Monmouth Park Barn Notes - July 20

Indian Spell is set to sprint six furlongs along the main track for trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. in Sunday’s $60,000 Just Smashing Stakes, the filly’s first ever stakes attempt in just her third start since coming to the Plesa barn.

“Besilu (owners) needed an outlet for some of their horses,” Plesa said. “They had a lot of horses with (trainer) Billy Mott and they needed a second trainer from what I understand. They chose me and Indian Spell was one of the horses I received.”

In her first two starts under new guidance, both of which went off in Oceanport, Indian Spell recorded her first win in a maiden special weight race and showed a strong performance in her next outing when she finished second by a half length to fellow Just Smashing entrant Lucky Liberty.  Plesa sees Sunday’s feature as a great chance for his filly to get her feet wet in a stakes event and hopefully continue her success at Monmouth Park.

“She’s stabled here and is running well here,” said Plesa. “She has a lot of pedigree, so she could have a lot of value as a brood mare later on. The objective at this stage of the game is to get her out there and get her some black type.”

Indian Spell is the 3-year-old daughter of Indian Charlie out of Proud Spell, who won the 2008 Kentucky Oaks and was named champion 3-year-old that year. Despite the fact that Indian Spell has been close to the pace in each of her starts, Plesa believes that race strategies can quickly become obsolete after the starting bell.

“I don’t pay a lot of attention to past performances,” Plesa said. “When you come out of the gate things change. (Jockey) Gabriel Saez has ridden her and has ridden her well; in fact he used to ride her mother Proud Spell, one of the best fillies in the country. This filly is coming along at the right time. If we can win this race we’ll be ecstatic. She’s training good and doing good, and it’s time to test her.”

Indian Spell will break from the two hole in the Just Smashing Stakes, which will go as race 10 on Monmouth’s 11-race card for Sunday.

MONMOUTH PARK TO HOST FAMILY FUN DAY THIS SUNDAY

This Sunday Family Fun Day will be in full force at Monmouth Park. The day will include clowns, face painting, pony rides, bounce houses, and much more, all free with the price of general admission. Fans will also be able to hear live music from The Rory Daniels Band who will perform “On The Green.” Admission to the park is $3 to the grandstand and $5 to the clubhouse. Seniors 55 and up can enter at the discounted price of $2 and $3 to the grandstand and clubhouse, respectively, and children 12 and under receive admission for free.

Gates open at 11:30 on Sunday, with the first race scheduled for 12:50.