Monmouth undercard: Proxy bounces back for Cup victory

Getting bumped at the start was the closest Proxy came to having trouble Saturday in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup. After that, jockey Joel Rosario took him to a lead he never relinquished in an out-of-character, gate-to-wire victory.

Coming back from a last-place finish three weeks ago in the Stephen Foster (G1) at Ellis Park, Proxy (2-5) outclassed six open-company rivals to win the 1 1/8-mile, main-track race in 1:49.99.

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“He really showed some guts,” Proxy’s trainer Michael Stidham said. “He’s never been on the lead in his life. He’s laid close early on in his career, so we knew he could be close and still finish. But he was never on the lead, so I didn't know what to think.”

Whelen Springs (6-1) stalked Proxy and finished second, 2 1/2 lengths behind. Calibrate (4-1), who tried to challenge Proxy on the backstretch, faded to finish third.

A Godolphin homebred sired by Tapit, 5-year-old Proxy captured his third graded stakes since Thanksgiving weekend, when he finished first in the Clark (G1) at Churchill Downs. He also won the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) in April.

Stidham was especially happy with Saturday’s victory coming off of the disappointment in the Stephen Foster.

“With Ellis being speed favoring and getting shuffled back around the first turn, he had no chance,” Stidham said. “We just felt like we’re not going to sit around and wait 60 days and plan to hopefully run in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1, at Saratoga) but that was another 60-day break. He had already had one of those. He ran big today.”

At age 8, Therapist scores in United Nations

In his 42nd race, 8-year-old gelding Therapist (12-1) finally got his first Grade 1 score and reached millionaire status, doing so with closing speed to win by 1 1/2 lengths in the $612,000 United Nations covering 1 3/8 miles of firm turf.

Owner Michael Dubb won the race for the third year in a row, this time without partners after having done so in 2021 with Tribhuvan and 2022 with Adhamo. It also was the third U.N. victory for trainer Mike Maker and the first for jockey Javier Castellano.

Post-time favorite Catnip (6-5), who won the Monmouth (G3) last month, stalked the pace, had the lead in the stretch and then capitulated to finish second. Red Knight (5-2) came from next to last in the open-company field of nine to finish third.

The oldest horse to win the race that was first run 70 years ago at the old Atlantic City Race Course, Therapist was clocked at 2:14.50.

Consumer Spending rallies, wins Matchmaker

Coming from off the pace, the favorite Consumer Spending (1-1) made a strong closing move in the homestretch and wore down Surprisingly (7-2) to win by a half-length in the Matchmaker (G3), a 1 1/8-mile turf test for fillies and mares.

The win clocked at 1:48.00 on the firm course was the fourth in a row in this race for trainer Chad Brown, who has won seven of the last nine renewals.

Gam’s Mission (9-2) rallied from last place to finish third, 2 3/4 lengths behind runner-up Surprisingly.

Owned by Seth Klarman and ridden by Rosario, 4-year-old Consumer Spending is a 4-year-old More Than Ready filly who ran her record to 11: 6-2-1. It was her second win in the past five weeks at Monmouth. Consumer Spending won the Eatontown (G3) on June 17. 

Shotgun Hottie goes wide to win Molly Pitcher

Despite a four-wide trip around both turns, Shotgun Hottie (8-1) gradually reeled in Le Da Vida (9-1) in the deep stretch to win the Molly Pitcher (G3), a 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares.

Owned by Omar Aldabbagh and Jeff Ganje, trained by Cherie DeVaux and ridden by Paco López, the 4-year-old by Gun Runner won by a half-length at a time of 1:43.43 on the fast main track.

Search Results (4-5), who has not won since she finished first in this race last year, was with the leaders until the final sixteenth of a mile. She finished third, 1 1/4 lengths behind Shotgun Hottie.