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Leader of the Band Rallies Late To Win Monmouth Oaks

Stretching out from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles for the first time, Edie Meeny Miny Mo looked like she would have no trouble with the extra distance, but Leader of the Band made a big run down the stretch to catch the favorite and win the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks by two lengths at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Edie Meeny Miny Mo went into the G3 Monmouth Oaks with two wins in two lifetime starts, ready to try stakes company for the first time. Also in the field of nine for the G3 Monmouth Oaks was Leader of the Band, a last-out third behind Crazy Beautiful in the Delaware Oaks. Under jockey Frankie Pennington, Leader of the Band broke cleanly, running seventh behind early leader Coppelia entering the first turn. Edie Meeny Miny Mo took the lead before the first quarter, striding out to a two-length advantage over Midnight Obsession and Coppelia. Repelling a challenge from Midnight Obsession on the final turn, the favorite looked like she might get an easy win in her first race around two turns.

On the final turn, Pennington took Leader of the Band to the outside, the filly accelerating through the stretch to catch Edie Meeny Miny Mo in the race's final strides. Midnight Obsession held on for third. The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.44.

Leader of the Band paid $22.60, $7.40, and $4.40. Edie Meeny Miny Mo paid $4.00 and $2.60. Midnight Obsession paid $2.80 to show.

Find this race's chart here.

“She ran great. Unfortunately, my other horse (third-place finisher Midnight Obsession) came out a little bit and bothered her at the start, so I thought she would be a little bit closer. But it might have worked out for the best. Paco Lopez had Midnight Obsession a little closer than I expected, because I knew Edie Meeny Mino Mo would probably have to show speed coming out of two sprints. But it all worked out in our favor,” Leader of the Band's trainer John Servis commented after G3 Monmouth Oaks.

“The last time she ran in the Delaware Oaks she didn't get off great. Today she made a great run late. When the pace was up ahead of me, she felt pretty good and I was sitting there and every time I nudged her she was giving me something so I felt pretty comfortable coming out of the three-eighths turn.” Frankie Pennington said post-race. “She clipped heels a little bit after the break and I was a little further back than I wanted to be but she is such a nice horse, she kept chugging and she got the job done.”

Bred in Pennsylvania by owner SMD Limited, Leader of the Band is by Bandbox out of the Sir Cat mare Catsuit. The win in the G3 Monmouth Oaks brings Leader of the Band to two wins in five starts in 2021 and a lifetime record of three wins in seven starts for career earnings of $264,540.

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Shedaresthedevil Returns To Del Mar Ready To Run In Grade 1 Hirsch

Shedaresthedevil departed Del Mar in September of 2019 after competing in two stakes races for 2-year-old fillies.

The daughter of Daredevil had finished third in the $200,000 Grade 2 Sorrento before being switched from dirt to grass for a fourth-place result after setting the pace in the $100,000 Juvenile Fillies Turf on the closing day of the meeting.

Shedaresthedevil stepped off a van in the stable area of the track Wednesday evening following a journey from Kentucky. And trust Eric Gary, the assistant to trainer Brad Cox who arrived a while earlier, the two years had made a big difference.

“She is one big, mature filly,” said Gary.

Gary, a Louisiana-born, second-generation trainer has only been working for nationally prominent Cox for a couple of months. But with Cox and his son Blake occupied at Saratoga with Essential Quality in Saturday's $600,000 Grade 2 Jim Dandy, among others, Gary got the call to travel with and saddle Shedaresthedevil for Sunday's $300,000 Grade 1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

Shedaresthedevil, whose five graded stakes victories in 2020-21 include the 2020 Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks and 2021 Grade 1 La Troienne, both at Churchill Downs, is the 7-5 morning-line favorite for the Hirsh, a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Gary estimated that Shedaresthedevil might “be pushing toward 18” hands in height – nearly 6-feet measured at the withers, or top of the shoulder. He invited a visitor into the stall to stand next to her for verification and it produced no argument.

“She's very easy going around the barn, but very aggressive when it's time for training or racing,” Gary said.

Shedaresthedevil won four times and was never out of the money in seven starts in 2020 for earnings of $1,193,070. This year, she's 2-for-3 with wins in the Grade 2 Azeri at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., in March, the Grade 1 La Troienne at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., in April, and a third to Letruska, the current No. 1 rated older filly or mare on dirt, in the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps on June 5 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

All three races were at 1 1/16 miles, the same distance as the Hirsch. Because of the huge layout of Belmont Park, the Phipps was contested around one turn. Connections for Shedaresthedevil are hoping that a return to two turns creates a return to the winner's circle.

