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Freud Colt Wows in Nownownow

Dakota Gold took to turf and two turns to score an impressive victory in this lucrative event. The chestnut was a 4 1/2-length debut graduate in an open rained-off sprint at Saratoga Sept. 2, for which he earned a solid 82 Beyer Speed Figure. In receipt of first-time Lasix, Dakota Gold found a stalking position early just behind and outside of odds-on GIII With Anticipation S. scorer Coinage. He settled nicely down the backside behind a :45.56 half mile, and was asked to quicken after six furlongs in 1:10.82. He powered to the front in upper stretch while still figuring out his lead changes, and kicked home from there with bounding strides to defeat pricey maiden Royal Spirit by daylight.

“This is the biggest win of my career, the biggest purse I have ever won. It's incredible. It feels great,” said 23-year-old winning rider Isaac Castillo, who was second in the Monmouth jockey standings heading into Sunday's card. “This is a fantastic horse, a championship-type horse. He was very comfortable on the grass. I was a bit outside early, but he was galloping on his own and very relaxed. When I asked him he just took off. He seems like he can be a very special horse.”

Conditioner Danny Gargan offered, “I thought he was even better on the grass than he was in his first start on the dirt and that race was very impressive. When that race came off we still ran him because he had some good works on the dirt and he ran tremendous that day. I always wanted to run him longer on the grass and today, you put your neck out on the line, and it worked out. There was a New York-bred race today at Belmont at seventh-eighths on the dirt. [Owner] Dean [Reeves] and I discussed it and I really wanted to run here. I'm just glad I got the opportunity to do it and Dean gave me a chance. I told him if we win this we can go to the Breeders' Cup, so I think Dean is going to let me going to the Breeders' Cup. I just couldn't wait to get him on the grass. We knew he had this kind of turn of foot on the grass. There was some pace in the race and he just flew by. When the jockey asked him he just galloped by. It was pretty impressive. You get lucky and get a horse like this once in a while. I think this horse has as much talent as any younger horse I've ever had.”

The 70th stakes winner for New York-based stalwart Freud, Dakota Gold has a yearling half-brother by Redesdale and a foal half-brother by the Reeves' Mucho Macho Man. His dam is a half to 2010 GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile upsetter Dakota Phona (Zavata).

NOWNOWNOW S., $500,000, Monmouth, 9-26, 2yo, 1mT, 1:36.31, gd.
1–DAKOTA GOLD, 117, c, 2, by Freud
                1st Dam: Dakota Kid, by Lemon Drop Kid
                2nd Dam: World of Gold, by Spinning World
                3rd Dam: Explore the Gold, by Fast Gold
($83,000 Wlg '19 FTNMIX). 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Reeves
Thoroughbred Racing; B-Sequel Thoroughbreds & Ron Bowden
(NY); T-Danny Gargan; J-Isaac Castillo. $300,000. Lifetime
Record: 2-2-0-0, $355,000.
2–Royal Spirit, 116, c, 2, Into Mischief–Don'tforgetaboutme, by
Malibu Moon. ($450,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Repole Stable & St.
Elias Stable; B-Claiborne Farm (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher.
$100,000.
3–Coinage, 121, c, 2, Tapit–Bar of Gold, by Medaglia d'Oro.
($450,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-D. J. Stable LLC & Chester
& Mary Broman; B-Chester & Mary R. Broman (NY); T-Mark E.
Casse. $50,000.
Margins: 2HF, 6, 1. Odds: 5.00, 6.30, 0.80.
Also Ran: Shimmering Leroid, There Are No Words, Grooms All Bizness, Midnight Chrome, Sweeping Giant, Pure Panic. Scratched: City At Night. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Pair Of 2-Year-Old Stakes Featured On Closing Day At Monmouth Park

Two-year-olds will take center stage on Sunday at Monmouth Park with a pair of stakes races on the final day of the 55-day meet, which concludes with a 14-race card.

The $500,000 Nownownow Stakes, scheduled for a mile on the grass, and the $100,000 Smoke Glacken, at six furlongs on the main track, will serve as showcases for 2-year-olds, some of which have designs on the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar.

Monmouth Park increased the purse of the Nownownow Stakes from $150,000 to $500,000 in an effort to lure potential Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hopefuls looking for one last prep.

The Mark Casse-trained Coinage, coming off a win in the Grade 3 With Anticipation Stakes at Saratoga on Sept. 1, heads a 10-horse field in the Nownownow Stakes, which includes first-out winner Dakota Gold. The New York-bred Dakota Gold won his debut for trainer Danny Gargan by 4½ lengths against open Maiden Special Weight company on Sept. 2 at Saratoga.

