Crazy Frazy narrowly gets up to take Sapling

Crazy Frazy narrowly bested Global Legend after a stretch-long battle in the $200,000 Sapling Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Global Legend, in the bridle while saving ground throughout the one-mile, two-turn Sapling, a race for 2-year-olds, got through along the fence past the quarter pole after Crazy Frazy, contesting the pace while wide, had forged to the front. Global Legend had all the momentum but Crazy Frazy, under a stout ride from Carlos Rojas, never gave an inch, forging to a narrow lead in the final strides to win by a head.

Neither horse ran especially fast, the winning time 1:39.55 over a fast track, but they were much better than the rest of the field. Third-place finisher Roxton was 17 lengths behind them.

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Two-turn dirt races for juveniles this time of year are often wars of attrition, and off a half-mile split in a robust 47.12, it took Crazy Frazy 27.10 seconds to run his final quarter mile. Other than the top two, no one could even break 29 seconds for the closing quarter.

Crazy Frazy, trained by Jorge Delgado for Lea Farms, has won two of his four starts, capturing a Monmouth dirt-sprint maiden before finishing fourth Aug. 3 in the Tyro, a turf sprint. Crazy Frazy is by Blame out of D’Oro Paradise, by Medaglia d’Oro, and while he did run swiftly in the Sapling, the colt was brave and willing.

Maman Joon takes Violet

Maman Joon, after a second in the Eatontown and a fifth in the Matchmaker this summer, finally won a Monmouth turf stakes – her first stakes win, in fact – with a last-to-first 1 3/4-length victory in the $100,000 Violet Stakes.

Ridden by Vincent Cheminaud for trainer Chad Brown and owner Amo Racing USA, Maman Joon whizzed past her five rivals with a big move off the far turn and into the homestretch in Saturday’s supporting feature. By the time runner-up Beach Bomb got untracked in the last half-furlong the winner was long gone. Beach Bomb, racing for the first time since being imported from South Africa, did finish with interest the last 150 yards.

Damaso, who set a dawdling pace, held on for third as Maman Joon clocked 1:45.34 for 1 1/16 miles over firm turf.

Bred in Ireland and campaigned for her first four starts in England, Maman Joon is a 4-year-old filly by Sea the Stars out of Dorcas Lane, by Norse Dancer. Her closing kick was too much for them in the Violet.

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