Behemoth Will Be Finishing in Majestic Light
With a stakes win under his belt already in 2014, Behemoth enters Saturday’s $75,000 Majestic Light Stakes with an unmistakable running style and several targets to run at.
“He’s a come from behind horse,” said trainer Claudio Gonzalez, who co-owns the 5-year-old horse with his wife Michelle. “There’s a lot of speed in the race, which should help. For a $75,000 race, it came up real tough.”
Tough indeed. A pair of graded stakes winners are in the mile and 70 yards Majestic Light – Code West and Itsmyluckyday. The latter exits a three-length score in the Best of the Rest Stakes at Gulfstream Park on April 26 and last season was runner-up in the Florida Derby and Preakness Stakes. The former took the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill on June 15 last year and was also runner-up in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds.
“There are some very good animals in this race, that’s for sure,” Gonzalez said. “But my horse is training well. He’s had some nice breezes since coming back to Monmouth.”
Three breezes in fact, all going five furlongs. The last was a 1:01 2/5 move on May 18, ninth best of 47 to work that morning.
A well bred Ontario foal, Behemoth is by Giant’s Causeway from the Seeking the Gold mare Quiet Reward. From 31 lifetime starts he sports a record of 7-5-6, good for earnings of $282,679. Earlier this year he captured the $100,000 John Campbell Handicap at Laurel, going from last to first in the field of five.
In Saturday’s Majestic Light he will get a new rider in Abel Castellano, Jr., currently tied for third in the Monmouth Park rider standings. The duo will break from post four in the seven-horse field. Behemoth has been installed at 6-1 by oddsmaker Brad Thomas, with morning line favoritism of 9/5 going to Itsmyluckyday.
The Majestic Light goes as race 11 on a 12-race card that gets underway at 12:50 p.m.
HASKELL TICKETS GO ON SALE STARTING SATURDAY
Tickets for New Jersey’s most anticipated horse race, the $1 million William Hill Haskell Invitational set for Sunday, July 27, at Monmouth Park, go on-sale starting this Saturday, May 24.
Clubhouse and Grandstand reserved seats range in price from $10 to $17, while box seats are priced at $12 each.
Admission on Haskell Day, which is not included in the reserved seat price, is $5 for the grandstand and $8 for the Clubhouse
Haskell Tickets can be purchased by calling 732-571-5563, or by visiting the reserved seat booth (2nd floor of the Grandstand) on any live racing day. In addition, fans can pre-purchase Haskell seats directly through monmouthpark.com or ticketmaster.com.
FOOD TRUCKS ROLL IN FOR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND
Monmouth Park’s popular Food Truck Festival returns this Saturday and for the first time will span all three days of the Memorial Day Holiday weekend. With trucks from across the state set to invade the racetrack, the Food Truck Festival will get underway at 11:30 a.m. each of the three days.
“In just a short period of time, this event has stamped itself a true fan-favorite,” said Pete Verdee, vice president of marketing for the racetrack. “It’s a great experience for everyone involved and an event that I’m sure will continue to grow in the years to come.”
The food trucks first rolled into Monmouth in 2012 for a one-day event. Last year they spent two days at Monmouth and of course this year they’ll spend three days in Oceanport.
Among those who will be concocting their culinary delights are: Empanada Man, Max’s Hot Gods, Hoffman’s Ice Cream, Bacon on Wheels and Enzo’s Pizza, to name but a few.
Monmouth Park gates open at 11:30 a.m., with the first live race slated for 12:50 p.m. Admission to the Grandstand, where the food trucks will assemble, is $3 – seniors pay $2 and children 12 and under are free.
For more information, visit www.monmouthpark.com.
SURVIVAL AT THE SHORE CONTEST RETURNS NEXT WEEKEND
Monmouth Park’s popular Survival at the Shore contest returns on Saturday, May 24 and runs through Monday, Sept. 1.
The rules for the contest are simple - the Challenge Commissioner will select three races on each live date from which players will select one horse from each and receive a mythical $2 across the board wager. In order to “Survive” the contest and continue on to the next racing day, any one of the player’s three selections must finish in the top three. As an added twist, players will get one “life preserver” which can be used to stay in the contest should the player fail to make their selections on any given race day or if the player’s selections fail to hit the board.
While prizes will be awarded throughout the contest, the Grand Prize winner will be the player with the highest mythical bankroll come the contest’s end on Sept. 2. The Grand Prize winner will take home $2,000 in cash, while second place receives $1,000 and third gets $500. In addition, the player who selects the most winners throughout the contest will receive $500.
To learn more about Survival at the Shore or to sign up for the contest, visit www.survivalattheshore.com or www.monmouthpark.com.