With Jose Ortiz opting for Agate Road, it was Paco Lopez at the controls astride No More Time and he bounced the colt aggressively away from gate five to lead early from second choice Change of Command (Into Mischief). West Saratoga was hung out four deep into the backstretch, while Agate Road–returning to the dirt since debuting over the surface at Saratoga last summer–was void of any speed and dropped out to be a detached last.

Though he was forced through splits of :23.52 for the quarter and a testing :46.61 for the half, No More Time was still going nicely and met a three-wide bid from West Saratoga midway on the turn as the blinkered Change of Command began to back out of it. In the meantime, Agate Road commenced a rally at the 3 1/2-furlong marker and was weaving his way into contention nearing the stretch. Firmly in front passing the three-sixteenths pole, No More Time was asked for his best as Lopez took his trademark look back at the competition over his right shoulder and he gutted it out as Agate Road, wide into the stretch, took good ground off of him in the final yards. West Saratoga just lasted for third over Elysian Meadows (City of Light).

There was some drama at the break, as Everdoit (Gary D) dropped his rider Huber Villa-Gomez after hitting the gate and ran through the outside rail at about the five-furlong marker. Track announcer Jason Beem tweeted later that the gelding had been caught by the outriders. After reviewing the start, stewards ruled that no changes would be made.

A wide second sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Gulfstream on debut Sept. 9, No More Time shot away to graduate by 6 3/4 lengths going the one-turn mile Oct. 22 and did not see action again until the Mucho Macho Man S. over that same track and trip on New Year's Day. Slowly away as the 21-10 second choice, he took the overland route around the turn, but nevertheless traveled into the race looking a threat at the quarter pole. He wasn't able to sustain that bid, finishing fifth, but the gamblers took a forgiving approach Saturday afternoon after No More Time was scratched out of the GIII Holy Bull S. last weekend.

Pedigree Notes:

No More Time is the 31st stakes winner and 14th graded winner for his newly turned 10-year-old sire and is bred on the same cross responsible for GI Madison S. heroine Just One Time. The late Speightstown is now the broodmare sire of 65 stakes winners, 25 at the graded level.

Baroness Juliette was purchased by trainer Clinton Stuart for $12,000 as a 2-year-old at Keeneland November in 2017 and was a maiden winner for a $10,000 tag at Prairie Meadows in nine starts at three in 2018. No More Time is her second foal and her third, the now-juvenile West Virginia-bred colt Mor d'Oro (Mor Spirit), was sold in utero for $7,000 at KEENOV in 2021. She is the dam of a yearling filly by Golden Years, also bred in the Mountaineer State.

Saturday, Tampa Bay Downs
SAM F. DAVIS S.-GIII, $200,000, Tampa Bay Downs, 2-10, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:43.26, ft.
1–NO MORE TIME, 120, c, 3, by Not This Time
                1st Dam: Baroness Juliette, by Speightstown
                2nd Dam: Juliette Ava, by Medaglia d'Oro
                3rd Dam: Cherokee Crossing, by Cherokee Colony
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($40,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Morplay Racing LLC; B-MAMAS Thoroughbreds, LLC (IA); T-Jose Francisco D'Angelo; J-Paco Lopez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, $156,780. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Agate Road, 124, c, 3, Quality Road–Yellow Agate, by Gemologist. ($650,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables LLC; B-Chc Inc. (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $40,000.
3–West Saratoga, 122, c, 3, Exaggerator–Mo Wicked, by Uncle Mo. ($11,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Harry L. Veruchi; B-Two Hearts Farm II LLC (KY); T-Larry W. Demeritte. $20,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 5 1/4, HD. Odds: 3.30, 4.30, 31.00.
Also Ran: Elysian Meadows, Fulmineo, Crazy Mason, Tireless, El Principito, Patriot Spirit, Copper Tax, Change of Command, Everdoit.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

#5 NO MORE TIME ($8.60) takes the them wire-to-wire
in @TampaBayDownsFL's $250,000 GIII Sam F. Davis Stakes! #6 Agate Road finished a quick-closing second.

