Monmouth Park Barn Notes - June 1
A little past 5 p.m. this Sunday, Kathy Mongeon will know just how big a bargain she got when she claimed Don’s Peach for $6,250 at Gulfstream Park in February.
She already knows the 5-year-old mare was a steal at the price, but after the running of the $60,000 Open Mind Handicap for New Jersey-bred fillies and mares, she may have one of the best bargains of all time in her barn.
Don’s Peach, who broke her maiden at Monmouth in 2011 and has four seconds here in her career, raced for a $7,500 claiming tag at Parx last fall, and then won for a $10,000 tag at Gulfstream in January. When she was dropped in for $6,250 a month later, Mongeon decided to take a chance and claim the mare.
“She was a New Jersey-bred, and she had won at Monmouth, so I was willing to take a chance with her,” Mongeon said. “Since she came into my program, she has just blossomed. Her coat is black and shiny, and she’s a happy horse.”
After six weeks in Mongeon’s care, Don’s Peach was sent out in a starter handicap at Gulfstream. She ran a big race, had the lead briefly and was a clear second behind the hard-knocking Capitalism at Risk.
The mare arrived at Monmouth in late April with the Mongeon string and proceeded to turn in two sharp breezes. Those works led to her being sent off the 11-10 favorite in a state-bred “non-winners of one other than” allowance race here on May 18. Don’s Peach just toyed with her foes (the chart comment reads “wrapped up late”) en route to a two and a quarter-length win.
Those two races put Mongeon on the plus side of her investment. Now Don’s Peach returns in the Open Mind – her first try ever in a stakes race – and she’s likely to be one of the favorites in the six-furlong event.
“She’s been doing so well here I decided to give her a chance,” Mongeon said. “Some of the other fillies in the stake are coming off layoffs, so that should help. And Elba, who was fourth behind us that last race, came back to win an allowance race here last week.”
Paco Lopez, battling for leadership among Monmouth jockeys, returns in the irons Sunday as Don’s Peach gets in the handicap with 116 pounds.
Geeky Gorgeous, who hasn’t raced since last September, is the highweight at 125 pounds. Little Stitch, sixth in the Red Cross Stakes in her 2013 debut, carries 121.
BUSINESS IS BOOMING FOR MITCHELL & CO. AT MONMOUTH
A new name turned up among the leading trainers at Monmouth in the month of May, as Andrew Mitchell made his presence felt immediately, compiling a 4-4-1 record with his first 15 starters.
But this new name is not an Andrew-come-lately. The German-born Mitchell is bred for the racing game.
“When I was born,” he said, “my grandfather and my mother were training for Germany’s equestrian team for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. So I basically fell out of the womb onto a horse.”
Over the years, Mitchell has done pretty much all you can do with a horse. He’s ridden jumpers; trained others to ride jumpers; trained Morgan horses; broken mustangs in Nevada; been an exercise rider, hotwalker, assistant trainer and more. In fact, at age 18 he spent a summer at Monmouth galloping horses as a free-lance.
In recent years, he’s been on the racetrack, serving as an assistant to John Shaw and Kathleen O’Connell in Florida.
Mitchell, who turns 50 on June 14, also has worked as a carpenter, mason, diesel mechanic, and more. He was using those skills at a farm near Calder Race Course earlier this year, remodeling barns and installing an equine pool. Giuseppe Iadisernia, who owned the farm, which he named The Big Stable, knew Mitchell’s background. He wanted to branch out (Iadisernia’s 200 horses also race at Thistledown and Calder) and asked Mitchell to bring a string to Monmouth Park for the summer.
Mitchell gives full credit for any success he may be having to the team ethic. The team consists of Iadisernia, Mitchell and top assistant Juan Pablo Tovar. Plus the grooms and hotwalkers, of course.
“It’s basically a three-man operation,” he said. “We decide things together. Giuseppe has the final say, but the three of us talk through everything. And the grooms have all been with Giuseppe for 10 years or more.”
The stable’s quick start has been impressive, even more so when you consider that they never race on Saturdays. Iadisernia is a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, which proscribes secular work on Saturdays.
“I’ll never win the Kentucky Derby, that’s for sure,” Mitchell said. “But I like having a day off. The horses, for the most part, don’t even come out of their stalls on Saturday. That’s Giuseppe’s religious belief, and my job is to uphold his wishes and make sure the horses are well taken care of.”
Mitchell said he’s enjoying Monmouth even more than the horses.
“This track is fantastic,” he said. “It’s well-run, well-maintained and the purses are good. Monmouth is a great place to train horses, and anybody who wants to run in the summer should be here.”
MONMOUTH PARK HOSTS MONMOUTH/OCEAN FOOD BANK DAY
On Sunday, patrons can bring any non-perishable food item to Monmouth Park in exchange for free grandstand admission as the racetrack celebrates Monmouth/Ocean Food Bank Day. The Food Bank helps feed over 127,000 people, and distributes over 7 million pounds of food each year to children, the elderly, and families in need.
Monmouth/Ocean County Food Bank Day will also include live music as Fast Clare performs “On The Green.” Family Fun Day activities will also be on tap with pony rides, face painting, a bounce house and more from 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Gates open at 11:30 am, with the first race set for 12:50 pm.
$44,310 PAYOUT IN JERSEY SHORE SIX
One lucky ticket walked away with the whole pool in Friday’s Jersey Shore Six, taking home $44,310.15.
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.
Friday’s winning ticket combined Stick to Your Guns ($22.60) in the 5th race followed by Rockfield ($15), Will to Shine ($7), Northwest’s Hope ($5.20), Mister Pippit ($13.20) and Trini Spice ($47.40) in the finale. The winning ticket was sold in the Chicago area.