Thompson Excited About Morethanvictorious

Trainer J. Willard Thompson is as much a fixture at Monmouth Park as Monmouth Park is on the Jersey Shore.  At 76, he’s run in just about every race Monmouth has to offer and seen just about every possible racing scenario unfold before his eyes.  On Saturday, he hopes to see his 2-year-old filly Morethanvictorious make her third start a winning one as she heads to the post in the $65,000 Junior Champion Stakes.

“She’s a small filly,” said Thompson, a five-time leading trainer at Monmouth.  “She beat a couple first time out (June 26) and then I put her on the turf.  She got bumped pretty good at the break and was last.  But she came running on late for third.”

That race on Aug. 7 was at five furlongs and on Saturday she’ll stretch out to a mile for the first time.

“The distance should really help her,” Thompson said.  “She’s certainly bred for the grass.”

A daughter of More Than Ready from the Wild Again mare Burnished Miss, Morethanvictorious was bred in Kentucky.  Her mother hit the board in 11 of 14 starts and prior to Morethanvictorious had produced three foals to race, all winners.

Owned by Cheryl Rickards Stables, Morethanvictorious will break from post two in the nine-horse Junior Champion.  She will be reunited with jockey Mike Luzzi, who was aboard for the filly’s latest outing.