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Del Mar will be her fourth track in as many starts this year.

“She travels really well,” Gary said. “We've had her out a couple times and she has handled the track really well. I think this race has probably been a part of the plan for her all along. The ultimate goal is the Breeders' Cup here, so that would figure.”

Shedaresthedevil did her serious training at Ellis Park in Kentucky and got high praise from Cox's assistant there according to Gary. Race instructions and strategy will be up to Cox and jockey Florent Geroux.

“They're very close, I know they're very happy with the way she has trained and they have a plan they've already talked about,” Gary said.

The Clement L. Hirsch field from the rail with jockeys and morning line odds in parenthesis: Warren's Showtime (Juan Hernandez, 8-1); Clockstrikestwelve (Kyle Frey, 30-1); As Time Goes By (Mike Smith, 8-5); Paige Anne (Flavien Prat, 15-1); Cover Version (Abel Cedillo, 30-1); Venetian Harbor (Mario Gutierrez, 2-1) and Shedaresthedevil (Florent Geroux, 7-5).

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Russell Rides Hello Beautiful To Alma North Victory, Gets 1,500th Winner

Jockey Sheldon Russell celebrated his 1,500th career victory in style Saturday, guiding Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables, and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful to a popular 3 ¾-length score in the $100,000 Alma North at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The fifth running of the Alma North for fillies and mares 3 and older was the first of three $100,000 stakes on the final program of July, followed by the Challedon, also sprinting six furlongs, and 1 1/8-mile Deputed Testamony, both for 3-year-olds and up.

All three races are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

It was the eighth career win and sixth in a stakes for Hello Beautiful ($2.20), who is trained by Russell's wife, Brittany. The final time of 1:09.63 was the fastest of two runnings at the current distance.

“It's always anxious because she means so much to us and she's been so good,” Sheldon Russell said. “As soon as she got the first quarter, I knew that she was in her happy place and it was cruise control from there. The final time was extremely impressive. She's a good filly.

“I'm just very happy that we got it out of the way, and for it to happen on Hello Beautiful. She's been a great filly throughout my career, she's given me some great wins,” he added. “She was mine and Brittany's first stakes winner together, so for me to reach a milestone on one of our favorite fillies, it's something I'll never forget.”

To commemorate the milestone, Russell teamed with agent Marty Leonard to gift Hello Beautiful's groom, Luis Barajas, with $1,500. It was a gesture Russell began with $1,000 for his 1,000th winner on March 7, 2015, with Shayjolie in the Cat Cay at Aqueduct.

“Luis has been with us for about a year now. He's a key role behind the scenes at the barn and he takes care of some really, really nice fillies,” Russell said. “He's got years of experience, so when they come with that kind of background, straight away when he came into Brittany's barn she gave him the best five horses pretty much that she has.

“It's good that the money's coming home. I see these guys on a daily basis and for them to make the extra money is always great,” he added. “Just finally to have gotten the 1,500, we can start moving forward now. I was starting to feel the pressure there. I had a couple of close finishes [Friday] and then today. It takes the pressure off.”

Beaten at the wire in his first mount of the day, 3-5 favorite Make It a Double in Race 2 for trainer Anthony Farrior, Russell and Hello Beautiful quickly established command as the 1-9 choice in a field of five. They rolled through a quarter-mile in :23.41 and a half in :45.84 with mild pressure from Call On Mischief.

Hello Beautiful straightened for home in front and shook loose through the stretch from Call On Mischief, who stayed up for second by a neck over Precious, followed by Bluefield and Paisley Singing. Club Car was scratched.

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It was the first win in three tries at Pimlico for Hello Beautiful, having run third in her May 10, 2019 unveiling and second by a neck to undefeated Chub Wagon in the June 13 Shine Again. Bred in Maryland by Ellen Charles' Hillwood Stable, Hello Beautiful was picked out and purchased by Brittany Russell for $6,500 at Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic December 2018 mixed sale.

“The question was always is she a horse for the course at Laurel and she's run two big races at Pimlico now so it's good that she can run on a different surface, as well. It feels great,” Brittany Russell said.

Hello Beautiful won the Jan. 16 What A Summer, 2020 Safely Kept and Maryland Million Distaff, and 2019 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship and Maryland Million Lassie, all with Sheldon Russell aboard at Laurel Park. She now has earnings of $464,610 from 16 lifetime starts and a milestone win for husband and wife, who are parents to daughter, Edy, who turns 2 next month, and are expecting a second child in November.

