Some tickets were punched to the Haskell on Saturday, in the Long Branch Stakes. Who made it? Well, hopefully you already know, but just in case, I'll tell you here, plus give you recaps of the other 11 races.
Race 1 (Earned, Todd Pletcher-Abel Castellano, 1:06.0)
Based on the final time, it looks like Pletcher made the right move sending this one to Monmouth, as opposed to going to Saratoga. She sat a great trip off the duelers and rolled to an easy win, in a less-than-impressive time. Now, she can win the Sorority Stakes, be hyped up for a little bit, and then lose in graded stakes company.
Race 2 (Trapise in Utopia, Mark Hennig-Paco Lopez, 1:45.3)
To my disappointment, Momma's Favorite couldn't get a clear lead. She wound up battling with 44/1 Daddy's Big Girl for the lead, and finally wrested the lead away. Unfortunately for me, she tired out by then, and Trapise in Utopia rolled by for the win. It was a good effort from this one, who was pace-compromised in her last effort. No such trouble here.
Race 3 (Boss's Rules, Patrick Marrotta-Nik Juarez, 1:39.2)
This one was over very early on. Boss's Rules got clear early and that was all she wrote. I dismissed her based off her last effort at Parx, which proved to be a tragic mistake.
Race 4 (Starship Wildcat, Allen Iwinski-Andre Worrie, 1:03.2)
Starship Wildcat made a big three-wide sweep around the turn, and got involved in a three-way photo with my two picks, Didn't Take It and Dedicated to Bob. Of course, Starship Wildcat held off the charge of the latter two to get the job done.
Race 5 (Candystand, Kelly Breen-Paco Lopez, 1:01.0)
Candystand was making the drop from maiden special weight down to maiden claiming, and it paid off with a victory. Although the final time is nothing to write home about, she did show some heart dueling down the stretch with Prospecting Road.
Kelly Breen trained the winner here. He wasn't at Monmouth, but rather at Delaware. He wound up saddling Delaware Oaks winner Calamity Kate, who shocked them at 50/1.
Race 6 (Heart of Midway, Tom Proctor-Jose Ferrer, 1:41.3)
It was a good ride from Jose Ferrer on the favorite. He moved Heart of Midway up to challenge the longshot leader, took over when that one faded, and drew off to win easily. You can only afford to do stuff like that when you have one of the best horses in the field, however. Such was the case here.
Race 7 (Delta Bluesman, Jorge Navarro-Orlando Bocachica, 1:09.1)
Delta Bluesman proved to be the best in here. He jumped out to the early lead and set a blazing pace for himself, yet never stopped and won by three easy lengths. The final time of 1:09.1 certainly jumps out; would his connections consider the Teddy Drone Stakes next?
Race 8 (Majestic Jess, Jorge Navarro-Orlando Bocachica, 1:35.2)
It's another race with a Navarro-Bocachica horse going gate-to-wire. Majestic Jess jumped out early and held off the challenges of Thunder Calls and Lawyer Jim to prevail. I had all three in the pick 3, and was hoping Thunder Calls would get up so it would pay more. Still cashed, though.
Race 9 (Top Clearance, Wayne Catalano-Paco Lopez, 1:44.2)
Ponzi Scheme got to a very clear lead, but stopped around the turn. On the other hand, Top Clearance got a great trip, and blew by him to win it easily. Good ol' Village Warrior, of course, couldn't capitalize on that trip and finished a very flat third. Where does a horse like that go from here?
Race 10 (Azure Dragon, Michael Dini-Abel Castellano, 1:35.4)
The toughest beat of the meet. I gave out Nineinthenine, strongly endorsing him at 16/1, and bet enthusiastically. He made a big four-wide move around the turn and looked like he'd roll past, but couldn't get away from ground-saving Azure Dragon and lost by a neck. Who said that there was justice in the world?
Race 11 (Stanford, Todd Pletcher-Joe Bravo, 1:44.1)
Stanford may have won the Long Branch, but he couldn't have been less inspiring in winning it. As a matter of fact, he almost blew it going into the stretch, as early leader Souper Colossal re-rallied and almost beat him. Stanford held on, however, securing his spot in the Haskell starting gate. He has next to no chance of beating American Pharaoh, however.
Race 12 (Sassy Spinster, Kathleen Demasi-Jose Ferrer, 1:12.3)
The long layoff didn't derail Sassy Spinster, who fought with Cocoki down the stretch before pulling away in the end. That's a riding double for Jose Ferrer.
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