Monmouth Oaks | Horse Racing Free Tips

Monmouth Park Announces Purse Increases, Additional September Dates

Monmouth Park, located in Oceanport, N.J., will increase purses across the board starting July 17 and is adding three live racing days on Fridays in September, racing secretary and director of racing John Heims announced on Saturday.

The purse increases take effect the day of the $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes, the track's showcase race.

The Nownownow Stakes for 2-year-olds going a mile on the turf will see the biggest purse boost, increasing to $500,000 from $150,000. Named for the 2007 winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Monmouth Park, the second edition of the Nownownow Stakes will be the closing day feature on Sunday, Sept. 26.

Maiden special weight races and allowance races will see a purse increase of 20 percent, with claiming races over $12,500 getting a 10 percent increase and claimers that go for $12,500 or less seeing a five percent purse increase.

Purses for all non-state bred stakes races that are currently $75,000 will go to $100,000 while Jersey-bred stakes races that are now $75,000 will be increased to $85,000.

“We're thankful to Gov. Philip Murphy and to the leadership in the state Senate and Assembly who continue to support racing in New Jersey,” said Dennis Drazin, the Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, the operators of Monmouth Park. “A supplemental appropriation was passed and signed into law, and with rain preventing us from writing more races during the early stages of the meet, we have $5.5 million to spend on purses to support the Monmouth Park product as a result.

“We believe it was important to make the announcement at this time so horsemen can plan for the balance of the meet. We feel these increases will further strengthen what is already a quality product.”

Several other stakes races will see purse boosts as well. The Sapling Stakes (Sunday, Sept. 5) and the Sorority Stakes (Monday, Sept. 6), fixtures for 2-year-olds on the Monmouth Park racing calendar, will each get a $100,000 purse bump to $200,000.

The Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks on July 31 will now carry a purse of $250,000, a $50,000 increase. The Grade 3 Iselin Stakes on Aug. 21 will see the same increase from $200,000 to $250,000.

Monmouth Park's original schedule called for live racing on Saturdays and Sundays only for the final three weekends of September. Friday day cards will now be added to those weekends.

Monmouth Park will conduct live racing from Friday through Monday over the Labor Day weekend Sept. 3 through 6.

Following a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19, the Monmouth-at-Meadowlands meet will return with nine live Thoroughbred cards in October. Those all-turf programs in East Rutherford will see significant purse increases as well. The purse structure for that meet will be announced when the racing dates are finalized.

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$13,744.50 Payout In NYRA’s Cross Country Pick 5

Saturday's Cross Country Pick 5 paid $13,744.50 for selecting all five winners for the 50-cent wager that encompassed live racing from Saratoga Race Course, Monmouth Park and Woodbine Racetrack. The sequence's total pool was $113,192.

Woodbine commenced the wager when Olliemyboy defeated Belichick by two lengths to capture a maiden special weight in Race 9. Trained by Sid Attard, Olliemyboy returned $15.50 on a $2 win wager, completing 1 1/8 miles on the all-weather track in 1:51.69 under jockey Patrick Husbands.

Monmouth started the stakes action when Hopeful Growth pulled of an 11-1 upset in the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks in Race 11. Trained by Anthony Margotta, Jr., Hopeful Growth, ridden by Antonio Gallardo, pulled away by four lengths in the 1 1/16-mile trek that awarded 50-20-10-5 qualifying points to September's Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Project Whiskey, Eve of War and Dream Marie rounded out the superfecta to acquire those points.

Saratoga hosted the first of its two legs in the sequence when Improbable posted a two-length win in the prestigious Grade 1, $750,000 Whitney for 4-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles in Race 9. Off at 3-1, Improbable bested the five-horse field and gave Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert his second consecutive Whitney win [McKinzie last year], paying $8.50. Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. won his second Whitney in the last three years, as Improbable tracked Mr. Buff's early speed before finishing strong, hitting the wire in 1:48.65 for his second consecutive Grade 1 win.

Artistico won an optional claiming race in Woodbine's Race 10 in the fourth race of the Cross Country Pick 5. Conditioned by Sylvain Pion and ridden by Rafael Hernandez, Artistico returned $10.90 for the 1 3/8-mile turf route.

Saratoga concluded the wager when Echo Town notched a 3 ½-length score in the Grade 1, $300,000 H. Allen Jerkens presented by Runhappy in Race 10. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Echo Town completed the seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds in 1:22.53 under Ricardo Santana, Jr. Echo Town paid $16.40.

The minimum bet for the multi-track, multi-race wager is 50 cents. Wagering on the Cross Country Pick 5 is also available on track, 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.

Echo Town winning the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes

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Learning With Experience: Hopeful Growth Wins Monmouth Oaks

Trainer Anthony Margotta, Jr. and jockey Antonio Gallardo know that much more went into Hopeful Growth's upset victory in Saturday's Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., than just a perfect trip.

Two starts ago Margotta took the blinkers off the filly to get her to relax in a race at Tampa in which Gallardo rode her. Last time out the veteran conditioner sent her two turns for the first time. She finished fifth in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks.

Both learning experiences, they agreed, keyed a four-length victory at odds of 11-1 in the 96^th edition of the $200,000 Monmouth Oaks.

Hopeful Growth, able to sit chilly along the rail behind dueling leaders, mowed down the frontrunners in the lane for the first stakes score of her five-race career. She covered the mile and a sixteenth in 1:45.63.

