Get Serious Returns at Monmouth Park
Get Serious, winner of three turf stakes at Monmouth Park in 2009, will make his much-awaited 2010 debut in Monday’s 8th race * a $80,000 allowance optional claiming event with a purse of $90,000 that could easily be confused for a Grade 1 event.
In addition to Get Serious, Monday’s race features Grade 1 winner Ever a Friend and Group 1 winners Sorrentino and Pointing North.
Trained by John Forbes, Get Serious will be making his first start since he finished fifth in the Grade 3 Cliff Hanger Stakes at the Meadowlands on October 3. Prior to that, the 6-year-old gelding won three straight stakes at Monmouth including the Grade 3 Red Bank, Battlefield and off-the-turf Oceanport.
“Right now, he’s training about as good as a horse could possibly train,” Forbes said. “It certainly looks like a tough spot. It’s a good allowance race, but it’s also a good purse.”
Last season, Get Serious came off a five-month layoff to capture the $70,000 Elkwood Stakes in wire-to-wire fashion. He exits a seven-month break heading into Monday’s event.
“When I first looked at the race it was a little scary,” Forbes said. “But Get Serious loves the Monmouth Park turf course and runs so well here. We really think he has a good shot.”
After getting the majority of the winter off, Get Serious resumed training in March and capped off his preparations with an impressive five-furlong turf workout in 1:00 2/5 around dogs on Wednesday.
With a solid performance Monday, Forbes says it’s likely Get Serious will return to stakes competition in the near future.
“He’s nominated to the Monmouth Stakes, but I’m sure that race will come up super tough,” Forbes said. “He’s a New York-bred, but he loves Monmouth Park so much, we’ll probably just keep him around here. The Battlefield [Saturday, July 10] could be on his schedule.”
Get Serious will face eight rivals Monday, among them the 5-2 morning line favorite, Ever a Friend, who captured the 2008 Grade 1 Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita for trainer Mike Mitchell.
The allowance race also marks the first U.S. start for Sorrentino, a three-time Group 1 winner in his native Brazil, and South African Group 1 winner Pointing North, who goes out first time for trainer Tom Albertrani.
Completing the field is Pickapocket, second in this year’s Sunshine Millions Turf; Rogue Victory, sixth in this year’s Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile; Violin Scare, a seven-time winner in Europe; four-time turf winner Radical Sabbatical; and, Grade 2 winner Florentino.