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Golden Brown Again Finds Winner’s Circle At Monmouth Park

Put Golden Brown in the familiar surroundings of Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., and then against Jersey-breds, and good things tend to happen for gritty 6-year-old gelding.

They did again on Sunday, when Golden Brown showed good early speed to work his way into contention and then flashed his strong closing kick as he added to his impressive career credentials with a 2¾-length victory in the $75,000 John J. Reilly Handicap for state-breds.

Though trainer Pat McBurney remains unconvinced that six furlongs is the best distance for the son of Offlee Wild, it was hard to make that case after he covered the six furlongs in 1:09.

Jockey Paco Lopez hustled Golden Brown out to a stalking third-place position early behind speedster Optic Way and Prendimi and moved to pass Prendimi midway through the backstretch. Through a :44.72 first half, Golden Brown then set his sights on Optic Way, collaring the frontrunner in mid-turn and then pulling away as he came out of the turn into the stretch. Optic Way held on for second, 1½ lengths ahead of Prendimi.

“He was very good today,” said Lopez. “He broke well this time. But he always runs good, always has heart. (His) last race in Delaware he wasn't comfortable with the track. But we know he likes Monmouth Park. I had a feeling he would be good today.

“I was able to break third and keep the other two close and when I asked him he gave me everything he had. As he gets older I think he can handle the shorter distances. I just had to get him in position after he broke so well. He knows what to do.”

McBurney missed the race because he was saddling Sweet Sami D in the Caesar's Wish Stakes at Pimlico (she finished third), and what he missed was this: Golden Brown's fifth stakes win at Monmouth Park. In 16 career starts at Monmouth, Golden Brown has six wins, five seconds, and a third.

Overall, he sports a record of 9-6-4 from 29 starts in a career that has seen him win going long, short, in the slop, on the grass, and on fast tracks. He has a 3-1-1 record in five career sprints as well.

“I did not get to see the race. I was putting a saddle on Sweet Sami D at Pimlico and I looked in my phone and I was getting congratulations so that's how I knew he won,” said McBurney. “I tried to catch the replay and it never came up and then the race down here ran.

“I was surprised he was as close as everyone said he was. When I looked at the speed figures, it looked like we would be in fifth early and have a wide trip, so it's great that he broke so alertly. That's two bang-up sprints he has run this year and I'm still not sure six furlongs is what he likes best.”

Golden Brown, who boosted his career earnings to $673,620, paid $6 to win in the field of seven that was reduced by two scratches.

Owned by ABL, Bossone, Donnelly, and Schnorr, Golden Brown will go next in the Irish War Cry on July 24 on the turf at Monmouth Park, McBurney said. That race is also against state-breds – and one Golden Brown won a year ago.

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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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Purse Increase, Dates Added at Monmouth

Officials at Monmouth Park have announced an across-the-board increase in purses to begin on TVG.com Haskell S. day July 17 and have added three live September dates on Fridays to the calendar.

“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.”

A 20% increase will be applied to all maiden special weight and allowance races, while claiming races run for $12,500 tags or higher will see a prize money increase of 10%. The purses for lower-level claimers will be raised by 5%. Open stakes races that are currently listed at $75,000 will be contested for $100,000, while state-bred stakes will run for $85,000, up from $75,000.

Other stakes races will receive more significant bumps. According to the release, the Sept. 26 Nownownow S. for 2-year-olds at a mile on the turf, will see the largest boost from $150,000 to $500,000. The race in named in honor of the winner of the inaugural Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf held at Monmouth in 2007 and will serve as a stepping-stone to this year's race at Del Mar Nov. 5.

The Sapling S. (Sept. 5) and Sorority S. (Sept. 6.), for 2-year-old males and females, respectively, see their purses doubled to $200,000, while the GIII Monmouth Oaks and GIII Iselin S. are each to be raised by $50,000 to $250,000.

Monmouth's original schedule called for weekend racing only during the month of September, but the track will now hold live programs Friday-Sunday and will conduct live racing on Labor Day, Sept. 6.

Officials also announced that after a one-year hiatus owing to the coronavirus, the Monmouth-at-Meadowlands meet will return in 2021. Nine all-turf programs will also see significant purse increases. That schedule will be announced at a later date.

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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 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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