East Avenue, Bishops Bay run it back in Philip Iselin

East Avenue and Bishops Bay will ship back to Monmouth Park to renew their rivalry in the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park. Neither horse has run since June, when East Avenue scored an all-out photo-finish victory over Bishops Bay in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile.

“That’s what the sport needs, some good races and good competition,” said Brendan Walsh, trainer of East Avenue. “They were good competition for each other the last day, but hopefully we won’t have to work as hard this time.”

While both graded stakes winners improved in their last trip to New Jersey, East Avenue’s hard-fought Salvator Mile victory meant a little more, as the 4-year-old earned a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure while closing from sixth. It was a major breakthrough for the long-promising colt, a Grade 1 juvenile winner who had an inconsistent 3-year-old campaign and suffered a pair of graded stakes defeats to begin 2026.

“He’s been running very well, been progressing,” Walsh said. “I feel his best race was his last race, so hopefully he can build on that on Saturday and be thereabouts again.”

For Bishops Bay, the 2025 Salvator Mile winner who came up a nose short of repeating, trainer Brad Cox had to take solace in the fact that he clearly bounced back to his finest form in defeat. The 6-year-old had previously faded in the Grade 3 Westchester at Aqueduct in May, nearly three months after running fourth in the $20 million Saudi Cup. He dueled all the way at Monmouth in a much stronger performance, his best since winning the Grade 2 Cigar Mile with a 107 Beyer last December.

“I thought he did a lot of dirty work last time,” Cox said. “He was up close to the pace and stayed on well. I like [post 5 in the Iselin]. It gives our jockey some options. We’ll break running, but hopefully we can get a good trip.”

East Avenue and Bishops Bay took different paths to Monmouth last time out, but they will both return to the track off a two-month break. They are most experienced at a mile but will stretch out slightly to 1 1/16 miles, a distance at which they have both won stakes. East Avenue will break from the rail under Tyler Gaffalione, while Bishops Bay will be handled by Luis Rivera Jr. in Flavien Prat’s absence.

The Iselin’s field of six will likely be shortened to five. Trainer Bill Mott said he does not expect Stars and Stripes to ship from Saratoga.

The 4-year-old colt Chunk of Gold is one of several newcomers who could scrap for the early lead. As a 3-year-old, the Ethan West trainee went to the front to win the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby and later came up a half-length short of Magnitude and Hit Show in the Grade 2 Clark.

“We were gonna press on with him, but then decided he deserved a break,” West said. “We let him grow up, let his body relax a little bit. Got him back as a 4-year old and he’s a little bigger, a little stronger.”

La Frost, a last-out allowance winner trained by Terri Pompay, and the speedy longshot Sergeant Capps complete the field.