Kelly Breen | Horse Racing Free Tips

Monmouth: 44 Horses, 14 Jockeys Enter Six Races For Friday’s Opening Day Card

Sifting Sands, from the powerhouse Chad Brown stable, is among eight 3-year-olds (plus one main track only entrant) set to go in the $100,000 Jersey Derby that will serve as the feature race for opening day of Monmouth Park's 76th Thoroughbred season on Friday.

A total of 44 horses (plus one MTO) have been entered for the six-race twilight card, with a first race post time of 5 p.m.

With the New Jersey commission's enactment of the strictest whip rules in the country, allowing use of the crop only when needed for safety, Monmouth has been in the news for it's strict stance on jockey participation in the 2021 meet.

There are 14 jockeys named to ride on Friday's card, including: Jorge Panaijo, Luis M. Ocasio, Tomas B. Mejia, Luis R. Reyes, Christian J. Navarro, Jose C. Ferrer, Carlos J. Hernandez, Jomar Torres, Isaac Castillo, Jose Baez, Carlos Montalvo, Keiber J. Coa, Sean Gilpin, and Derbe Glass.

Three of the stakes entrants, including the MTO entry, do not currently have riders listed on Equibase.

The Jersey Derby, scheduled for a mile on the grass, will be contested for the 78th time. It's the oldest Derby in the United States, having first been run in 1864.

Trainers Kelly Breen (It's A Gamble), Gregg Sacco (It Can Be Done) and Jerry Hollendorfer (Riptide Rock) will look to get off to fast starts for the 53-day meet in the Jersey Derby as well.

Owned by Peter Brant, Sifting Sands will be making just his fourth career start in the Jersey Derby. The Irish-bred son of Dubawi made his last start in the Woodhaven Stakes at Aqueduct on April 21.

Monmouth Park will conduct live racing four straight days over the Memorial Day weekend. Post times on Saturdays, Sundays and special Monday holiday cards throughout the meet is 12:15 p.m.

The $100,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes at six furlongs headlines the Saturday card, with the $75,000 Politely Stakes serving as the Sunday feature. The Memorial Day card on Monday will be top by the $75,000 Spruce Fir for Jersey-breds.

The post Monmouth: 44 Horses, 14 Jockeys Enter Six Races For Friday’s Opening Day Card appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Trainer Kelly Breen Gearing Up For Monmouth Park Meet

With Hall of Fame trainers Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen and Jerry Hollendorfer – along with future Hall of Famer Chad Brown – all having a formidable presence on the Monmouth Park backstretch this summer it's easy to forget that the race for leading trainer honors still goes through Kelly Breen.

It did last year, when the 52-year-old Breen easily captured his third Monmouth Park trainer's title.

There's no reason to think things will be any different when the track's 76th season gets underway with four straight days of live racing starting with a twilight card on Friday, May 28.

“We do gear up for Monmouth Park,” said Breen. “It goes back to me saying all we can do is continue to work hard and to try to do our best. So much depends on the condition book. I can't predict how we'll do this year because I don't know how the condition book will play out.

“But we have a good variety of horses, from $5,000 claimers to multiple-graded stakes winners. There are probably guys with more well-rounded stables, maybe with more claimers, guys with bigger stables. But we have 40 horses right now that are ready to run. We'll just try to put them in the right spots.”

Breen's quest for a title repeat will start on opening day, when he sends out It's A Gamble in the $100,000 Jersey Derby at a mile on the grass. He then has Tracy Ann's Legacy set to go in Sunday's feature, the $75,000 Politely Stakes.

His impact will likely be felt throughout the 53-day meet, since he led all Monmouth Park trainers last year with 117 starters. His 32 winners were nearly double that of runner-up Jose Delgado.

That Monmouth Park success was a major factor in a career year for the New Jersey native, who set personal bests in overall wins (84) and starters (418) while producing the second-best earnings year in a career that began in 1992.

“Last year was more validation after having built up a public stable after almost 10 years of being a private trainer and not being out there with multiple horses and this many horses,” said Breen. “It has been a gradual process of evolving. I didn't always have a big stable after I became a public trainer again. It took a couple of years to get to this point. It took time. But we have a nice, well-rounded stable now.”

Breen, who went 14 years between Monmouth Park training titles, again figures to make an impact when the 2-year-old races start as well. He currently has 15 “babies” with a couple more due in shortly.

“The 2-year-old program at Monmouth Park has always been exceptional, so we hope to be a factor in that later in the summer,” he said.

Though Breen says his sights aren't necessarily set on another Monmouth Park title – “Whatever amount of wins we get that's what we're going to have as a total,” he said – he knows he enters the meet as the favorite.

“Not being cocky or anything, but I like to think when people think of Jersey racing they think of my name,” he said. “I'm a Jersey guy. I grew up here. We have more of a presence in New York than we've had in a while but Monmouth Park is still home.”

Monmouth Park's meet starts with racing on Friday through Monday over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend before reverting to a Friday through Sunday schedule throughout the summer. Post times for Saturdays, Sundays and special Monday holiday cards is 12:15 p.m. Post time for Friday twilight cards is 5 p.m.

