Want to know what happened on Saturday at Monmouth? Look no further.
Race 1 (Stately Defence, Marcus Vitali-Nik Juarez, 1:10.3)
Bettors watching this one had to be confused early on, as both Vitali horses--Stately Defence and More Than Special--dueled with each other the entire way around. However, they were so much better than anyone else, they ran 1-2 anyway. Stately Defence, in particular, drew away to win by six easy lengths.
Race 2 (Sweet on Smokey, Kathleen Demasi-Paco Lopez, 1:39.3)
There was a scary moment at the start of this race, with Ka Buki Rose falling down not long after the gates opened. To my knowledge, both Ka Buki Rose and jockey Angel Serpa emerged unscathed.
As for the rest of the field, Sweet on Smokey galloped past the rest on the turn and won by six lengths under a hand ride. If she had been asked more down the stretch, it could've been a much larger margin. Fortunately, if you bet her, you got paid no matter what the margin was.
Race 3 (Kinsley, Todd Pletcher-Abel Castellano, 1:42.4)
Favored Kinsley burned out Sudden Snowstorm down the backstretch, then rolled around the turn and won going away. Nothing to it.
Race 4 (Drago's Best, Jamie Ness-Daniel Centeno, 1:02.4)
The first-time gelding angle sometimes gets overlooked, but make no mistake, it can be dangerous. Drago's Best was running as a gelding for the first time, and held off the menacing shadow of Pool Winner the whole way around to get the job done. Astute bettors who noted the "ultimate equipment change" were rewarded with a $9.20 win payoff.
Race 5 (Strike Em Down, Greg Sacco-Gabriel Saez, 1:39.1)
It took fifteen tries, but Strike Em Down finally found a field he could beat. Here, the pace-setters tired themselves out, and Strike Em Down rolled by them on the turn to win by five easy lengths.
Race 6 (Gottcha Blessin, Tony Wilson-Jose Ferrer, 1:46.1)
All aboard the merry-go-round! Gottcha Blessin, Video Mov, and Mi Amore made up the top three the entire way around, and nobody passed them. Yawn.
Race 7 (Lucky Balladier, J. Thompson-Abel Castellano, 1:43.1)
Lucky Balladier was bet down from 9/5 to 6/5 in the last flash, which is never a great thing. He didn't really run like a 6/5 shot, however, as he sat a beautiful trip off the leaders on the inside, angled wide in the stretch, and then had to grind past 23/1 shot Bold Runner. Still, a win remains a win.
Race 8 (Golden Earrings, Pat McBurney-Jose Ferrer, 1:11.3)
Despite her superiority over the field, and a fast pace to run at, 3/5 favorite Fakery could do no better than third. Golden Earrings took advantage, however, rallying strongly around the turn to draw off to victory. 33/1 Huachuca snuck up the inside to score second, and beat out Fakery for that spot.
Race 9 (Red Letter, Derek Ryan-Daniel Centeno, 1:42.3)
Another race that was over very quickly, with Red Letter jumping out to a clear lead and skipping home unchallenged. Rhythm Queen rallied strongly on the outside to score second and be the best of the rest.
Race 10 (Early Entry, Kathleen O'Connell-Jose Ferrer, 1:41.3)
Early Entry answered the question of "can he stretch out?" with a resounding "yes". He rated off the fast pace by Secretive, made his move around the far turn, and held off all his rivals. Just Call Kenny went off at 3/2 and just missed to finish second. Considering the pace was a crawl turning for home, that narrow miss may not be as impressive as it looks on paper.
Race 11 (Nonna's Boy, Todd Pletcher-Chris DeCarlo, 1:41.0)
Nonna's Boy made his grass debut count, winning the Lamplighter Stakes in gate-to-wire fashion. The final time of 1:41.0 is also pretty impressive, and certainly makes one wonder if he's found a home on grass. We'll see if he shows up in another stakes next. The Hall of Fame Stakes, at Saratoga on August 7, comes to mind.
Race 12 (No Brody No, Pat McBurney-Abel Castellano, 1:46.4)
Pat McBurney had won only one race all year going into Saturday. This race marked his second win of the day. You can't explain some of this stuff.
His winner here, No Brody No, rated off the leaders, then got into a long, long drive and eventually overtook leading Splitter to get the job done.
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