Monmouth: Ever Always Never Better

Saturday’s $65,000 Open Mind Handicap for New Jersey-bred fillies and mares brought out some familiar names like Love That Dance and Karmageddon, and one mare making her stakes debut – Brian Drazin’s Ever Always.

The 5-year-old state-bred mare has made only four starts in her life (all impressive), and comes into the Open Mind off a nearly 12-length score in open company on May 28.

Ever Always, a chestnut by Mr. Nugget – Judge’s Song, by Saint Ballado, debuted on June 25, 2008, at Monmouth and finished a neck behind Love That Dance. She was placed first when Love That Dance was disqualified for interference.

“She should have finished first that day,” Servis said, “but Love That Dance kept coming in on her through the stretch and stopped her.”

Ever Always didn’t reappear until almost a year later, on May 16, 2009, when she won a state-bred allowance by more than nine lengths, the six furlongs in 1:08 4/5. She came back three weeks later and won another allowance by 15 ¼ lengths, getting six furlongs in 1:08 2/5.

“She has so much talent,” Servis said, “but I don’t want to breeze her. I want to run her. I think she gets her talent from her dam.”

Servis trained Judge’s Song for the Drazin family, and that filly had a 2-2-1 mark in six starts while in foal.

“She had a tendon problem, so we gave her time off, and then bred her,” Servis said. “She came back to the races in August of 2002, and won two races and had two seconds. She was special.”

Ever Always will have Elvis Trujillo aboard again Saturday as she tries for a fifth career win. Servis said that 10 percent of her earnings will be donated by the Drazin family to the Blair Academy.