Delaware Oaks winner Project Whiskey held for second, 2¼ lengths ahead of Eve of War.

“I had a really good trip,” said Gallardo. “I know this filly. I won with her in Tampa. Anthony told me that day `try to teach her. I don't want her to be a filly that just goes to the lead. I don't care if you lose, just teach her.'

“That's what happened in Tampa. She learned – and she still won. I was able to put her behind horses that day and she learned very fast. When I put her in the clear that race she took off. That lesson paid off today. She's a good horse and now she knows how to relax and sit behind horses. That's why she won this.”

Margotta said the filly's last two races were learning experiences for this one.

“Her last race was the first time she ran around two turns,” he said. “We were hoping to hit the board there, but typically a horse going two turns for the first time in our program may need a race around two turns the first time. This was our bull's eye target. I took the blinkers off her last two races so she would learn a little. I put them back on (today) so she would focus more after she learned a little bit.

“The Delaware Oaks was a race we needed to get in before this one for the two-turn experience and to learn. I loved the trip (today). She was patient on the rail. That's what we have been teaching her to do and it paid off.”

Owned by St. Elias Stable, Hopeful Growth returned $25.60 to win. The daughter of Tapiture–Maiden America by Rock Hard Ten now sports a 3-1-0 line from five career starts.

“She's bred to go long and she has trained that way the whole time so I knew she would go longer,” Margotta said. “She has always wanted to stretch out.

Gallardo kept Hopeful Growth along the rail as favored Lucrezia and Project Whiskey battled for command through early fractions of :23.94, :48.51, 1:13.52 and 1:139.10 for the mile.

Hopeful Growth found clearance in mid-stretch and proved to be much the best in the field of nine 3-year-old fillies.

“I had good position the whole way,” said Gallardo. “I was close to the leaders. I had the favorite (Lucrezia) in front of me with Project Whiskey with her and the two horse (Princess Cadey) was just outside us. I just waited to get clear. I was able to do that before the quarter pole. I knew she had a lot left and she responded.”

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Young, Jamaican-Born Trainer Williams Will Saddle His ‘Dream’ In Monmouth Oaks

It would be more than understandable if Matthew J. Williams was feeling a bit anxious as he prepares to send out Dream Marie in Saturday's Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks, the feature race on Monmouth Park's 13-race card.

He's 24, has just two years of experience as a trainer, has never won a stakes race, and boasts the grand total of 64 starters to this point in his career.

And the nine-horse field of 3-year-old fillies for the 96th edition of the Monmouth Oaks features horses from the barns of Todd Pletcher, Steve Asmussen and Arnaud Delacour.

But Williams says he is able to stay calm as he takes aim at what would be the biggest victory of his young career because he keeps reminding himself of one thing.

“It's the horses running, not us,” he said. “That's a good thing.”

With the top six finishers back from the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks on July 4, as well as fourth-place Acorn Stakes finisher Lucrezia, the Oaks field has several accomplished fillies. Dream Marie, off her second-place finish to Project Whiskey in the Delaware Oaks, where she was beaten a half-length, certainly fits.

“She made a really big run in the Delaware Oaks,” said Williams. “I thought she was going to win coming out of the turn but Project Whiskey (trained by Butch Reid) really dug in. But my filly ran a good race.

“We're hoping we can turn the tables on Project Whiskey but Lucrezia is a horse that I have a lot of respect for, too. She finished ahead of us in the (Grade 2) Gulfstream Park Oaks and I saw her win a 2-year-old stakes race at Tampa and she was really impressive that day.”

Williams, who hails from Kingston, Jamaica, currently has five horses he trains, all owned by his family's Miracles International Trading Inc. stable, and has been Gulfstream Park-based since launching his training career.

His transition to training in the United States has been seamless because of his background.

“My grandfather had a stud farm in Jamaica,” Williams said. “He was a champion breeder for 10 years in Jamaica. He had a lot of Jamaican Classic winners and bred a Triple Crown winner in Jamaica. So growing up I was always involved with horses.”

Dream Marie signaled her arrival as a potential stakes winner after winning a $50,000 starter allowance at Gulfstream Park on Dec. 14, Williams said, following that up with a win in a $75,000 optional claimer on Jan. 20. Williams then decided to try her in the Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream on Feb. 29.

The daughter of Graydar-Lin Marie by Curlin finished third that day.

“It was time to take a shot with her,” Williams said. “I think she ran well. A couple of things could have gone differently in the race but she ran well. Two good fillies beat her.”

When Dream Marie finished second on May 15 in the Hollywood Wildcat at the Monmouth Oaks distance of a mile and a sixteenth, Williams targeted the Delaware Oaks and Monmouth Oaks for his filly.

Purchased for $25,000 at the OBS March sale in 2019, Dream Marie sports a 3-2-1 line from 10 career starts with lifetime earnings of $150,160.

Joe Bravo is staying aboard, too, after having the mount in the Delaware Oaks.

“It feels good to have Joe want to ride her again,” Williams said. “I don't think any rider is as familiar with a racetrack as Joe is with Monmouth Park.”

For Williams, Dream Marie would be appropriately named if she happens to win Saturday.

“Winning my first stakes race, and my first graded stakes, would mean a lot,” Williams said. “It's something I have dreamed about when I was watching U.S. races on TV in Jamaica. It means a lot to me just to see my name among some of the trainers in this race so winning it would really be something special for me.”

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