Bradester comes back strong in Majestic Light

Bradester confirmed his affinity for Monmouth Park’s main track when he returned from a nearly seven-month layoff to score a front-running victory in Saturday’s $75,000 Majestic Light Stakes.

It was the third stakes win in six lifetime starts at the Jersey Shore track for the 6-year-old Bradester, a son of Lion Heart. Last season, he won the Grade 3 Salvatore Mile and Grade 2 Monmouth Park in back-to-back starts.

Ridden for the first time by Joe Bravo, Bradester ($3.20) was hustled to the front out of the gate and controlled the tempo through fractions of 24.60 seconds, 48.37, and 1:12.02. He held a clear lead turning for home and was never seriously threatened in winning by 2 1/2 lengths while completing a mile on a fast track in 1:36.76. Adirondack King, shipping in from Parx Racing, finished second, 6 1/2 lengths in front of Encryption, the thid-place finisher in last fall's Grade 2 Fayette at Keeneland.

“Wow, he made me look good today,” said Bravo, after winning his second straight race on the program. “For the first start of the year, to come out running like that – that was pretty impressive. He was just cruising out there and came back really strong off the layoff.”

Trained by Eddie Kenneally for Joseph Sutton, Bradester was making his first start since finishing ninth in last fall’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He is now 8 for 22 lifetime with earnings of $752,732.