Midnight Chrome, Grooms All Bizness and There Are No Words come into the race after breaking their maiden on the grass at Monmouth Park in their last start.

The Butch Reid-trained Practical Coach, a first-out winner at Parx on Aug. 25 at six furlongs, heads a field of eight 2-year-olds for the Smoke Glacken Stakes. Swift Tap, a handy debut winner at Monmouth Park on Aug. 11 before finishing fifth in the $200,000 Sapling Stakes, will add blinkers for this start for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer.

The races for top jockey, trainer and owner all appear to have been decided, with Paco Lopez already clinching his eighth riding title with 100 victories for the meet entering the final three-day weekend of racing. Only Joe Bravo, with 13, has won more riding titles at Monmouth Park.

Wayne Potts enters the final three days of live racing with a 10-win lead (36 to 26) over Kelly Breen in the trainers' race, while Colts Neck Stables LLC has a four-win lead over Mr. Amore Stable (12 to 8) in the quest for top owner honors.

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Gargan Using Monmouth’s Nownownow As Breeders’ Cup Prep For Dakota Gold

Trainer Danny Gargan doesn't ship very often to Monmouth Park, but when he does it's with a purpose. The primary purpose this weekend is to see if Dakota Gold is Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf worthy.

An impressive first-out winner at Saratoga on Sept. 2, the New York-bred Dakota Gold will make his second career start in Sunday's $500,000 Nownownow Stakes, scheduled for one mile on the turf on the closing day of the 55-day meet.

The purse for the Nownownow Stakes was increased from $150,000 to $500,000 in an effort to entice 2-year-olds to use the race as a final stepping stone to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

“If he can run first or second this race the sky is the limit as to where he goes next,” said Gargan. “I think it's a great idea to make this race this big and with the timing of it (40 days before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile).

“If you're first or second in this race that would probably give you the earnings you need to get into the Breeders' Cup.”

Dakota Gold, a son of Freud-Dakota Kid by Lemon Drop Kid, was impressive in his debut, winning at 5½ furlongs in Maiden Special Weight company by 4½ lengths in a race that was taken off the turf.

“We trained him on the grass, so that's where we were looking to get him started,” said Gargan. “He's a nice quality colt. Just a beautiful animal. We ran him against open company the first time because the timing was right and we wanted to get a race in him. We had him ready.

“When it came off the turf we knew he had also worked well on the dirt so we were fine with it. Sunday he will run either way (on or off the grass).”

Dakota Gold is owned by Reeves Thoroughbred Racing (Dean and Patti Reeves), which was also a part-owner of Tax, the gelding who won the 2019 Jim Dandy for Gargan and also gave the Louisville, Ky., native his first Kentucky Derby starter that year.

“If Dakota Gold runs first or second I'd be hard-pressed not to go to the Breeders' Cup,” said Gargan. “Dean Reeves and I have been in the Kentucky Derby together. We've run in some big races together. He will take a chance in a big race.

“If this horse runs first or second on Sunday he would have to talk me out of going to the Breeders' Cup because I think the firm turf in California would suit my horse too.”

Gargan's potentially-lucrative Monmouth Park weekend will actually start on Saturday, when he sends out Ice Princess in the $100,000 Violet Stakes, the feature race on a 14-race card.

Scheduled for a mile and a sixteenth on the turf, the Violet Stakes may fall victim to rain that is expected to hit the area on Friday. That's fine with Gargan, since Ice Princess cruised to a four-length win in the slop at Saratoga in allowance company in her last start on Aug. 19.

“If it comes off she is going to run,” said Gargan. “I think she will turf but we're trying to handicap and taking an edge. If it comes off she would be a big favorite.”

A 4-year-old daughter of Palace Malice-Happy Clapper by Awesome Again, Ice Princess was a respectable fourth in her only career turf try on June 17 at Belmont Park. She shows a 4-4-1 line from 13 career starts with lifetime earnings of $308,019.

Six other fillies and mares, three and up, are scheduled to oppose her.

“She's a lightly-race filly. We don't run her a lot,” said Gargan. “She is actually super sound. It's not about soundness. It's more about her body weight and it getting a little too low sometimes.

“She's a pretty cool filly. I think next year will be her best year because she is starting to grow into herself.”

First race post time for Friday, Saturday and Sunday – the final three days of the Monmouth Park meet – is 12:15 p.m.

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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'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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