Monmouth | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cox: Kentucky Derby Runner-Up Mandaloun Using Pegasus To Build Fitness, Prep For Haskell

Trainer Brad Cox is looking for Sunday's TVG.com Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park to serve a dual purpose for Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun.

One is to get some added fitness into his speedy 3-year-old, who has been idle since May 1. The other is to give the son of Into Mischief a race over the track.

Both are key elements in setting up Mandaloun's next start: The $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes on July 17, the Grade 1 race that serves as the centerpiece to the Monmouth Park meet.

“I want him to get some experience at Monmouth and I'm looking to use the race as a fitness tool, as a prep from the Haskell,” said Cox, who plans to fly in from Kentucky on Sunday morning to watch the race in person. “I didn't want to go 11 weeks without a race. This was the race we thought made the most sense on the calendar.”

The 40th edition of the Pegasus Stakes, at a mile and a sixteenth for 3-year-olds, has a recent history that suggests Cox's horse will have to earn whatever he gets.

Two years ago, disqualified Kentucky Derby winner Maximum Security finished second as the 1-20 favorite to King for a Day in the Pegasus Stakes before going on to win the Haskell.

Mandaloun, a Kentucky-bred colt owned by Juddmonte, sports a 3-1-1 line from six career starts with earnings of $961,252. He will enter the Pegasus off a six-week layoff.

“He's doing great,” said Cox. “Obviously we wouldn't be coming if he wasn't doing well. He ships today (Thursday) and hopefully he will get settled in quickly and be ready for Sunday.”

These are heady times for Cox, who is also mapping out a schedule for Belmont Stakes winner and last year's 2-year-old champion Essential Quality. Cox's plans have Essential Quality shipping to Saratoga in July and pointing to the Travers Stakes.

As hectic as it is for him, Cox would not have it any other way.

“I love everything about it,” he said. “It's why you get up and do this and spend so much time and effort and basically dedicate your life to it. It's the big stage.

“For me, 3-year-olds on the dirt going two turns, that's what it is all about. This is the division I like. The Triple Crown is a challenging thing for horses and it takes special horses to compete at that level. I feel very fortunate to be a part of it.”

Mandaloun's stalking, close-to-the pace running style looks to be well suited for Monmouth Park, too.

“He is usually forwardly placed,” said Cox. “Any time you have speed like he does it's a big advantage. I'm not saying he is going to be on the lead in this race but he will be near the lead I'm sure. Any time you have his running style it normally puts you in a good position.”

The post Cox: Kentucky Derby Runner-Up Mandaloun Using Pegasus To Build Fitness, Prep For Haskell appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Features Action From Belmont, Monmouth, Woodbine

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will host a Cross Country Pick 5 on Saturday featuring racing action from Belmont Park, Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey and Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

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

Action commences in Race 7 [4:06 p.m. Eastern] at Belmont Park, when a field of nine older fillies and mares seek a first-level allowance triumph going seven furlongs over the main track. Breaking from the rail, Juddmonte Farms' Entreat makes her first start since a victorious career debut on September 25 at Churchill Downs for trainer Chad Brown. Jeff Drown and Don Rachel's Iaintfraidanoghost cuts back in distance after a four-length victory on February 28 at Aqueduct. Trained by Jeremiah Englehart, the daughter of Ghostzapper scored at fourth asking in a one-turn mile over a muddy and sealed track.

Action shifts to Woodbine Racetrack for the second leg – a 5 ½-furlong maiden optional claiming event over the all-weather surface. Praven Sorenson and Wayne Oliver's Thatsmykindanight seeks a first career win following two runner up finishes as the 2-1 morning line favorite. Carded as Race 7, the second leg of the sequence has a scheduled post time of 4:20 p.m.

The middle leg brings stakes action to the table when Monmouth Park hosts the Grade 3, $150,000 Salvator Mile [Race 10, 4:28 p.m.]. Defending winner Pirate's Punch invades from Kentucky for trainer Grant Forster, making his first start since finishing 12th in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November at Keeneland. John Fanelli, Cash Is King, LC Racing, Paul Braverman and Team Hanley's Ny Traffic returns to Monmouth Park after a narrow defeat in last year's Grade 1 Haskell Invitational. Trained by Saffie Joseph, Jr., Ny Traffic arrives off his best Beyer Speed Figure yet when garnering a 103 when defeating his New York-bred counterparts by 6 ¾ lengths going seven furlongs at Belmont Park.

Woodbine gets back in on the action in an open maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and upward going one mile over the turf for Race 8 [4:51 p.m.]. Hall of Famer Roger Attfield sends out regally-bred Speightstown Shirl – a daughter of prolific sire Speightstown out of 2011 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Perfect Shirl – for her fourth start after finishing second in all three previous efforts. Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber's Astrological, a bay daughter of Malibu Moon and half-sister to 2018 Woodbine Oaks winner Dixie Moon, makes her career debut for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

A field of 11 turf maiden special weight aspirants closes the curtains on the sequence in a 1 1/16-mile event, carded as Race 11 with a 4:58 p.m. post. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will debut Lumino, a son of Medaglia d'Oro out of Exotic Bloom. Owned by Phoenix Thoroughbreds, the 4-year-old dark bay is a half-sibling to 2015 Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Stopchargingmaria and was bought for $2.1 million from the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Pletcher also sends out Jackpot Farm's Freer, who makes his second career start after finishing second on April 24 at Gulfstream Park.

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, June 12:
Leg A: Belmont Park – Race 7 (4:06 p.m.)
Leg B: Woodbine – Race 7 (4:20 p.m.)
Leg C: Monmouth Park – Race 10, G3, $150,000 Salvator Mile (4:28 p.m.)
Leg D: Woodbine – Race 8 (4:51 p.m.)
Leg E: Monmouth Park – Race 11 (4:58 p.m.)

