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Jersey-Bred Valedictorian Takes On Talented Field In Eatontown Stakes

In a turf race that features two horses sired in Ireland, one in Great Britain, three from Chad Brown's powerhouse stable and one trained by Todd Pletcher, Kelly Breen will take his best shot with his classy Jersey-bred Valedictorian.

Monmouth Park's leading trainer says it's what she does and has always done – take on top-notch grass distaffers almost every time she races.

With Breen's hope that she may be the lone speed, Valedictorian will look to get back on track in Saturday's $150,000 Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes, the feature on Monmouth Park's 14-race card. She won the race a year ago, one of 12 career victories that have helped her to $737,115 in lifetime earnings.

“I think it's pretty neat having a Jersey-bred to run against all these good mares,” Breen said. “But if she happened to be running as good as she has in the past and she was from Oshkosh I'd still be proud of her.”

Breen will look to get the 6-year-old daughter of Temple City jumpstarted after an 0-for-5 start to her 2020 campaign, with only a pair of third-place finishes to show for it. But three of those starts have been against graded stakes company, including the Grade 1 Just A Game at Belmont Park on June 27.

In her most recent start, the Grade 3 Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth, she faded to sixth after setting the pace for a good portion of the nine-furlong grass feature. The Eatontown is at a mile and sixteenth.

“There were no easy spots to bring her back this year,” said Breen, who is looking for his third Monmouth Park training title after topping the track's standings in 2005 and 2006. “There were just no spots out there to maybe get her an easy win. So she keeps going up against the best of the best.

“Yes, it's been frustrating but she is still running and her numbers are still good and she's doing well. She looks great. It's just been a lot of tough spots.”

The Eatontown looks to be another tough spot, with the Brown-trained Nay Lady Nay back after winning the Matchmaker on July 18. Tapit Today, also trained by Brown, was fourth in that same race, beaten just a length and three-quarters. His third starter be Noor Sahara, who will be making her third start in the United States after racing in France.

Pletcher, meanwhile, will be represented by Valiance, who is 2-for-2 on Monmouth Park's turf course and 4-for-4 at a mile and a sixteenth during her six-race career.

There's a field of eight entered as well as two main track only alternates.

“We'll see what happens with the weather but I think we could be the speed of the race,” said Breen. “Everything about this race will be helpful to her – the mile and a sixteenth, being back on her home track, which she loves, the chance she could be the speed. All of it. And she is doing well.”

Owned by Epic Racing, Valedictorian shows a 12-6-6 line from 35 career starts. She is 4-for-6 on Monmouth's turf course and 5-for-12 at a mile and a sixteenth.

If the weather has an impact on the race, Breen said it won't affect his mare.

“She ran well on a soft, yielding turf course and if he comes off she has run well in the mud,” Breen said. “She can do it all.”

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New Jersey Budget Proposal Cuts Out Racing Subsidy

A $32.4-billion budget proposal announced Tuesday by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy does not include a $20-million annual subsidy that has been split between the state’s Thoroughbred and harness industries.

The story was first reported by the website njonlinegambling.com.

The subsidy was signed into law in 2019 as a way to help New Jersey’s struggling tracks, the only tracks in the region that did not benefit from revenues from casinos. The bill called for $100 million in subsidies to be paid out over five years but also had a provision whereby it was subject to an annual review.

“With this funding, New Jersey can continue to offer one of the most exciting horse racing experiences in the nation, while also providing a boost to an industry that is integral to our economy,” Murphy said when signing the original bill.

Murphy’s budget proposal called for deep spending cuts as the state tries to deal with the financial hit it has taken due to the coronavirus. According to reports, the state has taken on an additional $4 billion in debt stemming from the pandemic.

The next step in the process is for the Legislature to draft its own budget bills. A final budget must be passed by Sept. 31. Dennis Drazin, the chairman and CEO of Darby Development, the operators of Monmouth Park, held out hope that the final budget will include the subsidy.

“It’s a little premature for me to say anything,” Drazin said. “The last time around, this wasn’t in the budget address either or in the first budget. We worked very hard with the legislators and ultimately we received it. In my mind, this does not mean the subsidy is dead or it can’t be resurrected. It’s just that it is a process that is going to take some time.”

Prior to the subsidy, Monmouth had been having a difficult time keeping its purses competitive with those in neighboring states and had seen the racing product suffer. The $10-million infusion had a positive impact on racing as it allowed the track to raise purses. The same maiden special weight race that went for $36,000 in 2018 has had a purse of $45,000 this year. The additional money also helped revive the New Jersey Thoroughbred breeding industry, which had all but ground to a halt in the years prior to 2019.

