Chublicious part of solid field for statebred allowance

Monmouth Park does not have a stakes on its Memorial Day card, but the racing office has dug deep into its bag of tricks and put together an interesting slate of races for Monday.

Race 2 on the nine-race card is a no-conditions allowance for 3-year-olds with a purse of $50,000. The seventh race is a high-level, multiple-conditions, five-furlong turf sprint with a $42,000 purse. And race 8 is a high-level allowance for New Jersey-bred runners with a $51,200 purse up for grabs.

The program also has a first-level allowance for 3-year-old fillies. Additionally, Monday is the final day of the Jersey Shore Food Truck Festival at Monmouth.

The 10-horse field in the 5 1/2-furlong statebred allowance includes Chublicious, Fuzzy Muzzle, and Saucy Don.

Chublicious won the statebred John J. Reilly and New Jersey Breeders’ handicaps for trainer Jorge Navarro last year. Fuzzy Muzzle, trained by Jason Servis, won the Dan Horn Handicap for New Jersey-breds.

Saucy Don had a somewhat lost season a year ago after becoming ill during the meet. Trained by Terri Pompay, Saucy Don in 2015 won both the six-furlong Reilly and the Dan Horn at one mile on turf.

Race 7 is the best on the card. The turf sprint will mark the comeback of Always Sunshine, who last year won the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint at Pimlico and finished second in the Grade 3 Tom Fool at Aqueduct. Trained by Ned Allard, Always Sunshine will be making his first start since losing by a head in a $93,000, no-conditions allowance at Parx in October.

The field also includes Captain Gaughen, who just missed in a Gulfstream Park optional claimer for Servis; Bold Thunder, a high-level turf sprinter over the past three years for trainer Mike Farro; and Two Notch Road, who is still competitive at age 10 for trainer Glenn Thompson.

The 3-year-old allowance, at a mile and 70 yards, is carded early on the program because it has only five horses. Favoritism is likely to go to either Two Charley’s, who is coming off a first-level optional-claiming win at Laurel Park for trainer Cal Lynch, or Command Post, who won a Florida maiden race in April for Servis.

The lineup also includes Upper Room, who was third last out in the $100,000 Parx Derby for trainer Arnaud Delacour.