Assiniboia Downs: Stormin Monarcho will be favored in Harry Jeffrey Stakes

Stormin Monarcho, who shipped in to score a convincing win in the six-furlong Golden Boy Stakes at Assiniboia Downs on June 5, will be favored when he returns for the 1 1/16-mile Harry Jeffrey Stakes on Wednesday evening.

The $30,000 Harry Jeffrey for 3-year-olds is the major local prep for the Aug. 5 Manitoba Derby, a 1 1/8-mile race that is the highlight of the meeting at the Winnipeg oval.

Stormin Monarcho, based at Canterbury Park with trainer Joel Berndt, was coming off a distant 12th-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Illinois Derby on April 20 when he shipped in for the Golden Boy. The cutback in distance and the seven-week layoff proved to be no obstacles as Stormin Monarcho tracked the pace on the outside before taking command in deep stretch and drawing off for a 1 3/4-length victory under the returning Adrian Ramos.

Stormin Monarcho will begin from post 6 in the field of seven for the Harry Jeffrey and is proven at the distance, having registered a 4 1/2-length win at Hawthorne in a first-level, $75,000 optional claimer last November.

Jon Q, one of the top juveniles here last year with a victory in the 5 1/2-furlong Graduation Stakes and third-place finishes in the Osiris Stakes and Winnipeg Futurity at six furlongs, will be trying three turns for the first time Wednesday.

Trained by Carl Anderson, Jon Q has finished well in each of his four starts this season but has come away with three second-place finishes and a fourth in the Golden Boy. Jon Q saw action last Wednesday, finishing second by a head in an $18,000 optional claimer at 7 1/2 furlongs.

Agent Scully, the runaway winner of the one-mile Arizona Oaks at Turf Paradise in February, will be tackling males for the first time in her local debut.

Have It My Way, winner of a $17,640 allowance June 26 that served as a prep for the Harry Jeffrey, and Zaccheus, third in that race as the odds-on choice after finishing second in the Golden Boy, also are back but are question marks at the distance.

Rounding out the field are It’s All Here and Discreet Gold.