Beautiful Lover up in time in Boiling Springs Stakes

Beautiful Lover split horses in the final sixteenth of a mile in the $75,000 Boiling Springs Stakes under jockey Joe Bravo and nailed the front-running Karama by a half-length nearing the wire of the 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies at Monmouth Park on Saturday.

Beautiful Lover, trained by Chad Brown, paid $4.60 as the favorite in the 10-horse field. She was timed in 1:41.67.

Karama, who was stretching out in distance following two seven-furlong dirt starts, sprinted off to a sizable lead on the backstretch through a half-mile in 46.33 seconds. She dug in the through the stretch run and just failed to last.

Ellyb, who took over second position on the far turn, made a bid after Karama in the stretch but had to settle for third while beaten a neck for second.
Her Royal Highness finished fourth. The stewards conducted an inquiry into the stretch run to determine if Ellyb had come outward in front of Her Royal Highness in the final sixteenth but did not change the order of finish. Jorge Vargas Jr. also lodged an objection regarding the incident.

Beautiful Lover has now won her last three starts and is 3 for 4 in her career. The Boiling Springs was her stakes debut.

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Reilly Handicap: Longshot Prendimi holds on

Prendimi hung on by a rapidly diminishing neck to upset the $75,000 John J. Reilly Handicap, a six-furlong race for New Jersey-breds.

Sent from the gate by jockey Chris DeCarlo, Prendimi moved up to vie for the early lead with Saucy Don. He got the better of that rival in upper stretch, then just lasted over the late-running, Chunnel, who didn’t have the best of trips at 5-2.

Chunnel stumbled at the start, raced in last position early, then began a long, sustained drive while racing wide. He appeared to have to be straightened when he came inward toward Cozy Lover in upper stretch.

Cozy Lover bid three wide nearing the stretch but couldn’t sustain his bid and finished third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Chunnel. Royal Urn moved up behind Prendimi in upper stretch but ended up fourth, a nose behind Cozy Lover. Amatteroftime finished fifth as the 9-5 favorite.

Prendimi is now 3 for 13 for trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. He paid $54.40 in the seven-horse field and was timed in 1:11.34.