Paco Lopez was in the irons for trainer @DangeloStable and owners @MorplayRacing. pic.twitter.com/wIYDa0Wpou

— TVG (@TVG) February 10, 2024

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The tote read 1-5 on the champ, but the Repole homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' was out of gas when push came to shove, and, in a bit of an oddly run race, D J Stable and Robert Cotran's unbeaten Hades (Awesome Slew) controlled a moderate tempo, slipped away from Fierceness in the final furlong and held off Domestic Product (Practical Joke) by two lengths for a 9-1 upset and 20 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

“This is what you hope for,” D J Stable's Jonathan Green said. “You hope you have a horse that's this good that can carry your dreams into another level for the Florida Derby and then the Kentucky Derby. The thing that was so exciting to me about this race was not only the way that (trainer) Joe (Orseno) campaigned the horse, which was outstanding. He knows how to handle a horse and get him into the Triple Crown races. But I was so happy that our horse went eyeball-to-eyeball with a champ and put him away. To me, that really shows something. It means the horse really wants to (win), and that's something you can't teach.”

Making his two-turn debut Saturday, Hades, a $130,000 OBS April purchase, was driven away from his rail draw by Paco Lopez, and Fierceness was also given a dig by John Velazquez in an effort to gain some forward position, but Fierceness did get fired up a bit as a result. Hades made the running from Inveigled (Enticed) and a three-wide Fierceness, and sensing a slow pace, Velazquez sent Fierceness into the lead a good three furlongs from home.

Right alongside and in with every chance, Fierceness and Hades appeared to lightly brush inside the eighth pole and while Fierceness had no more to give, Hades kicked on to cause the surprise. Domestic Product, making his first start since a well-beaten seventh in the GII Remsen S. Dec. 2, sat an inside trip and got through at the fence into the stretch before going on to claim second.

Hades rallied from last of seven to win at first asking going 5 1/2 furlongs in a $50,000 maiden optional claimer (not in for the tag) at Gulfstream Park Dec. 9. He dueled free from his rail draw to win by daylight in a first-level state-bred allowance going seven furlongs at Gulfstream last time Dec. 31.

“The plan was to go to the lead, but if somebody was pushing him he was going to rate him,” Orseno said. “It looked like he started to do that when that one horse went up to him, and then Paco had to go. He knew it. When the horse accelerates, he's just got another gear at the top of the stretch. He showed it to us last time. Of course, a champion eyeballs him and he dug in and took off. He ran away from a very good horse. It was our day today. We'll see next time, but right now we'll enjoy the moment.”

Orseno added, “I'm going to let the horse tell us (what's next). Right now, I would say no (to the Fountain of Youth), but if the horse is sharp… he's lightly raced. He's run five and a half and seven furlongs. It's not like he's been pushed.”

It wasn't the easiest of journeys for Fierceness, who was defeated by 3 1/2 lengths following a wide trip after getting pinballed at the start. His resume also includes a puzzling seventh as the heavy favorite in last fall's GI Champagne S.

“He didn't get off to a very good start,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “The inside horse bumped him pretty good and then he got sandwiched and kind of had to shove him into the race and try to get the position we wanted, which we eventually did. But, he had to overcome a pretty rough start to get there. It seemed like he got into a good rhythm and straightened away for home and just kind of flattened out a little bit. Disappointed in the outcome. I think if you watch the replay of the start, it was a pretty rough start, kind of similar to what happened in the Champagne. If he doesn't get away well, he doesn't get into the flow of the race the same way.”

He continued, “I don't think we're going to change any plans. We'll obviously assess how the horse comes out of the race. We know he's better than that, so we've got to regroup a little bit and do better next time. He's shown that he can recover from a subpar performance with a good one.”

Pedigree Notes:

Hades is the second stakes winner and first at the graded level for Awesome Slew. The win gave broodmare sire Quality Road his 11th black-type winner and fifth graded/group winner worldwide. D J Stable went to $130,000 (:21 1/5) to recruit Hades from the 2023 OBS April Sale. The year prior, his half-sister Devious Dame (Girvin) brought $240,000 from One Up Bloodstock out of the OBS March Sale. Devious Dame won her first two races by a combined 10 3/4 lengths and lived up to heavy favoritism with a sharp victory in the Astoria S. at Belmont Park. She brought $185,000 from Woods Edge Farm at the 2023 KEENOV sale. Hades's third dam is GISW Pretty Discreet (Private Account), herself the dam of GISWs Discreet Cat (Forestry) and Discreetly Mine (Mineshaft). Their unraced dam The Shady Lady is a half-sister to MSW & MGSP Courtesan (Street Sense). She is also represented by a 2-year-old full brother to Hades and a yearling filly by Girvin. She visited Win Win Win for 2024.