“It's really incredible it worked out that way, especially because [Sheldon] was on a very live horse of Farrior's in the second race and they're very good friends of ours,” she added. “I would have been just as happy to see him do it on his horse, but then when the horse got nailed on the line, selfishly I thought, 'Ok. It's going to be the big filly.' She means so much to us. It's very special.”

Russell was Maryland's overall leading rider in 2011 and has won eight career meet titles, the most recent coming at Laurel Park's calendar year-ending 2020 fall stand. He has battled various injuries over the course of his career and currently ranks second to Charlie Marquez for the state's most wins in 2021.

“In this game, you've got to stay healthy. The wins will always come. Knock on wood, we've been on a bit of a roll here and not been injured for a while,” Sheldon Russell said. “Just very fortunate. I'm happy to get to this milestone; hopefully, we can get to 2,000.”

The Alma North is named for the Maryland-bred champion 3-year-old filly and Horse of the Year in 1971 and Maryland-bred champion older filly of 1972. Owned by the late Eugene Mori's East Acres Stable, Alma North won 23 of 78 career starts with $513,597 in purse earnings from 1970-74. Her victories included graded-stakes scores in the Grade 1 Matchmaker and Grade 2 Vineland, Grade 3 Margate, and Grade 3 Betsy Ross handicaps in 1973.

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Calhoun Readies By My Standards For Whitney, Mr. Wireless for West Virginia Derby

Trainer Bret Calhoun is poised for an action-packed weekend with Allied Racing and Spendthrift Farm's By My Standards lined up to start in the $1 million Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The four-time graded stakes winner has accumulated earnings in excess of $2.2 million with two Grade 1-placings on the NYRA circuit, including a runner-up effort in last year's Whitney to Improbable. He was a late-closing second to fellow Whitney contestant Silver State last out in the Grade 1 Hill 'n' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 5 at Belmont Park.

By My Standards has posted all four of his graded stakes victories over two turns, capturing the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course during his 3-year-old year following a third-out maiden score. As a 4-year-old, the son of Goldencents captured the Grade 2 New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds, the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap, and the Grade 2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs.

Prior to the Met Mile, By My Standards made a triumphant 5-year-old debut in the Oaklawn Mile at Oaklwan Park in Hot Spring, Ark., on April 10. The Whitney will be By My Standards' first start this year going nine furlongs, which Calhoun says is the horse's best distance.

“That's one of the things that impressed me about his last race, he ran so well and it wasn't his ideal distance,” Calhoun said. “A one-turn mile is a little shorter for him, but he definitely can move forward off that race. He ran a nice race in the Met Mile. He got ran over at the gate a little bit, but he bounced back and trained very well since. I like the good spacing between his races. He'll go an easy half-mile Sunday at Colonial and will arrive at Saratoga Wednesday morning. Hopefully, everything goes well between now and then.”

Gabriel Saez, who has piloted By My Standards in 14 of his 16 starts, will return to the irons.

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Calhoun could also garner prosperity in West Virginia on Saturday with Mr. Wireless in the $750,000 Grade 3 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park in New Cumberland, W.Va. The Jon Lapczenski and JIL Stable-owned sophomore son of Dialed On won the Grade 3 Indiana Derby on July 10 at Indiana Grand Race Course in Shelbyville, Ind. last out over Sermononthemount and graded stakes winner Fulsome.

Calhoun also could have Tom Durant's graded stakes-winning veteran Silver Dust target the $200,000 Grade 3 West Virginia Governor's Cup. The four-time graded stakes-winning son of Tapit won the Governor's Cup in 2019 and captured the Grade 2 Ben Ali on April 10 at Keeneland two starts ago.

Calhoun said Silver Dust would prefer a cooler climate.

“It's under consideration,” Calhoun said of the nine-furlong event. “He's a lot better in the cooler weather. He just seems to thrive in cooler weather. His energy level isn't near as high in heat. We'll watch the weather and see what happens.”

Calhoun saddled Ain't No Elmers to a second placing at graded stakes level in Wednesday's Grade 2 Honorable Miss at the Spa, where she set the pace and held on gamely for third behind graded stakes-winners Bell's the One and Lake Avenue.

“I thought she ran great. She battled all the way down the lane and never gave up,” Calhoun said. “She was outrun by two very high-quality fillies, so kudos to them. Elmers bounced back good and hopefully, there's a graded stakes with her name on it in the future.”

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