Deep field of 10 for Monmouth Oaks
The Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks has drawn a deep field of 10, headed by the one-two finishers of the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks and second- through fourth-place finishers from the Grade 2 Delaware Oaks.
Ria Antonia, runner-up to Size in the Iowa Oaks, was scheduled to ship from Kentucky to New Jersey on Wednesday afternoon, according to trainer Tom Amoss. She will start from post 1.
Although the Oaks purse of $100,000 is the lowest Ria Antonia will have raced for since winning her maiden at Woodbine in July 2013, Amoss is not taking the race lightly.
“This is an important race for us,” he said. “It sure would be nice to get her a win.”
Ria Antonia has not crossed the finish in front since her maiden score. She was placed first, after being beaten a nose, in her other career victory, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, when She’s a Tiger was disqualified for coming outward and brushing with her.
Amoss is the fourth different trainer for Ria Antonia in her 10-race career. Amoss took over her training after she finished sixth in the Kentucky Oaks. This will be Ria Antonia’s third race for Amoss following the Preakness and Iowa Oaks.
The $200,000 Iowa Oaks was contested over a sloppy track. Ria Antonia finished well but missed catching Size by 1 1/4 lengths.
“I really don’t have a problem with the track that night,” Amoss said. “I do think waiting for room longer than we would have liked on the backside was the difference between winning and losing for us.”
Ria Antonia is owned by Christopher Dunn and Ron Paolucci’s Loooch Racing Stable. Jockey Jacob Radosevich will be in to ride. As of Wednesday morning, Radosevich, 21, was tied for seventh in the Thistledown rider standings.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Ria Antonia. Trainer Tom Amoss is 1 for 22 with a $0.80 ROI over the past five years with 3-year-olds in graded stakes dirt routes.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
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“Ron has deep ties to Cleveland and so do the Radosevich family,” Amoss said.
* Size, a Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider homebred daughter of First Samurai, is now 3 for 4 and will be among the Monmouth Oaks favorites. In addition to the Iowa Oaks, she has a maiden win at Gulfstream Park in March and an optional-claiming win at Aqueduct. Her only loss came to the ultra-quick Red Velvet in the Jersey Girl Stakes at Belmont Park in May. She has drawn post 7.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 7 Size. Trainer Bill Mott is 11 for 30 with a $2.21 ROI over the past year in dirt routes following a winning effort.Click for more details. – Mike Hogan
* The Delaware Oaks contingent is comprised of Aibhilin, Joint Return, and Lady Paradime.
Aibhilin, post 6, ran a strong race in the 1 1/16-mile Delaware Oaks while making just her second start of the year. She took the lead in the upper stretch, could not contain the winner – Fortune Pearl, who is pointing to the Grade 1 Alabama on Aug. 16 – and then was nosed out for second by Joint Return.
* Joint Return, the 8-5 favorite in the Oaks, was fanned wide while making her move into the stretch.
Trainer John Servis will add blinkers to her equipment for this race. She will begin from post 9.
* There is a sizable spread of weights in the Oaks. Under its allowance conditions, Size is the 123-pound highweight and Aqua Regia, trained by Tom Albertrani is second at 120.
Two fillies will carry 118: Joint Return and Saintly Joan.
The others have been assigned 116: Aibhilin, Cassatt, Lady Paradime, Offlee Golden, Ria Antonia, and Spring Included.
* The entire field, from the rail out, with riders: Ria Antonia, Radosevich; Saintly Joan, Orlando Bocachica; Lady Paradime, Paco Lopez; Aqua Regia, Eddie Castro; Cassat, Kerwin Clark; Aibhilin, Edwin Rivera; Size, Junior Alvarado; Offlee Golden, John Bisono; Joint Return, Kendrick Carmouche; and Spring Included, Xavier Perez.