Haskell undercard: Idiomatic avoids upset, wins Molly Pitcher

Reigning division champion Idiomatic bounced back from her narrow loss last month at Saratoga with a nail-biting victory by a head over upset-minded Soul of an Angel in the Grade 3, $500,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes for fillies and mares Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Taken up the backstretch to a loose lead by jockey Florent Géroux, Idiomatic (1-9) was challenged in the second turn of the 1 1/16-mile race when Irad Ortiz Jr. and Soul of an Angel (5-1) circled around her and took a brief lead heading for home.

Click here for Monmouth Park entries and results.

From there the two of them battled stride for stride before Idiomatic got the better of the head bob at the finish. The winning time was 1:44.53 on the fast main track after early fractions of 25.57, 50.27, 1:13.91 and 1:38.12.

“It was a slow pace early on,” winning trainer Brad Cox said. “She established the front, and obviously Irad was riding to win the race, and he almost pulled it off. Her class prevailed late.”

The rest of the five-horse field finished more than nine lengths up the track. Frosty O Toole (22-1), Miles of Smiles (23-1) and Kathleen O. (16-1) finished third through last in that order.

Idiomatic returned $2.20, $2.10 and $2.10; Soul of an Angel $2.20 and $2.10; and Frosty O Toole $2.80.

A 5-year-old mare by Curlin, Idiomatic gave her breeder-owner Juddmonte, Cox and Géroux their first victories in the Molly Pitcher. The winner of the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Distaff ran her record to 15: 11-2-2 as she bounced back from a head loss to Randomized in the Ogden Phipps (G1).

“We’re moving on to the Personal Ensign (G1),” Cox said, referring to the Aug. 23 race at Saratoga. “That’s still the plan. She’ll leave for Saratoga tomorrow.”

Get Smokin holds on in United Nations

After setting honest fractions around all three turns, Get Smokin (9-1) held on in a three-way photo to earn a nose victory in the $600,000 United Nations (G2), a 1 3/8-mile turf stakes for 3-year-olds and up.

The 7-year-old Get Stormy gelding trained by Mark Casse captured his fourth graded-stakes victory for Ironhorse Racing, BlackRidge Stables, Saratoga Seven and T-N-T Equine Holdings.

Fernando de la Cruz rode Get Stormy through pacesetting fractions of 23.54, 47.86, 1:17.74, 1:35.69 and 2:00.10, stretching out the field of 11 up the backstretch before the race tightened.

“It was a little nerve-wracking,” said Casse, who won the 2016 UN with World Approval. “I thought we got beat. It was interesting. They’re going to stop letting him on the lead.”

Five-year-old Grand Sonata (23-1) closed along the rail to finish second, stalking Tawny Port (8-1) came up another head back in third, Emmanuel (14-1) was fourth, and Dataman (6-1) came in fifth.

With a winning time of 2:12.57 on the firm going, Get Smokin paid $20.20, $9.80 and $6.20; Grand Sonata $23.60 and $13.00; and Tawny Port $6.40.

Tapit Trice runs off with Monmouth Cup

Breaking away from the pack in the second turn, Tapit Trice (5-2) made a successful return to the track with a 5 1/4-length triumph in the $400,000 Monmouth Cup (G3), a 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-olds and up.

After stalking the soft, early pace, the 4-year-old Tapit colt who was on trainer Todd Pletcher’s bench for 11 months found the lead just past the three-eighths pole. Ortiz rode Tapit Trice to an insurmountable lead in the homestretch, guiding him to his first win since the 2023 Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland.

Odds-on favorite Highland Falls (3-5), who won the Blame (G3) on June 1 at Churchill Downs, was slow to get going under Géroux, but he closed to finish second. Counterspy (20-1) came in third, Khozeiress (17-1) fourth and Kuchar (7-1) fifth in the field of eight.

The winning time on the fast main track was 1:50.46 after early fractions of 24.14, 49.15, 1:13.35 and 1:38.23.

Owned by Whisper Hill Farm and his breeder Gainesway Thoroughbreds, Tapit Trice paid $7.60, $3.00 and $2.60. Highland Falls returned $2.40 and $2.10. Counterspy paid $5.00 to show.

Frankie Dettori rode Beauté Cachée (9-2) to an early lead, setting a slow pace before kicking on to win by a neck in the $300,000 Matchmaker (G3), a 1 1/8-mile turf race for fillies and mares.

It marked the fifth year in a row and a record eighth time overall that Chad Brown trained the winner of the Matchmaker.

Owned by Louis Lazzinnaro, Madaket Stables, Michael Caruso and Michael Dubb, the France-bred, 5-year-old daughter of Literato established early fractions of 25.16, 50.66, 1:15.38 and 1:38.38 on the way to her winning time of 1:49.63 on the firm course.

Sacred Wish (12-1) put up a challenge in the second turn that Beauté Cachée repelled. Sacred Wish held on for second by three-quarters of a length followed by post-time favorite Delahaye (3-2) in third, Surprisingly (6-1) in fourth and Maman Joon (7-2) fifth in the field of seven.

Beauté Cachée paid $11.20, $6.00 and $3.40; Sacred Wish $11.20 and $6.40; and Delahaye $2.60.

Since she made her U.S. debut in May 2023, Beauté Cachée is 8: 4-2-1 with her only off-the-board finish coming last out June 7, when she wound up last of seven in the Just a Game (G1). Two races back she won the Jenny Wiley (G1) at Keeneland.