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Dakota Gold Dazzles In Nownownow At Monmouth

Trainer Danny Gargan probably won't need to do any more convincing with owner Dean Reeves about sending Dakota Gold to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Nov. 5 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

The horse stated his case emphatically on Sunday at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Dakota Gold, a New York-bred son of Freud, turned in an eye-catching performance on closing day at Monmouth Park, capturing the $500,000 Nownownow Stakes for 2-year-olds by 2½ lengths.

Ridden by Isaac Castillo, Dakota Gold stormed from off the pace in the one-mile grass feature, flashing under the wire in 1:36.31 over a turf course labeled “good” to improve to 2-for-2 lifetime.

After winning his debut at 5½ furlongs in an off-the-turf Maiden Special Weight race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., by 4½ lengths on Sept. 2, Dakota Gold showed why Gargan was so eager to get him on the grass.

“I just couldn't wait to get him on the grass,” said Gargan. “We knew he had this kind of turn of foot on the grass. There was some pace in the race and he just flew by. When the jockey asked him he just galloped by. It was pretty impressive. You get lucky and get a horse like this once in a while. I think this horse has as much talent as any younger horse I've ever had.”

Dakota Gold, owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, will likely get a chance to show off that talent next in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on Nov. 5 at Del Mar, said Gargan.

“There was a New York-bred race today at Belmont at seventh-eighths on the dirt,” said Gargan. “Dean and I discussed it and I really wanted to run here. I'm just glad I got the opportunity to do it and Dean gave me a chance.

“I told him if we win this we can go to the Breeders' Cup, so I think Dean is going to let me going to the Breeders' Cup.”

For the 23-year-old Castillo, this was the signature victory of his young career.

“This is the biggest win of my career, the biggest purse I have ever won,” he said. “It's incredible. It feels great. This is a fantastic horse, a championship-type horse.”

Sent off at 5-1 in the field of nine, Dakota Gold was back in the pack as There Are No Words and Grooms All Bizness set early fractions of :21.41 and :45.56 to the half, at which point Dakota Gold was sixth. Castillo swung Dakota Gold wide coming out of the turn and he simply breezed past the field, with Royal Spirit rallying for second. It was another six lengths back to 4-5 favorite Coinage in third.

In the $100,000 Smoke Glacken Stakes that served as the supporting feature, New Jersey-bred Speaking dazzled a field of open company 2-year-olds with a 3¼-length victory.

Trained by Eddie Owens, Jr. and ridden by Gerardo Corrales, Speaking turned in a sharp winning time of 1:10.12 for the six furlongs. Forty Stripes was second, 2¼ lengths ahead of Practical Coach in third.

“He doesn't know he's a Jersey-bred – and we're not going to tell him, either,” said Owens. “He showed us a lot of potential in the mornings so we have had high expectations for him. His first race he did everything professionally (winning by 6¼ lengths) so we knew he was going to be a very nice horse.

“Today, he was eye-popping. Very nice. I don't know what we have in store for him yet. We made no long-term plans. We'd like to get him to try two turns. But we're taking it race by race right now. We'll see what we find for him next. Wherever we go next I love the way he ran today. He showed us a lot. He did it with ease.”

Speaking, a Holly Crest Farm homebred, returned $3.60 to win as the favorite in the field of eight. The recently-gelded son of Mr Speaker is now 2-for-2 lifetime.

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Raased Gives Escobar First American Stakes Win In Oceanport Stakes At Monmouth

Trainer Alison Escobar has waited three years for his first stakes win in the United States, but the trainer didn't have to sweat it out when it finally happened.

Raased, the overwhelming favorite in a reduced field when the race was taken off the turf, glided across the slop at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., on Sunday to capture the $100,000 Oceanport Stakes by 19¼ lengths.

For Escobar, who has won 11 graded stakes races in Puerto Rico, the victory in the 74th edition of the Oceanport Stakes was his first since he started training in the United States in 2019.

“It feels very good,” he said. “I have won many stakes races in Puerto Rico, but to get the first one here feels great.”

Ridden by Heriberto Figueroa, Raased tracked Island Commish through early fractions of :23.56 for the opening quarter and :47.39 to the half. The 5-year-old son of Tapit then took off, leaving his three rivals in the lurch. The winning time for the mile and a sixteenth was 1:44.43.

Raased, who won his only other slop start at Monmouth Park by 10½ lengths against allowance company on May 30, returned $2.40 to win. Crown and Sugar was second, 6¼ lengths in front of Island Commish.

“I had 100 percent confidence in this horse whether it stayed on the turf or was in the slop and off the grass,” said Figueroa. “But when they changed to the dirt and it was sloppy, I knew I had a really big chance, especially in a four-horse field. He loves the slop. So I was happy when they changed it.

“I was just waiting behind Island Commish. (Raased) started running by himself. He just took off. You could tell he loved the slop by the way he was running.”

The victory also marked Figueroa's first stakes win at Monmouth Park since he moved his tack here from California.

Raased, owned by Candido Esquivel, has three wins and a second from his five career starts, with his only off-the-board finish in the Grade 3 Poker Stakes on the turf at Belmont Park in his previous start.

“I felt very excited when the race came off the turf,” said Escobar, who has 760 career victories. “He has won on the turf. He broke his maiden on the turf. But he really likes the slop. He's a good horse. He runs on any surface. He has shown us that. The horse is good quality.”