Saturday, Gulfstream Park
HOLY BULL S.-GIII, $260,000, Gulfstream, 2-3, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:46.07, ft.
1–HADES, 118, g, 3, by Awesome Slew
                1st Dam: The Shady Lady, by Quality Road
                2nd Dam: Lady Discreet, by Boundary
                3rd Dam: Pretty Discreet, by Private Account
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($130,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-D. J. Stable LLC and Robert Cotran; B-Ocala Stud, Joseph M. O'Farrell III, David O'Farrell, et al. (FL);
T-Joseph F. Orseno; J-Paco Lopez. $161,900. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $225,000. *1/2 to Devious Dame (Girvin), SW, $120,560. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Domestic Product, 118, c, 3, Practical Joke–Goods and Services, by Paynter. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Klaravich Stables (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $49,000.
3–Fierceness, 124, c, 3, City of Light–Nonna Bella, by Stay Thirsty. 'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Repole Stable, Inc. (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher. $24,500.
Margins: 2, 1HF, 2HF. Odds: 9.20, 14.40, 0.20.
Also Ran: Inveigled, Dancing Groom, Otello, Sea Streak. Scratched: No More Time.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

What a run from HADES, who wins the Holy Bull Stakes! pic.twitter.com/kfH8kqwZ1e

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 3, 2024

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In ruling, the stewards wrote that the suspension was “for failure to give his best effort and failure to use the proper diligence in Race 7 on September 23, 2023 while astride the horse Ridin With Biden…”

The suspension began Thursday and will conclude on Oct. 27. Lopez has waived his right to appeal.

“The penalty is justified,” said trainer Butch Reid. “We have to look out for our owners as well as the betting public. My concern was that the horse was sound and he is. He has been inspected by state vets three times since the race and is fine.”

In the Greenwood Cup, a mile-and-a-half race, Ridin With Biden chased the winner Next (Not This Time) for about 10 furlongs before that rival started to pull away to what would become a 25-length laugher. However, Ridin With Biden appeared to have second-place wrapped up as he was eight lengths clear of the rest of the field at the eighth pole. But when he pulled the horse up, he was caught for the place, losing out by a nose to 84-1 shot My Imagination (Lea).

Here's how the Equibase chart caller saw it: “Ridin With Biden prompted the winner to midway on the final turn, proved no match then was eased in the final stages costing the place.”

For third-place, Ridin With Biden earned $19,000 or $19,000 less than the second-place payout of $38,000. Lopez's move also, no doubt, costs plenty of bettors. The combination of Next over Ridin With Biden was the lowest payout among all exactas.

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While it's true that he does not face the best of competition in these races, Next is obviously a seriously talented race horse. You have to be to win a graded stakes race by 25 lengths–no matter the distance or the level of competition.

Next was claimed for $62,500 by trainer Doug Cowans out of a seven-furlong race in April of last year, but the story really begins five months later. Cowans was running him on the turf, but stayed in when the Cape Henlopen S. at Delaware Park was rained off the grass and run at 12 furlongs on the dirt. He won by 18 1/4 lengths. Then it was the GII Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance S. at Keeneland, which he won by 6 1/4 lengths. He didn't run his race in his 2023 debut when third in the Isaac Murphy Marathon Overnight S. at Churchill Downs, but has been nothing short of sensational since. He won the GII Brooklyn S. by 2 1/4 lengths and then the Birdstone by 11 3/4. Then he turns the Greenwood Cup into a laugher.

Yes, comparing him to the top horses in training is somewhat a matter of apples-to-oranges, but the Beyer numbers indicate that he's fast enough. He got a 104 Beyer Saturday and has twice run a 105, in the Thoroughbred After Care Alliance and in the Birdstone. Arcangelo (Arrogate), who could be the favorite in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, ran his top number in the GI Travers S., where he got a 105.

But Next's connections remain committed to a schedule that includes only more of the same. When asked after the Greenwood Cup if they might try to drop back in distance and try tougher competition, Cowans said that wasn't the plan.

“It has not been a thought process up to this point,” he said. “At the beginning of the year there was a five-race plan for this horse and we have made every one. Lucky enough, he has stayed sound and healthy and has made every race.”

He said the plan is to run again in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, which will be run this year at Santa Anita.

That certainly makes sense and you can't really fault Cowans and owner Michael Foster to sticking to what has worked so well since the Cape Henlopen. With $915,672 in career earnings he is closing in on the $1-million mark. Not bad for a horse who was claimed for $62,500.