The post Saturday’s Cross Country Pick 5 Features Action From Belmont, Monmouth, Woodbine appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Larry Collmus, Nick Luck to Join TVG Broadcast Team

TVG will introduce two familiar faces to its broadcast team this summer, the network announced today. Larry Collmus, best known as the voice of the Triple Crown on NBC, will join the TVG broadcast team for select days at Monmouth Park, and NBC Sports broadcast personality and international racing expert Nick Luck, a staple of horse racing coverage in both the UK and US, will be part of the TVG's special coverage of the iconic Royal Ascot meet from June 15-18.

“We are very excited to have both Larry and Nick join our talent roster this summer,” said Kevin Grigsby, executive producer and senior vice president of television for FanDuel Group and TVG.

The post Larry Collmus, Nick Luck to Join TVG Broadcast Team appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Equibase Analysis: Ny Traffic Top Choice In Salvator Mile, But Croatian Intriguing Underneath

This Saturday's Grade 3, $150,000 Salvatore Mile Stakes at Monmouth Park drew a strong field of 10, including four horses which won their most recent start. In addition, 2020 Salvatore Mile winner Pirate's Punch returns to defend his title but does so following seven months off and an 11th place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

Bal Harbour and NY Traffic lead the field in career earnings at more than $600,000, but Bal Harbour returns from a seven month layoff as well and has not earned a win in his last 14 races going back to November, 2018. On the other hand, NY Traffic makes his second start off a seven month rest and ran the best race of his career at Monmouth last summer when second and a nose behind Authentic.

Basin won the Sir Shackleton Stakes when sprinting in March and can likely handle the stretch out to two turns as he finished second in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby last May. Another horse stakes placed as a 3-year-old in 2020 is Green Light Go, who was second in the Roar Stakes last May as well as second in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes as a 2-year-old.

Galerio finished second in the Harrison E. Johnson Memorial and John B. Campbell Stakes in succession earlier this year and must be considered, particularly as he has finished first or second in 20 of 24 career races. War Stopper finished third in the Grade 3 Challenger Stakes in his stakes debut in March before a fourth-place effort in the similar Grade 3 Ghostzapper Stakes at the end of the same month.

Croatian, Informative and West Will Power round out the field but are not without chances either. Croatian has won two of four races at Monmouth and makes his second start off a layoff, Informative finished second in his most recent race last month, and West Will Power won his most recent race decisively by nine lengths.

NY Traffic gets top billing in this year's Salvatore Mile Stakes by virtue of a strong seven-length win in his 4-year-old debut last month. That win came at the distance of seven furlongs and earned a 99 ™ Equibase® Speed Figure, which is highly likely to be improved upon significantly in his second start off the layoff and on the stretch out to two turns. Last spring and summer, NY Traffic proved competitive with top 3-year-olds Maxfield and then Authentic when second in three straight graded stakes – the Risen Star, Louisiana Derby and Matt Winn.

Next came the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth last July in which NY Traffic ran the best race of his career, earning a 107 figure and coming up just a nose shy of beating subsequent Kentucky Derby winner Authentic. Following an eighth-place finish in the Derby and a ninth-place effort in the Preakness, NY Traffic was given time off to mature and he certainly did so as evidenced by his comeback last month. With Paco Lopez returning to the saddle to ride him as he did in the Haskell, NY Traffic may be the one to beat in this race.

Croatian is the veteran in this field, having run 31 times. This will be only his second career start in a stakes race and the other, back in March of last year, was a poor effort in which he finished sixth. However, Croatian was claimed shortly thereafter by Jerry Hollendorfer and reeled off four straight top efforts including two wins and a defeat by a neck, all at Monmouth. The best of those, last September, earned Croatian a 107 ™ figure on par with the figure NY Traffic earned in the Haskell.

Also similar to NY Traffic, Croatian stretches out off a sprint prep following a layoff (October to April). In that sprint, Croatian finished fourth, beaten just two lengths by the winner, with a 97 figure very similar to NY Traffic. As such, it is very likely Croatian will take a big step forward and if he does and can duplicate any of his four efforts over the track last summer, he could post the upset or at the least run much better than his high odds suggest he will.

Pirate's Punch has one big question mark regarding his chances which NY Traffic and Croatian do not and that is he is making his first start of 2021, returning off a seven moth layoff. Pirate's Punch won the 2020 Salvatore Mile with a strong 110 ™ figure and fairly easily by two lengths in a field of eight, as the two to one betting favorite. He had won the Philip H. Iselin Stakes one month prior to that but was disqualified and placed second. Following a last of 12 finish in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, Pirate's Punch was given time to rest and his recent workouts indicated he is in excellent physical form. Additionally, Pirate's Punch won his 2020 debut with a 112 figure but that was following two months off and seven months can be quite different. Nevertheless as he's proven at the level and over the track, Pirate's Punch rounds out a trio I feel stand out against the others in this year's Salvatore Mile Stakes.

The rest of the field, with their best ™ Equibase Speed Figures, is Bal Harbour (108), Basin (104), Galerio (107), Green Light Go (99), Informative (103), West Will Power (102) and War Stopper (103).

Win Contenders:
NY Traffic
Croatian
Pirate's Punch

Salvatore Mile Stakes – Grade 3
Race 10 at Monmouth
Saturday, June 12 – Post Time 4:28 PM E.T.
One Mile
Three Year Olds and Upward
Purse: $150,000

The post Equibase Analysis: Ny Traffic Top Choice In Salvator Mile, But Croatian Intriguing Underneath appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post