Balance of Power finishes strongly to capture Iselin

Balance of Power didn’t show his normal tactical speed in the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park and instead saved his best for last as he ran down Pants On Fire in the final sixteenth to score his first stakes victory.

Balance of Power was unhurried by jockey Chuck Lopez while racing last in the field of five early as Valid showed the way while being pressed from the outside by Vegas No Show. Pants On Fire was content to save ground on a loose rein along the inside under Paco Lopez early.

Things stayed pretty much that way through fractions of 23.44 seconds, 47.38, and 1:11.19 until Pants On Fire slipped through along the rail to grab the lead on the far turn of the 1 1/8-mile race while Elnaawi lodged a four- wide bid.

Balance of Power advanced while saving ground on the turn and then angled outside for running room entering the stretch as Pants On Fire drew off to a clear lead while covering a mile in 1:36.03. Balance of Power was up to grab the lead from the outside nearing the finish to score by a half-length.

“I was a little nervous leaving there because he was not forwardly placed like we thought he would be,” Chuck Lopez said. “It was a waiting game after that. I just had to show patience.”

Balance of Power is trained by David Jacobson and paid $17 to win as the third betting choice behind 4-5 Valid and 7-5 Pants on Fire. He was timed in 1:48.78.

It was 2 3/4 lengths back from runner-up Pants On Fire to Valid in third.

Balance of Power is now 6 for 16 in his career with earnings of $233,128. The $150,000 Iselin was his third stakes start. He had previously finished ninth in the 2013 Northern Spur Stakes at Oaklawn Park and second last time out in the $57,000 Carl Hanford Memorial at Delaware Park. He was claimed by Jacobson and Drawing Away Stable for $35,000 in December 2013 and has since won 3 of 9 starts.

“We had been targeting this race for a while,” Jacobson said. “He beat some really nice horses today. Pants On Fire and Valid are real solid animals. I was real impressed with how he ran today.”

The attendance at Monmouth on Sunday was 13,256. The day’s festivities included a seafood festival and crab-cake cookoff.