But what if? Could Next duplicate his form in a mile-and-a-quarter race? Is that type of race, just two furlongs shorter, really that different than what he's been running in? It's certainly not out of the question that he could be competitive in some of these races, maybe even in the Classic. Even if he were to run second or third, that would be a huge accomplishment, result in a payday much bigger than anything available to him in the marathon races and open up all sorts of doors. A 5-year-old gelding, if he stays sound he has a lot of racing in front of him.

So why not run in the Classic? There is absolutely nothing to lose, especially when you consider that the alterative, the Thoroughbred After Care Alliance, is worth only $250,000. If he doesn't run well, you can always go back to Plan A.

“We've got a hell of a horse,” Foster said.

He's right. They do. Now let him go out and prove it–in the Classic.

Parx Stewards Need to Come Down Hard on Paco

The other story in the Greenwood Cup was Paco Lopez's ride aboard Ridin With Biden (Constitution), who finished third as the 7-2 second choice. He chased Next for the first nine furlongs or so and was obviously going to lose and lose by a wide margin. But it looked like the horse was going to be second and easily so as he was eight lengths clear of everyone else in the field at the eighth pole. But in the final 40 yards or so, Lopez just gave up.

Here's how the Equibase chart caller saw it: “RIDIN WITH BIDEN prompted the winner to midway on the final turn, proved no match then was eased in the final stages costing the place.”

That's exactly what happened as Ridin With Biden wound up finishing third, beaten a nose by 84-1 shot My Imagination (Lea). The difference between the place and show money was $19,000. Then, of course there's all the money that went down the drain in the exactas, where the Next-Ridin With Biden combo was the favorite. The irony is that Lopez is often accused of being too aggressive.

Maybe he thought he had the place position wrapped up, but that's no excuse. His job was to ride the horse out to the wire and he didn't. The Parx stewards shouldn't take this lightly. An appropriate suspension and fine is called for. Send a message.

Turf Paradise's Demise

It's sad, but hardly surprising to see that Turf Paradise will not re-open. The sport keeps losing racetracks and now will no longer have  a track in another major market. With a population of 1.6 million, Phoenix is the fifth biggest city in the U.S.

But this is also a story of how casino gaming has changed the sport. I don't know what the bottom line details were at Turf Paradise, but trying to make a racetrack go without help from casino revenue is a battle that few tracks can win. That's especially true at a place like Turf Paradise, where the handle is small. And there was nothing on the horizon in Arizona in the way of the track getting help from Historical Horse Racing Machines (HHR) or anything else.

It's no coincidence that the other track about to close, Golden Gate Fields, was also trying to get by without help from a casino, slots or HHR. The list of places where there is an operating racetrack that gets nothing in the way of casino revenues or a subsidy from the government has dwindled to just a handful. Of all the U.S. tracks racing over the weekend, Los Alamitos was the only one. Even Monmouth, which has been fighting a losing battle against the Atlantic City casinos for decades, gets $10 million a year from the state to fatten the purse account.

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The average total handle was $4,032,648 this year, an 11.4 percent increase over last year's average of $3,620,719.

The on-track handle rose 15 percent to $340,257 compared to the 2022 average of $295,896.

In addition, the average field size of 7.71 was the largest since 2015.

“We are grateful to our fans, horsemen, stakeholders and especially Governor Murphy and the entire state legislature,” said Dennis Drazin, chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, operators of Monmouth Park. “To see our across-the-board numbers, year after year, continue to show large increases is a direct result of the purse supplement, the hard work of all our employees, and of course, the racing fans.

“We have witnessed a continued growth of not just the breeding program in New Jersey, but an overall attraction by nationwide horsemen to ensure Monmouth Park is on their summer calendar.

“Not only has the racing office done an amazing job working with our horsemen and ensuring the best possible product to the racing fans, but the same can be said for all our employees. From group sales to admissions, from mutuels to marketing, and of course operations and accounting. I am so appreciative to have such amazing people all working together for the betterment of Monmouth Park.

“We will take this year as a success and continue to build on this next year and for many years to come.”

The GI TVG.com Haskell S. saw a record handle of $21,359,642 for the 14-race card.

Lopez easily captured the Monmouth Park riding title for the ninth time in the past 11 years with 76 winners. His 10 overall titles are second only to Joe Bravo's 13 in track history.

Gonzalez backed up his first training title at the track in 2022 with an outstanding meet as the runaway winner this year. His 46 winners were more than double the total of his nearest competitor.

Klaravich Stables finished as the leading owner with 13 wins, including victories in the GIII WinStar Matchmaker S., the GIII Molly Pitcher S. and the GIII Eatontown S.

