Raased Gives Escobar First American Stakes Win In Oceanport Stakes At Monmouth

Trainer Alison Escobar has waited three years for his first stakes win in the United States, but the trainer didn't have to sweat it out when it finally happened.

Raased, the overwhelming favorite in a reduced field when the race was taken off the turf, glided across the slop at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., on Sunday to capture the $100,000 Oceanport Stakes by 19¼ lengths.

For Escobar, who has won 11 graded stakes races in Puerto Rico, the victory in the 74th edition of the Oceanport Stakes was his first since he started training in the United States in 2019.

“It feels very good,” he said. “I have won many stakes races in Puerto Rico, but to get the first one here feels great.”

Ridden by Heriberto Figueroa, Raased tracked Island Commish through early fractions of :23.56 for the opening quarter and :47.39 to the half. The 5-year-old son of Tapit then took off, leaving his three rivals in the lurch. The winning time for the mile and a sixteenth was 1:44.43.

Raased, who won his only other slop start at Monmouth Park by 10½ lengths against allowance company on May 30, returned $2.40 to win. Crown and Sugar was second, 6¼ lengths in front of Island Commish.

“I had 100 percent confidence in this horse whether it stayed on the turf or was in the slop and off the grass,” said Figueroa. “But when they changed to the dirt and it was sloppy, I knew I had a really big chance, especially in a four-horse field. He loves the slop. So I was happy when they changed it.

“I was just waiting behind Island Commish. (Raased) started running by himself. He just took off. You could tell he loved the slop by the way he was running.”

The victory also marked Figueroa's first stakes win at Monmouth Park since he moved his tack here from California.

Raased, owned by Candido Esquivel, has three wins and a second from his five career starts, with his only off-the-board finish in the Grade 3 Poker Stakes on the turf at Belmont Park in his previous start.

“I felt very excited when the race came off the turf,” said Escobar, who has 760 career victories. “He has won on the turf. He broke his maiden on the turf. But he really likes the slop. He's a good horse. He runs on any surface. He has shown us that. The horse is good quality.”

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Earlier on the card, jockey Isaac Castillo escaped with only a sprained right knee when his mount, Chublicious, broke down during the 10th race, according to Dr. Angelo Chinnici, the track's medical director. Castillo, third in the Monmouth Park jockey standings with 33 wins, was treated and released and said he expects to resume riding this week.

In addition, jockey Gerardo Corrales, injured in Saturday's Tyro Stakes when his horse, Vodka N Water, clipped heels with a rival, is scheduled for a follow-up exam on his sprained right shoulder on Wednesday and said he expects to resume riding sometime next week if he is cleared to do so by doctors.

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Her World Wows In Tyro Win At Monmouth

Her World lived up to the hype – and then some.

Touted by trainer Wesley Ward as perhaps the best 2-year-old filly he has ever had at this stage of her career, Her World took on the daunting double task of her first career start coming against colts and in stakes company. She handled both with ease.

In a virtual gate-to-wire victory, Her World romped to a dazzling six-length victory in the 80th edition of Tyro Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. Ridden by Paco Lopez, the daughter of Caravaggio breezed the five furlongs over a firm turf course in :56.62, easily dispatching her seven male rivals in the $100,000 feature race.

“We're excited. She did exactly what we thought she would,” said Ward. “We don't have to change much after watching that race moving forward. We're going to bring her next to Keeneland, and then we plan on bringing her to the Breeders' Cup.

“With what she showed today winning in a stakes race against colts who had experience, it's encouraging. We're going to skip right along and continue from this. I look forward to her next couple of starts but I also look forward to her being a 3-year-old, and I think (co-owner) Dick Brodie and the rest of the owners have a special one with her.”

The race was marred by a spill that saw third-place finisher Roman Poet drift out at the quarter pole, causing Vodka N Water and jockey Gerardo Corrales to clip heels and go down.

Corrales was taken by ambulance to Monmouth Medical Center for X-rays on his right shoulder, said Dr. Angelo Chinnici, the track's medical director.

