Bravo gets back on Candyman E
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Joe Bravo, who owns a record 13 riding titles at Monmouth Park, recently shifted his tack to New York. That doesn’t mean he will be a stranger at the meet that starts Saturday.
“Anytime I get to come home to Monmouth Park, I’m going to have a smile on my face,” Bravo said.
Bravo has several live mounts on the opening card, including Candyman E in the featured $75,000 Decathlon Stakes at six furlongs. It’s a reunion for Bravo and the 7-year-old Candyman E, who drew the rail. They last teamed to run sixth in the Grade 1 Vosburgh at Belmont last September. Together, they have won a pair of stakes: the Bensalem at Parx last year and the 2011 De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel.
Candyman E was claimed by David Jacobson in October and has won two of three since then, including the Grade 3 Toboggan at Aqueduct in February.
“I love the horse I’m sitting on,” Bravo said. “I’ve had a good past with him. We get along great. I’m not a big fan of the inside post, but it’s not a perfect world.”
Several runners, such as Javerre, Partyallnightlong, and Ribo Bobo, bring outstanding Monmouth credentials.
Javerre, a New Jersey-bred trained at Parx by Cal Lynch, is 4-1-0 in five Monmouth appearances on the main track. The winner of last year’s Grade 2 General George Handicap at Laurel, Javerre missed by only a neck in his lone Monmouth effort last season, the Teddy Drone Stakes on the Haskell Invitational undercard.
Partyallnightlong, also a New Jersey-bred, is 7-0-1 in 11 Monmouth races. The 7-year-old homebred for Richard Malouf and trainer Eddie Broome has battled soundness issues that have limited him to 19 career starts.
Ribo Bobo has been on a tremendous roll since Jason Servis claimed the 6-year-old gelding for $6,250 in March 2013. He is 9 for 11 since the barn change, including a dazzling five-length victory here last September in the Icecapade Stakes.
Jacobson has three in the Decathlon: Candyman E, Be Bullish, and Royal Currier. The trio race uncoupled in the wagering.