Madison Olver and Luis Rivera, Jr. tied for honors as the leading apprentice at the meet with 17 wins apiece.

Thoroughbred racing in New Jersey shifts to the Meadowlands in East Rutherford for a 10-day, all-turf meet that starts Friday, Sept. 15. The meet will run for five consecutive Fridays and Saturdays.

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Yet, officials with the Australian firm BetMakers Technology Group Ltd., which facilitates fixed odds bets for Monmouth, expressed optimism about the future of the new form of betting at Tuesday's kickoff luncheon for the 2023 Monmouth meet, which begins Saturday. At the very least, some progress has been made, particularly when it comes to the content available to bettors. In addition to the Monmouth races, fixed odds bets on Delaware Park, Hawthorne, Emerald Downs, Century Downs, Canterbury Park and FanDuel Racing will be available this year and an agreement that would make bets on Parx available could be wrapped up shortly.

In addition, there's now an app that players can use to play fixed odds and the bets will be available at some self-service betting machines. Last year, bets had to be made with a teller and only a handful of windows were open for fixed odds.

Jake Henson, the chief executive officer at Betmakers Technology Group Ltd., sees these developments as an important step in the right direction and hasn't given up on the goal of making fixed odds betting a major part of how U.S. horse players wager.

“Last year was a big learning event for everyone, our staff on track, our technology team and for everybody involved in regulatory and with compliance,” he said. “We got together at the end of the season to look at what we needed to get better at and what we needed to improve upon.  We're confident we're making progress.”

But before fixed odds betting can get to the next level, two things have to happen. BetMakers must be able to offer wagers on the top tracks in the sport, like Saratoga, Santa Anita, Keeneland, Churchill and Gulfstream, and it has to be available to a far bigger audience than just New Jersey residents. Henson believes that day will come.

“Last year helped a lot with that process because now you have something tangible that you can show regulators and horsemen,” he said when asked about expanding to other states. “How it works, how the economics work. Ultimately, the whole thing is about getting return back to the industry and now that we have a sample set we are more confident going forward. We're in discussions with a number of states, some discussions more advanced than others.”

And when it comes to adding the top tier tracks to the betting menu?

“The more you can show them so far as tangible evidence goes, how it works, how the economics work, that makes it easier to get them to come to table,” Henson said. “For now, we will support the tracks we're involved with and put our attention and focus on them. We are in discussions with some of the major tracks and are keeping them updated on the economics.”

A more long-range goal is to get racing product onto sports betting websites. The belief is that that will be easier to do if fixed odds wagers are offered to traditional sports bettors, who are mostly unfamiliar with pari-mutuel wagering.

“We did some surveys last season and found that two out of three sports bettors would bet on racing if fixed odds was a product option for them,” Henson said. “And there are a lot of sports bettors in this country that are not betting on racing but could be. It's a big opportunity to capture that segment of the market and we will continue to invest and chip away to make that happen.”

Dennis Drazin, the head of the management team at Monmouth, also said he remains optimistic about fixed odds and believes it will eventually become a significant part of the sport.

“When we first talked with the people from BetMakers, they said that in Australia, where they have fixed odds, they have 30 million people,” Drazin said. “Those 30 million people bet the equivalent of $20 billion U.S. and fixed odds has a lot to do with that. We have 350 million people here and we only bet $12 billion. We think one of the things that can help turn things around and grow revenue for the sport is fixed odds wagering. BetMakers has been a great partner. They came here and got this thing rolling for us. Last year was the infancy of what we're going to do. But what's going to happen from here is we are going to grow the handle throughout the United States as this spreads around the country. I think it can get to $400-$500 million a year in handle. As each state comes on, the results will be proven. I think fixed odds wagering will spread to other states once we get rolling.”

This will be the 78^th season of racing at Monmouth Park and the meet will run for 51 days, nine fewer than last year. Closing day is September 10, which will be followed by a 10-day meet at the Meadowlands, which will be all turf racing.

Paco Lopez will be back in search of his tenth riding title. Joe Bravo is the track's all-time leader with 13 titles, but he now rides in California. There are 48 stakes on the schedule, highlighted by the GI Haskell S. The $1 million race will be run on July 22 on a card that will include four other graded stakes. Four stakes top the June 17 card, which has been dubbed Haskell Preview Day.

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But while Maker's familiar presence in the winner's circle underscored his resilience in the event often described as the “blue-collar Breeders' Cup,” a trainer taking his first crack at the Claiming Crown, Tom Van Berg, also registered two series victories and added a third on the undercard for a three-win afternoon.

