Monmouth Park opens Saturday with Long Branch stakes
Lonesome Boy, fourth in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial in his most recent start, and Heartened, a close-up fifth in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), lead a field of eight 3-year-olds for the featured $100,000 Long Branch Stakes on Monmouth Park’s opening day card on Saturday, May 11.
The 88th edition of the Long Branch Stakes, at a mile and 70 yards, will go as the seventh race on a 10-race card as the Jersey Shore track kicks off its 79th season.
The Long Branch Stakes offers the added bonus to the winner of free entry and start fees for the Haskell Stakes (G1) on July 20.
A total of 96 horses, including seven alternates, were entered for the 10-race card after Tuesday’s draw. There is a Jersey Shore Pick 6 carryover of $30,477 for the opening day program.
Trained by Hugo Padilla, Lonesome Boy won the City of Brotherly Love Stakes in the slop at Parx by 6 3/4 lengths two starts back. The Washington-bred son of Nationhood has banked $176,444 for his 11-race career. Adam Bowman is listed to ride.
Heartened, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, comes in after finishing second by a neck in an optional allowance claimer in the slop at Keeneland on April 10. The Kentucky-bred son of Street Boss-Rare Find by Bernardini was fifth, beaten just 2 1/4 lengths, in the Tampa Bay Derby before that.
Paco Lopez, seeking his 11th Monmouth Park riding title and sixth straight, has the call.
The horse of intrigue in the feature is Sugar Boy, who comes in off a second-place finish in the Sophomore Stakes at Tampa Downs on March 24. Before that, Florida-bred son of Khozan won all four of his starts in Cameraro in Puerto Rico by a combined 21 3/4 lengths. That includes the Clasico Agustin Mercado Reveron Stakes (G1) and the Angel T. Cordero Jr. Stakes (G2).
Sugar Boy will be making his second start for trainer Jose D’Angelo.
First-race post time on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays for the 51-day meet is 12:50 p.m. EDT. When Friday racing starts June 21, first-race post time those days will be 2 p.m.