out this was a good distance for my filly and she really ran well.”

A 1 1/4-length winner of the G3 Torrey Pines stakes versus sophomore fillies going one mile on Aug. 22 at Del Mar, Harvest Moon was the third betting choice at 7-2 and paid $9.80 and $5.60 (no show wagering).

“We have been really patient with her early on and that's a credit to Alice (Bamford, breeder and co-owner) and Michael Tabor (co-owner),” said Callaghan. It was said that this filly has a lot of talent and they were so patient throughout the whole process. She took her time to come to hand, but she's come a long way in a short period of time.

Harvest Moon was under consideration to run against 3-year-old fillies in the G2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Preakness weekend at Pimlico, but Callaghan opted to keep the filly in Southern California.

“(Running in the Zenyatta) certainly looks like a good decision now. Myself and Alice, along with everyone else, chatted and we felt at this stage keeping her here, receiving weight from Fighting Mad, was the right thing.”

A 3-year-old bay filly by Uncle Mo, out of the Shamardal mare Qaraaba (winner of the G3 Robert J. Frankel Stakes for Callaghan and Harvest Moon's owners), Harvest Moon notched her second graded stakes win and her fourth overall win from five starts. With the winner's share of $120,000, Harvest Moon roughly doubled her earnings to $240,720.

“I'm absolutely thrilled today, completely over the moon for Harvest Moon!” said Bamford. “She's a homebred and she's just so deep in my heart and in my family's heart. It was so good to see her so well ridden today, showing off her beautiful stride … We lost her mother this year, Qaraaba, who (was) a stunning, stunning filly and each time I tell her, 'Harvest Moon, go and do it for your Mama.' And she has.”

The actual second choice in the race at 7-2, Hard Not to Love was a close third throughout and edged by the favorite late by three quarters of a length for second money while returning $5.60 to place with Mike Smith up.

Fractions on the race were 23.37, 46.51, 1:10.21 and 1:36.11.

Named for the legendary mare that remained unbeaten and became the only distaffer to ever beat the boys in the Breeders' Cup Classic by taking the 2009 running at Santa Anita, Zenyatta would then became Horse of the Year in 2010 for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and trainer John Shirreffs. The Zenyatta is a Breeders' Cup “Win and You're In” Challenge Race qualifier to the G1 Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Nov. 7.

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