“He was alert and oriented,” Dr. Chinnici said. “He was unconscious for a brief period of time but now he is fine.”

Vodka N Water experienced only cuts to his legs but was otherwise fine, said Mitch Dennison, who oversees Steve Asmussen's division at Monmouth Park.

“The horse is up and running around and looks okay except for the cuts,” said Dennison.

Roman Poet, who finished third, was disqualified and placed last for causing the interference.

Her World, meanwhile, made her challenge look almost too easy, returning $3.80 to win as the heavy favorite in the field. Trust Our Journey was second, with Baytown Warrior elevated from fourth to third following the DQ of Roman Poet.

“She is obviously a very nice filly,” said Lopez. “Wesley told me she's the best filly he has now and maybe for many, many years at this stage of her career. She broke on top and was looking around a little, maybe trying to figure things out (in her first career start). She was very professional.

“I used her to get to the top right away because Wesley Ward told me she had that kind of speed. Sometimes you want to get out there second or third and relax but she wanted to go. I looked behind after a while for the other horses but no one was running at us. She was flying in the stretch.

“You have to be special to do something like this in your first start, a stakes race and a filly against boys. But Wesley was very confident. He told me he loves this filly and wants to take her to the Breeders' Cup. Now that I have ridden her I know she can do it.”

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Her World is owned by Andrew Farm, Susan Molton, For the People Racing Stable, and Windmill Manor Farm.

“Personally I was nervous going into the race, but I will tell you what, Wesley Ward had a lot of confidence in the horse and that's why she ended up in this race against the boys,” said co-owner Dick Brodie of Andrew Farm. “It's not up to me, but there have been conversations about running her the first weekend at Keeneland. My ownership partnership is with Charlie O'Connor and John Morgan.

“After today, I would definitely tell you this is one of, if not my favorite horse, we own right now. I am thrilled with what I saw.”

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New Entries Added To Fasig-Tipton July Selected Racing Age And Breeding Stock Sales

Fasig-Tipton has catalogued an additional nine entries to its July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale, and an additional two entries to its July Breeding Stock Sale.

July Selected Horses of Racing Age

The latest entries are catalogued as hips 664-673, which may now be viewed online.  They include:

  • Assertive Style (Hip 665): Three-year-old daughter of Nyquist won an allowance race at Indiana Grand on June 30 by more than five lengths. Consigned by James B. Keogh (Grovendale), agent for Machmer Hall.
  • Cibollian (Hip 667): Four-year-old colt won an allowance race at Churchill Downs in his most recent start on June 18. From the family of G1 winners Wicked Whisper and Point of Honor, he is consigned by Buck Pond Farm, agent.
  • Kisses So Sweet (Hip 668): Indiana-bred 2-year-old daughter of Klimt won a maiden special weight at Indiana Grand by 3 1/2 lengths on July 6. Consigned by John Ennis Training, agent.
  • Vodka N Water (Hip 673): Two-year-old colt finished second in his most recent start, the Grade 3 Bashford Manor Stakes, at Churchill Downs on June 26. He also finished second in Kentucky Juvenile Stakes at Churchill on April 28. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.

July Breeding Stock

Newest entries are catalogued as hips 452 and 453, and may now be viewed online:

  • Catharsis (Hip 452): Young stakes placed daughter of Kantharos, carrying her first foal by Violence. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Town & Country Horse Farms LLC.
  • She Takes Flight (Hip 453): Three-year-old daughter of leading broodmare sire Bernardini, from the family of Champion Soaring Free. Offered as a broodmare prospect by Paramount Sales, agent.

The July Breeding Stock and July Selected Horses of Racing Age sales will take place on Monday, July 12, at Fasig-Tipton's Newtown Paddocks facility in Lexington, Ky. The July Breeding Stock portion will begin at 2 p.m., and July Selected Horses of Racing Age session will begin immediately after the Breeding Stock auction has concluded.

On the following day – Tuesday, July 13 – Fasig-Tipton will conduct The July Sale of Selected Yearlings beginning at 10 a.m.

Online bidding and phone bidding will be available for all sales.

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