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Earlier on the card, jockey Isaac Castillo escaped with only a sprained right knee when his mount, Chublicious, broke down during the 10th race, according to Dr. Angelo Chinnici, the track's medical director. Castillo, third in the Monmouth Park jockey standings with 33 wins, was treated and released and said he expects to resume riding this week.

In addition, jockey Gerardo Corrales, injured in Saturday's Tyro Stakes when his horse, Vodka N Water, clipped heels with a rival, is scheduled for a follow-up exam on his sprained right shoulder on Wednesday and said he expects to resume riding sometime next week if he is cleared to do so by doctors.

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Her World Wows In Tyro Win At Monmouth

Her World lived up to the hype – and then some.

Touted by trainer Wesley Ward as perhaps the best 2-year-old filly he has ever had at this stage of her career, Her World took on the daunting double task of her first career start coming against colts and in stakes company. She handled both with ease.

In a virtual gate-to-wire victory, Her World romped to a dazzling six-length victory in the 80th edition of Tyro Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. Ridden by Paco Lopez, the daughter of Caravaggio breezed the five furlongs over a firm turf course in :56.62, easily dispatching her seven male rivals in the $100,000 feature race.

“We're excited. She did exactly what we thought she would,” said Ward. “We don't have to change much after watching that race moving forward. We're going to bring her next to Keeneland, and then we plan on bringing her to the Breeders' Cup.

“With what she showed today winning in a stakes race against colts who had experience, it's encouraging. We're going to skip right along and continue from this. I look forward to her next couple of starts but I also look forward to her being a 3-year-old, and I think (co-owner) Dick Brodie and the rest of the owners have a special one with her.”

The race was marred by a spill that saw third-place finisher Roman Poet drift out at the quarter pole, causing Vodka N Water and jockey Gerardo Corrales to clip heels and go down.

Corrales was taken by ambulance to Monmouth Medical Center for X-rays on his right shoulder, said Dr. Angelo Chinnici, the track's medical director.

“He was alert and oriented,” Dr. Chinnici said. “He was unconscious for a brief period of time but now he is fine.”

Vodka N Water experienced only cuts to his legs but was otherwise fine, said Mitch Dennison, who oversees Steve Asmussen's division at Monmouth Park.

“The horse is up and running around and looks okay except for the cuts,” said Dennison.

Roman Poet, who finished third, was disqualified and placed last for causing the interference.

Her World, meanwhile, made her challenge look almost too easy, returning $3.80 to win as the heavy favorite in the field. Trust Our Journey was second, with Baytown Warrior elevated from fourth to third following the DQ of Roman Poet.

“She is obviously a very nice filly,” said Lopez. “Wesley told me she's the best filly he has now and maybe for many, many years at this stage of her career. She broke on top and was looking around a little, maybe trying to figure things out (in her first career start). She was very professional.

“I used her to get to the top right away because Wesley Ward told me she had that kind of speed. Sometimes you want to get out there second or third and relax but she wanted to go. I looked behind after a while for the other horses but no one was running at us. She was flying in the stretch.

“You have to be special to do something like this in your first start, a stakes race and a filly against boys. But Wesley was very confident. He told me he loves this filly and wants to take her to the Breeders' Cup. Now that I have ridden her I know she can do it.”

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Her World is owned by Andrew Farm, Susan Molton, For the People Racing Stable, and Windmill Manor Farm.

“Personally I was nervous going into the race, but I will tell you what, Wesley Ward had a lot of confidence in the horse and that's why she ended up in this race against the boys,” said co-owner Dick Brodie of Andrew Farm. “It's not up to me, but there have been conversations about running her the first weekend at Keeneland. My ownership partnership is with Charlie O'Connor and John Morgan.

“After today, I would definitely tell you this is one of, if not my favorite horse, we own right now. I am thrilled with what I saw.”

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Honey I’m Good Goes Wire To Wire In Regret Stakes At Monmouth

When Honey I'm Good finished a tiring sixth in the Politely Stakes in her season debut on May 30 – just the second time she had failed to hit the board in her first 12 career starts – her connections simply drew a line through the race.

Saturday, it was easy to see why.

Despite breaking through the gate prior to the start, Honey I'm Good sped her way to a gate-to-wire victory in the $75,000 Regret Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., having just enough in reserve to hold off 2-5 favorite Bayerness by a neck.

For the 5-year-old daughter of Shackleford, it marked her sixth career victory and second lifetime stakes win. She flashed under the wire in a sharp 1:09.28 for the six furlongs over a muddy/sealed track.

“I don't think she cared for the track in her last start and she needed to settle in here a little bit to train,” said Mitch Dennison, who oversees Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen's division at Monmouth Park. “She has been working well here, calm and quiet, and that's important with her because she can be a nervous filly – as we saw when she broke through the gate before the start today.

“She was a little more nervous than we'd like her to be but she settled in and handled the track well.”

Honey I'm Good was caught almost immediately after she broke through the gate and then showed why she was so eager to get going.

She took pressure early from Bronx Beauty, with Bayerness sitting off those two, through an opening quarter of :22.29 and a half mile in :44.94. Bayerness passed Bronx Beauty in mid-term and then set her sights on Honey I'm Good.

But Honey I'm Good was able to last, returning $14.40 to win. It was another five lengths back to Bronx Beauty.

“I was worried when she broke through the gate,” said jockey Gerardo Corrales. “I knew I needed to break on top. That's where she is at her best and it was the best way to beat (Bayerness). My horse was very comfortable. I saw (Bayerness) coming at us late but my filly had enough left.”

Owned by Almost Heaven Stables, Honey I'm Good now has a 6-2-3 line from 13 career starts.

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