Horse For Course Winiliscious Heads Monmouth Beach
When you’re five-for-six at one particular racetrack, the term horse for course certainly applies. In Saturday’s $75,000 Monmouth Beach Stakes, that record and moniker belong to Winiliscious, who makes just her second start of 2013 after a more than solid Monmouth Park season in 2012.
“We got lucky, really lucky,” said Chuck Spina, who trains the 4-year-old filly and is among the partnership of Top Shelf Stable LLC that dropped a claim slip for $7,500 on May 20, 2012. “We claimed her in hopes of running in the starter allowances. We took a shot and it worked out.”
That “shot” has turned into nearly $100,000 in purse earnings and five winner’s circle visits. Since the claim, Winiliscious captured a $28,000 claiming event, then reeled off three in a row in starter allowance events before taking an allowance race at Parx. She rounded out her 2012 season with a runner-up effort in the Crowned Stakes at Delaware Park before shipping to Florida for the winter at J. J. Crupi’s farm.
“She got away slowly in the stakes at Delaware and came charging in the lane,” Spina said. “She probably should have won it, but that’s racing.”
In mid-April Winiliscious’s snowbird days came to end as she shipped back north for a date in an Atlantic City allowance event on the 25th where she finished third.
“Kendrick (jockey Carmouche) said she didn’t really care for the turf,” Spina said. “She did pick it up late and was closing. We’ve had this race picked out for her for a while now and that turf try should set her up perfectly.”
The Monmouth Beach Stakes, at a mile and 70 yards, has drawn six fillies and mares, with Winiliscious and Carmouche breaking from post five.
SPRING HILL FARM RUNS FOR PLETCHER IN SATURDAY’S MAJESTIC LIGHT
Spring Hill Farm is set for Saturday’s $75,000 Majestic Light Stakes as a full field of 10 will travel a mile and 70 yards. Conditioned by Todd Pletcher, the Stonestreet Stables and Bolton color-bearer looks for his second win this year.
“He’s been here since we got here,” said Anthony Sciametta Jr., Pletcher’s Monmouth Park assistant. “He put in a good work the other day and has been training well.”
Spring Hill Farm breezed 1:00 3/5 last Tuesday in preparation for the Majestic Light, sixth best out of 42 works that day.
A son of Smart Strike out of the Pleasant Colony dam Colonial Minstrel, Spring Hill Farm has won three, and finished in the money in five of his six career starts. Thirteen-time Monmouth Park leading jockey Joe Bravo gets the call on the 4-year-old colt this Saturday.
Among the competition is Godolphin Racing LLC’s Buffum, the 3-1 morning line favorite, as well as 2011 Belmont Stakes winner Ruler On Ice.
FOOD TRUCK WARS RETURN TO MONMOUTH PARK SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Food trucks from across the Garden State will roll into Monmouth Park this Saturday and Sunday for the second annual Food Truck Wars.
Fresh off the heels of last year’s successful debut, Food Truck Wars will pit the best food on wheels against one another in search of the people’s choice award for top food truck. More than 30 trucks are slated to participate in this year’s event, which runs from gates opening at 11:30 a.m. through approximately 5 p.m.
$16,389 CARRYOVER FOR SATURDAY’S JERSEY SHORE SIX
Monmouth’s newest wager, the Jersey Shore Six, will have a carryover of $16,389 added to the pool should one person walk away with the lone winning ticket on Saturday.
The Jersey Shore Six, which is based on the popular Rainbow Six at Gulfstream, has a 10-cent base wager. To win the jackpot, a ticket must have the winner of the last six races on the card and be the only one to have done so. If more than one person has a winning ticket, they split 60% of the net pool with 40% going to the carryover.