Monmouth Cup | Horse Racing Free Tips

Vargas Hoping Haskell Day Success Propels Him To Big Summer At Monmouth Park

It took a little longer than jockey Jorge A. Vargas Jr. wanted it to or hoped it would, but the 25-year-old finally made the impact at Monmouth Park he expected when he moved his tack from the Maryland circuit this summer.

His timing couldn't have been better.

After an 0-for-17 start to the meet Vargas broke through with a victory aboard the Stanley Hough-trained Global Campaign in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup on TVG.com Haskell Day last Saturday. On the same card he was second with 40-1 Our Super Freak in the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher after just missing the first Grade 1 score of his career when Paret could not hold off the late-running Aquaphobia in the United Nations, finishing second by a length.

“It was a little frustrating for me early in the meet,” said Vargas, who has two mounts on Monmouth Park's six-race twilight card when live racing resumes on Friday at 5 p.m. “When you're not winning the way you think you should you are always asking `what am I doing wrong?' You start to feel pressure because you're riding good horses you think you should win with and you're just short.

“I had a second early in the meet (aboard Gravitas) and the horse that beat me was 73-1. I'm like `I can't catch a break.' Finally, it seems to be turning around.”

Despite being winless early, Vargas kept coming close – adding to the frustration for the native of Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Overall from his 23 mounts at the Monmouth Park meet he has two wins, seven seconds and four thirds.

“Whenever you win it's good. When you get that first one of the meet in a graded stakes it's even better,” he said. “Once you get that monkey off your back you feel free and confident again and you can just be yourself without the pressure.

“I got some good feedback from last Saturday. It gives me confidence. I feel like I'm very close (to a breakout streak).”

Since starting his riding career in 2013 Vargas has found solid success. In 2018 he was Maryland's leading jockey with 110 wins, capturing the Laurel winter-spring riding title that year.

His decision to ride at Monmouth Park full-time this summer was paired with an opportunity that agent Jimmy Riccio set up for him to ride Aqueduct in the winter first.

“COVID-19 kind of messed up those plans,” said Vargas, who attended Puerto Rico's famed Escuela Vocacional Hipica school for jockeys and counts Manny Franco, Victor Carrasco and Jevian Toledo among his classmates. “But I'm happy to be doing the second half of our plan now.

“I just wanted to try something different. I like to challenge myself. A good opportunity came up with Jimmy Riccio and it was time for a change.”

A multiple graded stakes winner, Vargas says he is “still trying to achieve more.”

“I've been pretty successful to this point,” he said. It's pretty amazing when I think about it. But I know I can do even more. Hopefully, I have a little momentum now.”

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Nobody Puts Bode In A Corner: After Late Scratch In Monmouth Cup, Bodexpress Nominated To Whitney

After a late scratch from Saturday's Grade 3 Monmouth Cup, fan-favorite Bodexpress has been nominated to the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 1, reports bloodhorse.com.

The 4-year-old son of Bodemeister, best-known for his riderless romp in the 2019 Preakness Stakes, was scratched by the state veterinarian when it was noted that the colt was bleeding near his nostrils. Gustavo Delgado, Jr., the assistant and 31-year-old son of trainer Gustavo Delgado, said the blood was due to a scratch on Bodexpress' nose incurred while he shipped to Monmouth Park.

“This horse is full of stories, but this one is not because of him,” said Delgado Jr. “He behaved well and he was doing everything that he had to do. He came back good, scoped fine, and he's already home and walked this morning.”

Bodexpress jumped onto the racing scene with a second-place finish as a maiden in the 2019 Florida Derby, running just behind Maximum Security. He finished 13th in the Kentucky Derby, and spun back to run in the Preakness Stakes two weeks later. The temperamental colt reared and lost jockey John Velazquez at the start, then ran around the Pimlico oval on his own before he was eventually corralled by an outrider. The antics earned Bodexpress a large fan following on social media.

He returned to the races five months later, breaking his maiden at Gulfstream Park West, and concluded his sophomore season with a third-place finish as the favorite in the G3 Harlan's Holiday at Gulfstream.

In January, Bodexpress ran fifth in the G1 Pegasus World Cup, but finished an uncharacteristic 11th in the Gulfstream Park Mile one month later. He returned in March to be third in the G3 Hal's Hope, again as the post-time favorite.

Overall, Bodexpress' record stands at 2-3-2 from 13 starts for earnings of $359,500.

No Passing Lane: Global Campaign Rerallies To Win Monmouth Cup

Passed by Bal Harbour at the top of the stretch after being pressured on the front end by another rival, Global Campaign rerallied in the final sixteenth of a mile to win the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup by 1 1/2 lengths at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., on Saturday.

Ridden by Jorge Vargas Jr. and trained by Stanley Hough, Global Campaign — a 4-year-old colt by Curlin – covered 1 1/8 miles on a fast main track in 1:50.47 after setting fractions of :23.77, :47.91, 1:11.69 and 1:37.55.

Math Wizard, winner of the G1 Pennsylvania Derby in 2019, closed from last in the field fo nine to finish second, one length ahead of Bal Harbour, who looked like a winner at the top of the stretch.

Global Campaign, who raced without blinkers for the first time in an eight-race career and was favored at 5-2, was winning for the fifth time. This was his second graded stakes win, having taken the G3 Peter Pan at Belmont Park last year.

Owned by WinStar Farm and Sagamore Farm, Global Campaign was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm. He is out of the A.P. Indy mare, Globe Trot.