The Claiming Crown, which began in 1999 as a way to showcase and reward horses who compete in the types of races that form the backbone of day-to-day American racing, is a partnership between the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. After initially rotating among smaller tracks in its formative years, Gulfstream Park had evolved into the host track over the past decade.

But for 2022, the Claiming Crown switched sites to Churchill Downs, and the series was moved up from early December to the Saturday after the Breeders' Cup, a spot where it faced practically zero simulcast competition in terms of marquee events on the national calendar.

Speculation had been rife over the past several months about whether Churchill Downs would actually be able to host turf racing for the Claiming Crown because of the fragile condition of its slow-to-grow $10 million grass course. But Mother Nature interceded on the morning of Nov. 13 by dusting Louisville with early-season snow and freezing temperatures, making it a necessity for track management to move all scheduled turf races to the sloppy and sealed main track.

As if the gray, chilly conditions weren't enough to underscore the hardscrabble nature of the claiming event, Van Berg's two wins for his ownership outfit, Grit to Glory Racing, LLC, lent additional support in the form of an appropriate name: Not only because “grit to glory” is a catchphrase that epitomizes the Claiming Crown, but because those words were also the subtitle of a biography written about Tom Van Berg's father, the late, great Hall-of-Fame trainer Jack Van Berg.

“This is the first time we've participated in it as a stable,” Tom Van Berg said of the eight-race Claiming Crown slate that featured $1.05 million in guaranteed purses, plus additional funding from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund. “When we heard the news it was coming to Churchill, it made a big difference on who we ran and how many we ran. I think if it was in Florida, we'd probably have taken one down there. Instead we have five in today, so [the series being at Churchill] made a big difference for us.”

Another twist this year was that the Claiming Crown races, which have traditionally been conducted under starter allowance conditions but called stakes, couldn't technically be called “stakes” this year because the Claiming Crown would then be subject to no-Lasix restrictions that are required for stakes. But even though not designated as black-type, the races for the most part retained their traditional naming to keep continuity with previous editions.

In the featured nine-furlong Jewel, the Maker-trained Keystone Field opened up with a big move off the far turn and then grudgingly stayed on late at 6-1 odds in 1:53.29 under Gerardo Corrales.

The 7-year-old gelding is now 6-for-21 lifetime for owner Three Diamonds Farm (Kirk Wycoff).

“We knew when it came up sloppy that a son of Candy Ride should handle the surface great,” Wycoff said. “I left the [Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale] a few hours ago, and it's a great sale-but winning races is better.”

One of trainer Van Berg's two wins for his Grit to Glory partnership came in the $125,000 Rapid Transit over seven furlongs. The Queens Jules (Scat Daddy) provided the most exciting finish of the day by clawing back the lead when headed in deep stretch and scoring by the barest of nostrils with Florent Geroux up in 1:25.10 for seven furlongs at 8-1 odds. The 7-year-old gelding has switched barns via the claim box weight times in 59-race career prior to earning win number 12 on Saturday.

That same owner/trainer/jockey combo teamed for a win by Petit Verdot (Vancouver {AUS}) in the $150,000 Canterbury Tom Metzen Memorial, moved from the grass to 5 ½ furlongs over the slop and reduced to a field of five after six scratches. The 4-year-old gelding forced the issue near the front end to register a length-of-stretch, head-bob victory at 2-1 odds in 1:05.52. Petit Verdot had been claimed in his last three starts of 2021 prior to a four-win campaign so far this season, with eight in-the-money finishes from 10 tries.

On a day when Kentucky-based horses enjoyed a six-win, home-court advantage, Parx-based horses shipped in to snag two Claiming Crown races.

In the off-the-turf $150,000 Tiara for distaffers at 1 1/16 miles, Out of Sorts (Dramedy) demonstrated why she's now 3-for-3 on wet dirt tracks. She roared home by 10 lengths in 1:47.34 for trainer Robert Mosco and owner John Fanelli, with Paco Lopez up at 6-1 odds.

The 4-year-old filly had been claimed for $25,000 by those connections out of her most recent start, an Oct. 4 wire job back at Parx, and Saturday's blowout win returned nearly four times that investment in immediate purse dividends.

One race later, in the $100,000 Ready's Rocket Express, Philly connections struck again, with 6-year-old gelding Hero Tiger (Hero of Order) splashing past rivals at the sixteenth pole to tally by 1 ¼ lengths in the $100,000 Iron Horse Kent Stirling Memorial in 1:11.89 for six furlongs. Trained by third-generation horseman John T. Kirby for owner Gregg O'Donnell, it was the second Claiming Crown win on the day for jockey Luis Saez.

