Monmouth Park Barn Notes - July 11
Saturday’s featured event at Monmouth Park, a $42,000 allowance/optional claimer has come up a wide open race as a field of 10 have entered to travel 5 ½ furlongs over the turf course. But trainer Tim Hills believes his entrant Triple E is rounding nicely into form for this third outing of 2013.
“He’s a hard trying 8-year-old,” said Hills from his headquarters on the Monmouth Park backstretch. “He’s not a very good work horse, so it’s taken him a little time to get back this year. He is a 5/8ths specialist and the extra half-furlong should be no problem. I think everything is coming together for him.”
With 38 lifetime outings, Triple E is among the most experienced runners in the field on Saturday. The two-time winner over the Monmouth Park turf gets the services of Pedro Cotto Jr., currently fifth in the jockey standings.
“He’ll sit a stalking trip, that’s his style,” Hills said. “It’s a tough race, but he’s coming into it really well.”
A gelding by Storm Boot out of the stakes placed mare Tres Norte, Triple E has won seven of his 38 lifetime starts. On turf he sports a record of 4-3-1 from 17 outings.
Last year, Triple E just missed in the John McSorley Stakes, finishing a half-length behind Varsity. In his last 2012 outing, he was sixth in the My Frenchman Stakes to Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Chamberlain Bridge.
In his two 2013 starts, he was last on June 1 in a claiming event, his first start of the year and then sixth in a similar event as Saturday’s on June 28, beaten less than three lengths for it all.
On Saturday, Triple E will break from post seven in the feature, which goes as race eight on a 10-race program.
LOPEZ, PLESA, RED OAK LEAD MONMOUTH PARK STANDINGS
With 26 of the 61 days of live racing at Monmouth Park in the books, the races for top honors come meet’s-end have Paco Lopez leading the jockey’s standings, Eddie Plesa Jr. atop the trainer ranks and Red Oak Stable showing the way in the race for top owner.
Through last Sunday’s card, Lopez, the 2010 top Monmouth rider, has piloted 44 winners, 13 more than three-time leading jock Elvis Trujillo. Joe Bravo, who has won 13 Monmouth riding titles, is third with 27 wins, six more than Angel Serpa. Pedro Cotto Jr. and Ramon Moya round out the top five with 18 wins apiece.
In the trainer’s race, Eddie Plesa Jr. has sent out 17 winners thus far, two better than Ramon Moya. Gregg Sacco is third with 14 winners, followed by Jorge Navarro (12) and Andrew Mitchell (11).
The owner’s contest has Red Oak Stable showing the way with 10 victories. Bruno Schickedanz is second with seven trips to the winner’s circle followed by a four-way tie between BDL Stable, Donnely & Phantom House; Live Oak Plantation; George and Lori Hall; and, Somraj Singh, each having captured five races.
Monmouth Park’s 2013 racing season runs through Sunday, Oct. 6.
HASKELL CLASSIC CAR SHOW ON SUNDAY
Horsepower of another stripe will be featured at the track on Sunday when over 150 pristine and time-honored automobiles are featured at the Haskell Classic Car Show. Fans will be treated to a close look at Chevrolet Bel Airs and Deuce Coups, Ford T-Buckets and Mustangs, Dodge Chargers, AMC Gremlins, Cadillac V-16s, Corvette Stingrays, Pontiac Firebirds and many more vintage rides.
The car show compliments a full card of live Thoroughbred action that gets underway at 12:50 p.m. Gates open at Monmouth this Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
$3,929 CARRYOVER FOR FRIDAY’S JERSEY SHORE SIX
Monmouth’s newest wager, the Jersey Shore Six, will have a carryover of $3,929.05 added to the pool should one person walk away with the lone winning ticket on Friday. Last weekend, one lucky winner in Maine took down the whole pool, walking away with nearly $170,000.
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.