“I didn't like seeing all the pressure on him all race,” Hough said. “But I can't say I'm surprised he withstood it. I had my doubts when he got headed in the stretch by Bal Harbour. But Jorge Vargas rode him good and the horse responded great. He's a very, very talented horse, so it's good to see him come back like this. Hopefully he continues to show himself. I'm very pleased with this effort. He was kind of rambunctious as a 3-year-old last and he'd look around and get distracted so I kept the blinkers on him. But I never felt he really needed them. I just thought it would let him see around a little by taking them off for this race. I've been working him without them so he was used to it again. He's shown from the start that he's a good horse. He's well-bred and gosh he has so much talent. He has kind of been his own worst enemy. But he is finally maturing and maybe we can build from here.”

“I was pretty excited when I found out I was going to ride him,” said Vargas. “I went back and watched all of his races. I knew how talented he is. If you saw him this race, even with those horses putting pressure on him all race, he kept his ears pricked and he was relaxed and off the bit. When I asked him a little bit he jumped on the bit and he had something left. He was very strong. I just moved to Monmouth Park for the summer for the first time this year and this is my first win of the meet so it's pretty special.”

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Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 To Feature Action From Saratoga, Monmouth, Woodbine

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host an all-graded-stakes Cross Country Pick 5, featuring action from Saratoga Race Course, Monmouth Park and Woodbine Racetrack.

Live coverage of all the races in the sequence for the first Saturday of the Saratoga summer meet will be available with America's Day at the Races on FS1 and MSG+.

Free Equibase past performances for the Cross Country Pick 5 sequence are now available for download at https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/cross-country-wagers.

Monmouth, located in Oceanport, New Jersey, will host the first two legs of the sequence, starting with the Grade 3, $300,000 Monmouth Cup for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles in Race 10 at 4:40 p.m. Eastern. As part of the Grade 1 Haskell undercard, the Monmouth Cup will see Joevia, the 2019 Grade 1 Belmont Stakes third-place finisher, return to the track where he broke his maiden in July 2018 and also where he captured last year's Long Branch. The Gregg Sacco trainee will be part of a 10-horse field that includes Global Campaign, the 2019 Grade 3 Peter Pan winner at Belmont Park who also ran third in last year's Grade 2 Jim Dandy for trainer Stanley Hough.

The action will continue at Monmouth for the Grade 1, $300,000 United Nations in Race 11 at 5:12 p.m. The 1 3/8-mile turf route will see Current, the third-place finisher in the Grade 2 Kitten's Joy Pan American in March, as part of a nine-horse field. Current, the Todd Pletcher trainee who captured the 2018 Grade 3 Dixiana Bourbon, will go up against a field that includes Standard Deviation, who ran third in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby in November at Del Mar for conditioner Graham Motion. Standard Deviation ran second this year in Qatar in the Group 1 H.H. The Amir Trophy.

An international flavor will be added to the Cross Country Pick 5 when it shifts to Woodbine for the Grade 2, $175,000 Royal North in Race 9 at 5:28 p.m. Summer Sunday, one of two entrants for trainer Stuart Simon, will look to repeat as winner in defending her 2019 victory. Summer Sunday was named Canada's champion female sprinter in 2019 and made her 5-year-old debut by running third in the Grade 3 Whimsical on June 21 at Woodbine. Simon will also saddle Sister Peacock in the six-furlong Royal North.

The penultimate leg will be Monmouth's signature race, the Grade 1, $1 million Haskell in Race 12 at 5:48 p.m. A “Win and You're In” qualifier to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in November at Keeneland, the Haskell will also offer qualifying points to September's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby for the first time in history. The top four-finishers will receive 100-40-20-10 points towards the “Run for the Roses,” with seven sophomores competing at 1 1/8 miles.

Authentic, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, is the 4-5 morning-line favorite after starting his year with victories in the Grade 3 Sham and the Grade 2 San Felipe before running second in the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on June 6. He will face a talented seven-horse field that includes the Pletcher trained Dr Post, who ran second to Tiz the Law in last month's Grade 1 Belmont Stakes. The rest of the field includes Jesus' Team, Ancient Warrior, Fame To Famous, Lebda and NY Traffic.

Historic Saratoga Race Course will conclude the sequence with the third Grade 1, offering the $350,000 Coaching Club American Oaks for 3-year-old fillies in Race 10 at 6:16 p.m. Offering 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, the Coaching Club American Oaks will see multiple graded-stakes winner Tonalist's Shape, who boasts six wins from seven starts, sent out by trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. Baffert will send out will send out Crystal Ball, who graduated last out by 6 ¼ lengths on June 14 in a 1 1/16-miles maiden at Santa Anita. Antoinette, Altaf, Velvet Crush and Paris Lights will also attempt the 1 ¼-mile test.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on ADW platforms and at simulcast facilities across the country. Every week will feature a mandatory payout of the net pool.

The Cross Country Pick 5 will continue each Saturday throughout the year. For more information, visit NYRABets.com.

Cross Country Pick 5 – Saturday, July 18:
Leg 1 – Monmouth, Race 10: Grade 3 Monmouth Park (4:40 p.m.)
Leg 2 – Monmouth, Race 11: Grade 1 United Nations (5:12 p.m.)
Leg 3 – Woodbine, Race 9: Grade 2 Royal North (5:28 p.m.)
Leg 4 – Monmouth, Race 12: Grade 1 Haskell (5:48 p.m.)
Leg 5 – Saratoga, Race 10: Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks (6:16 p.m.)

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