To win the Express, the 4-1 Hero Tiger had to run down 2-1 favorite Beverly Park (Munnings), who snatched the lead on far turn but couldn't sustain his bid, fading to fourth in an attempt to win his 13th race of the year from 26 starts. Beverly Park's 12 victories in 2022 are still good enough for winningest horse on the continent honors, with his next closest rival four wins behind.

In the $150,000 Emerald, the even-money Palace Coup (Bernardini) pressed the pace and drew away late for a two-length score for owner FAS Racing (Adis Smajlovic) and trainer Joe Sharp in 1:46.40 for 1 1/16 miles in an off-the-turfer, giving jockey Lopez his second Claiming Crown winner of the day.

The one-turn-mile $100,000 Glass Slipper was won by Invaluable (Include) for owner Paradise Farms Corp. (Peter Proscia), providing Claiming Crown doubles for trainer Maker and jockey Saez. Off at 3-1, the speed-centric 5-year-old mare won by 1 ½ lengths in 1:39.84. Claimed six times in her 24-race career, from $50,000 all the way down to $8,000, Invaluable is now 3-for-7 on wet tracks and was re-equipped with blinkers for first time in two years.

Time for Trouble (English Channel) won the $100,000 Iron Horse Kent Sterling Memorial for trainer Jeff Hiles, who also owns the 5-year-old gelding in partnership with Thorndale Stable, LLC (Paul Parker). Joe Talamo engaged in a long, grind-'em-down effort before drawing away late by 3 ¼ lengths in 1:46.79 for 1 1/16 miles. Since being claimed on June 18, 2021, for $8,000, Time For Trouble has won five of eight over varying surfaces and distances, including firm and good turf, plus fast and slop on the main track, all the way up to 1 3/8 miles in distance.

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Total handle was $217,243,199 this summer compared to $173,511,611 a year ago. On-track handle was $17,753,794 in 2022 compared to $15,216,978 a year ago.

Total attendance was 368,101. Monmouth ran 60 live days of racing this year compared to 55 a year ago.

“We're extremely pleased by the increase in handle for the 2022 meet, which we feel is a reflection of the quality of the product we were able to offer and the commitment from the horsemen to our program,” said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, operators of Monmouth Park. “The numbers show the strength of our product and the willingness of bettors to wager on it. As we look forward to 2023, we want Monmouth Park fans and horsemen to know they can count on our ongoing commitment with additional facilities upgrades and to the highest quality of racing we can offer.”

Thoroughbred racing in New Jersey now shifts to the Meadowlands Racetrack for a nine-day all-turf meet that gets underway Friday, Sept. 23, and runs through Saturday, Oct. 22. First race post time throughout the meet will be 7 p.m.

Lopez, 36, easily outdistanced the competition with 91 winners. His nine riding titles leave him behind only Joe Bravo's 13 for the most in Monmouth Park history. He punctuated his latest title with a four-winner day on Sunday.

“Every title for anyone I think is special,” said Lopez. “It's going to be hard to catch Joe Bravo but I'm going to try. It's not going to be easy. But I am going to enjoy this one. Winning the title at Monmouth Park is always special for me. I'm very grateful to all of the owners and trainers who put me up on horses and helped me have success.”

Gonzalez, who started his career at Monmouth Park as an assistant to Ben Perkins, Jr. in 1995, owns 16 training titles at Laurel and two at Pimlico. He finished with 32 winners, three better than runner-up Kelly Breen.

“I started here. I still feel like this is my home,” Gonzalez said of Monmouth Park. “I feel this one is special for me. I really wanted to win the title here this year, especially after we got off to such a fast start. And we got it. I'm very happy. I have a great crew of workers. Any time you win a title it's a team effort.”

Leading owner wound up as a four-way tie with eight winners between Bergen Racing, Dave Gruskos, Monster Racing and the partnership of Joseph and Gayle Ioia and Chuck Spina.

