Hard Enough on Fence in Red Bank

With two stakes victories over this course already, Hard Enough will likely prove tough yet again on Monmouth grass when he breaks from post one underneath jockey Eddie Castro in Saturday’s Red Bank Stakes, first of 17 graded events this season at Monmouth Park.

“He’s coming in fresh and doing great,” said Bobby Dibona, who conditions Hard Enough for Peace Sign Stable.  “He’s a hard trying horse, a really good horse.  He’s certainly proven to be a very good claim.”

That claim came on Feb. 6, 2013 at Gulfstream when the current connections paid $50,000 for the colt by Hard Spun.

"We claimed him out of a dirt race knowing we wanted to run him on turf,” Dibona said.  “Obviously it’s worked out.”

Since the acquisition, Hard Enough has raced 12 times, winning four of them, including Monmouth’s Jersey Derby and Restoration Stakes last summer.  Saturday’s one-mile Red Bank will be his first start in Oceanport since last August.

“We know he likes the course, that’s always a plus,” Dibona said.  “We’re looking to get him to go longer and this is the first step in that plan.  If all goes well we’ll look to the Monmouth Stakes (Grade 2, June 8 at a mile and an eighth) and then the U.N. (Grade 1, July 6 at one mile and three-eighths).  We think he’s that caliber horse and deserves a shot in a race like that.

“But first things first, let’s see what happens Saturday.”

A full field of 13 have entered Saturday’s 40th running of the Red Bank, including three for main track only.  Oddsmaker Brad Thomas has installed Chamois from the Christophe Clement barn as the 3-1 morning line favorite.

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.

EARLY OPENING SATURDAY FOR PREAKNESS STAKES SIMULAST

Gates will open at 10:15 a.m. this Saturday with the first simulcast race from Pimlico slated for 10:45 a.m. as Monmouth Park will beam-in all the racing action from Baltimore, including the 139th running of the Preakness Stakes and California Chrome’s attempt for the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Monmouth Park’s live program gets underway at 12:50 p.m. with the Grade 3, $100,000 Red Bank Stakes highlighting the Saturday card.