The post Trainer Kelly Breen Gearing Up For Monmouth Park Meet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Firenze Fire Sharp In Seasonal Debut, Takes Runhappy Stakes For Second Time

Making his first start since a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector Stakes at Gulfstream Park in December, Mr. Amore Stable's Firenze Fire tracked pacesetter Chateau through the opening five furlongs, then took command inside the eighth pole en route to a 3 1/4-length victory in Saturday's Grade 3 Runhappy Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., the Kelly Breen-trained 6-year-old Florida-bred by Poseidon's Warrior traveled six furlongs in 1:09.76 and paid $3.80 as the favorite in the field of five seasoned older runners.

Chateau, the 7-5 second wagering choice who set fractions of :22.59, :45.51 and :57.48 under Kendrick Carmouche, easily held second by three-quarters of a length, with Town Classic edging Stan the Man in a photo for third. Drafted trailed the field. Going into the Runhappy, the five runners had each averaged 32 career starts.

“I knew the other horse [Chateau] was going to go and no one else was going to be close with him, so I decided to be close and not have to be in a rush,” said Ortiz. “It's only six furlongs. I didn't want to let him relax too much and then make a run from the three-eighths pole. I just let him be closer and waited as long as I could to start going.

“When I asked him, he responded really well. The tank was full. He kept coming and kept moving forward. He feels great. I think this is going to be a good year for him. He can be right there in the conversation with all the good sprinters.”

Firenze Fire was winning for the 13th time in 32 starts and has won graded stakes at 2, 3, 5 and now 6. This was his second Runhappy Stakes victory, the first coming in 2019 when the race was not yet graded. The Runhappy was upgraded to Grade 3 in 2020 but was not held because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to March 2020, Firenze Fire was trained by Jason Servis, who is now facing federal criminal charges in connection with the FBI probe into racehorse doping.

Since joining Breen's stable, Firenze Fire has won three of eight starts, including a pair of G2 races at Belmont, the True North and Vosburgh Invitational.

“There were a couple other races we could have pointed towards; the undercard of the Derby [G1 Churchill Downs], this race or a race over at Pimlico, but Ron [owner Ron Lombardi] said let's go to his home track at Belmont,” said Breen. “There's no such thing as a soft spot. We locked up Irad [Ortiz, Jr.]. All the things just kept on clicking.

“The horse wintered well in Florida,” Breen added. “They took good care of him. He shipped up here and got to breeze a couple times right out of his stall. We didn't have to ship. Everything worked out to plan and it doesn't always work out that well.

“In the paddock, he looked very picturesque. Maybe a tad bit heavy,” Breen said. “That happens to us when we get older.”

“He broke well. He sat right there and ran a very professional race. The horse that was in front [Chateau] is a nice horse and has been running well and is in form. We're coming off a layoff and I was definitely concerned about him getting away from us, but we showed up.”

Breen said the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar will be the year-end goal for Firenze Fire.

“I'll assume at the end of the year he'll be going to stud, but Ron loves running in the Breeders' Cup Sprint,” said Breen. “One day at a time and I'm happy he came back as strong as he did. He looked great.”

The post Firenze Fire Sharp In Seasonal Debut, Takes Runhappy Stakes For Second Time appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Malibu Moon Filly Flashes Serious Speed at Gulfstream; Named TDN Rising Star

Gary and Mary West homebred Slumber Party (Malibu Moon) showed off a high cruising speed Sunday to easily best a well-bred group of fillies at Gulfstream and earn the 'TDN Rising Star' distinction. With an upbeat worktab at Palm Meadows on display, the 5-1 shot broke on top and quickly opened up on her competition down the backside. She posted splits of :22.50 and :45.33, and rounded the bend five or six lengths clear. Showing no signs of stopping from there, the chestnut cantered home a geared-down 7 1/2-length winner, stopping the clock in 1:23.05 for seven panels. Fellow firster Pass the Champagne (Flatter), well backed herself at 3-1 off a 12-1 morning line for the typically patient Rusty Arnold barn, got up for second. The winner's dam Devilish Lady (Sweetsouthernsaint) flashed South Florida speed herself, annexing the 2011 GIII Azalea S. at Calder. She has a 2-year-old colt by Pioneerof the Nile and a yearling filly by Uncle Mo. Devilish Lady was bred to former West colorbearer West Coast for 2021.

5th-Gulfstream, $43,000, Msw, 1-24, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:23.05, ft, 7 1/2 lengths.
SLUMBER PARTY, f, 3, Malibu Moon
1st Dam: Devilish Lady (GSW, $400,318), by Sweetsouthernsaint
2nd Dam: Devilish Brunette, by Diablo
3rd Dam: Appealing Brunette, by Valid Appeal
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $25,800. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-Gary & Mary West; B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc. (KY); T-Kelly J. Breen.

The post Malibu Moon Filly Flashes Serious Speed at Gulfstream; Named TDN Rising Star appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post