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“I'll be honest, I came into this meet concerned [about a drop in business], and I think rightfully so, because our numbers were so spectacular last year when you're up 13% like we were,” Serling said when asked to explain Saratoga's continued growth. “I was shocked how much we were up [opening week]. Saratoga, even as we expanded, always sort of stayed the August place to be. It was a little quieter when the meet started and the last week, especially when you're into September, can get quieter. I'm wondering now if it's starting to matter less and less. This weekend was incredible, huge crowds, the handle numbers were great, the racing was also terrific. We averaged almost 10.5 horses per race on the inner turf. We were up about three-quarters of a horse over last year. So all the stars aligned, the racing was great, and the love for Saratoga keeps growing and growing. And maybe it's that once somebody comes to Saratoga, they never stop coming back. And over the years that's just going to build and build and build.”

The conversation turned to the increasingly redundant racing calendar and the abundance of short fields seen in stakes races.

“It's 100% a problem. To suggest otherwise is to continue, as we love to do in racing, to keep our heads in the sand,” he said. “It's not just a problem in America, but it's a bigger problem in America. The purses shouldn't matter in these big races, because there's so much intrinsic value for stallions and broodmares. But there are too many races. We were trying to fill the Mother Goose, and it pains me to think of that as a race that will go by the wayside, because the winners of that race are a veritable who's who of the greatest horses that have ever raced in that division. But something has to give. I'm not blaming any of these tracks, but there's an Iowa Oaks, there's this Oaks, there's that Oaks. There are races everywhere and it's just giving people too many options. Whether it's the graded stakes committee, the boards, the racing offices, something has to be done, because there are just too many big races with small fields.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, Lane's End, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, XBTV, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers previewed a big weekend of racing, remembered the great Kitten's Joy and called for more meaningful sanctions for Paco Lopez's reckless riding. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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Lopez was suspended five days for his ride aboard Midnight Diva (Midnight Lute) in that day's third race. Juarez was suspended for eight days and fined $500 for “initiating a physical confrontation with another jockey.”

According to the footnote of the race, Midnight Diva came out midway on the far turn and impeded Juarez's mount, La Costa (Archarcharch). La Costa clipped heels with Midnight Diva, stumbled badly and was pulled up by Juarez. Midnight Diva crossed the wire third but was disqualified and placed last.

A New Jersey Racing Commission ruling issued July 13 noted that, “Mr. Lopez came out changing paths without sufficient clearance, causing #5 LA COSTA to clip heels and stumble badly, losing all chance.”

Lopez has been suspended numerous times in recent years for careless or rough riding, and Juarez is not the first rider to accuse Lopez of often riding in a reckless manner. The TDN was unable to reach Lopez for comment by deadline for this story.

The fight took place after the race when both riders were at the scales to weigh out.

Juarez had traveled back and forth to Sweden to be there for the birth of his daughter and rushed back to New Jersey to fulfill his riding obligations. He said the travel was difficult and he was frazzled.

“I had, literally, spent 31 hours on planes,” he said. “My daughter was born the day before the incident. My wife is still stuck in Sweden. It was a whirlwind week. Flight cancellations, delays, they lost my bag. It was a nightmare.”

He said his newborn daughter was on his mind when Lopez cut him off.

“He was smirking at me,” Juarez said. “I had just held my baby girl the day before and he just did something that could have cost me my life. He knows what he did and he's done it before. He has no remorse. He never called Romero Maragh in the hospital after he dropped him and the kid broke his neck. I know he would never do anything for me. To know you're riding out there every day with someone like that, it's touchy.”

Juarez said riding against someone like Lopez is like driving on the same road with a dangerous driver.

“Imagine if you are diving to work every day and are driving with the same eight, nine guys every day,” he said. “Just the same people. But you know one guy doesn't give a [expletive]. One day he's going to cut you off, one day he's not. Would you feel safe driving?

Despite his feelings toward Lopez, Juarez said he got what he deserved from the stewards.

“With me, they sent the right message because I deserve my punishment,” Juarez said. “I took things into my own hands and if I did that out on the street there would be repercussions with the authorities. I have to let the authorities do their job. On my end, I think they were fair. I am ashamed of how I acted. What they do with him is out of my control.”

Earlier this year, Lopez was handed a 14-day suspension by the Gulfstream stewards for his ride aboard In Due Time (Not This Time) in the GII Fountain of Youth S., in which two horses fell. In 2019, the Gulfstream stewards hit Lopez with a 30-day suspension for careless riding and causing a spill that resulted in Maragh undergoing surgery for two broken vertebrae and Carlos Montalvo suffering a fractured ankle. In 2021, Lopez got into an altercation with Irad Ortiz Jr. after a roughly run race at Gulfstream. Ortiz was fined $1,000 and both riders were put on probation.

Lopez tops the Monmouth standings with 48 wins. Juarez is in eighth place with 10 wins.

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