The 2020 subsidy has already been paid out, so the earliest this could impact racing would be next year.

The subsidy has had a similar impact on the harness racing industry. The Meadowlands has enjoyed a revival since the subsidy went into effect and is no longer at a big disadvantage when trying to compete against racing in the slots states like Pennsylvania and New York. Meadowlands owner Jeff Gural said losing the subsidy would be a major blow.

“This could be devastating for our industry,” he said. “It would be just horrible to lose this. In harness racing, it has been a success, especially on the breeding side. All the numbers in New Jersey, the stallions, the mares bred, have gone way up. It accomplished what we said it would accomplish. This is a byproduct of COVID-19. We were not blind sided by this but we were still hoping they would include it in the budget. The good thing is we have until the end of September to get them to change their minds.”

Gural said the decision whether or not to reinstate the bonus would likely fall into the hands of the Legislature and called on those in the Thoroughbred and standardbred industries in the state to reach out to their elected officials.

“It’s not a done deal but it certainly is important that anyone living in New Jersey who has any contacts with the legislature do their part,” he said. “It’s really up to the legislature to restore the money. People have to reach out to them and make the argument that this has been worth the money. The state will lose more without the subsidy than with the subsidy because of all the jobs that will be lost. Tell them how important this subsidy is and how many jobs will be lost if it goes away. It would devastate the industry.”

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Nine-Day Meadowlands-At-Monmouth Meet Added To Thoroughbred Racing Calendar

A nine-day Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet will be added to the Thoroughbred racing calendar starting on Preakness Day, Saturday, Oct. 3, pending regulatory approval, it was announced Wednesday.

Live racing will be held Oct. 3 and 4 at Monmouth Park and then every Wednesday and Saturday for the remainder of the month. There will also be a special Columbus Day holiday program on Monday, Oct. 12.

The Meadowlands-at-Monmouth meet will feature a stakes schedule totaling $900,000, highlighted by the Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes at a mile and an eighth on the turf on Oct. 10.

First race post time throughout October will be 12:50 p.m. Parking and admission are free.

Monmouth Park was originally scheduled for a 56-day meet starting May 2, but had that reduced to 37 days starting July 3 because of COVID-19. An additional live racing program was lost due to inclement weather.

The Monmouth Park meeting ends on Sunday, Sept. 27.

The stakes schedule for the Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet:

3-Oct-20: Virgil “Buddy” Raines Stakes – $75,000 – 3 and up – 5 1/2 furlongs (Turf)

4-Oct-20: Nownownow Stakes – $150,000 – 2 YO – 1 Mile (Turf)

7-Oct-20: Lady's Secret Stakes – Listed $100,000 – F & M 3 and up – 1 1/16 miles

10-Oct-20: Monmouth Stakes – G3 $150,000 – 3 and up – 1 1/8 Miles (Turf)

12-Oct-20: Born to Run Stakes – $100,000 – 2 YO – 5 1/2 furlongs (Turf)

14-Oct-20: Jersey Shore Stakes – $100,000 – 3 YO – 6 Furlongs

17-Oct-20: Dan Horn Handicap – NJ Breds $75,000 – 3 and up – 1 1/16 miles (Turf)

21-Oct-20: Smart N Classy Handicap – NJ Breds $75,000 – F & M 3 and up – 1 Mile

24-Oct-20: Pinot Grigio Stakes – NJ Breds $75,000 – F & M 3 and up – 5 1/2 Furlongs (Turf)

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Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Meet Added to Racing Schedule for October

A nine-day Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Park meet will be added to the Thoroughbred racing calendar starting on Preakness Day, Saturday, Oct. 3, pending regulatory approval.

Live racing will be held Oct. 3 and 4 at Monmouth Park and then every Wednesday and Saturday for the remainder of the month. There will also be a special Columbus Day holiday program Monday, Oct. 12.

The Meadowlands-at-Monmouth meet will feature a stakes schedule totaling $900,000, highlighted by the GIII Monmouth S. at 1 1/8 miles on the turf Oct. 10.

First race post time throughout October will be 12:50 p.m. Parking and admission are free.

The Monmouth Park meeting ends on Sunday, Sept. 27.

The post Meadowlands-at-Monmouth Meet Added to Racing Schedule for October appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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