Breen goes three-deep in Iselin Stakes
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Trainer Kelly Breen is taking three shots at winning the Grade 3, $150,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes for the first time Sunday at Monmouth Park. Breen sends out a trio of stakes winners in the eight-horse field going 1 1/8 miles: Pants On Fire, Bern Identity, and Vegas No Show.
“We’re going to try and have some fun and see if we can win a race,” Breen said.
Pants On Fire leads the Breen brigade and likely will vie with Monmouth Cup winner Valid for the role of favorite. Pants On Fire returned from a lengthy layoff to finish third in the Monmouth Cup on the Haskell Invitational undercard, his first race since finishing last in the Grade 1 Japan Cup.
“His first race back was good,” Breen said. “He came out of it in good order, and I’m looking for him to move forward.”
Pants On Fire has won a stakes here in each of the last three seasons: the 2011 Pegasus, the 2012 Skip Away, and the 2013 Monmouth Cup.
Bern Identity also is making his second start following a long absence. He won the 5 1/2-furlong, off-the-turf My Frenchman Stakes earlier this month, his first race since January 2013. Three of his four wins have come in stakes, including the Grade 2 Sanford at Saratoga in 2012.
“The distance is a question mark,” Breen said of Bern Identity.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 4 Bern Identity. Trainer Kelly Breen is winless in 15 starts over the past five years going sprint to route with horses coming off a win.Click for more details. – Dan Illman
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Vegas No Show started to turn the corner at this time last year on his way to stakes victories in the Ricci Tavi at Delaware Park and the Coastal at Belmont Park.
“Maybe he gets a little bit better when it gets a little bit cooler,” Breen said. “I don’t know if he’s at this level right now, but we had limited races to choose from.”
Philip H. Iselin Stakes (Race 10)
KEY CONTENDERS
Pants On Fire (Last 3 Beyers: 97-NA-82)
◗ Easily the class of the field, with more than $1.2 million in earnings and four graded stakes victories.
◗ Should move forward following a third-place finish in the Monmouth Cup following a 238-day layoff.
Valid (Last 3 Beyers: 106-97-102)
◗ The only runner in the field to own four triple-digit Beyers, including a career-high-equaling 106 in the Monmouth Cup victory.
“I thought his last race was superior,” said trainer Marcus Vitali. “He came out of it good and has been doing everything right.”
◗ Has hit the board in 11 of 17 starts.