Familiar foes square off in Incredible Revenge Stakes

The $75,000 Incredible Revenge Stakes for fillies and mares sprinting on the turf, Monmouth’s feature on Sunday, is aptly named. Several members of the 10-horse cast – which looks to be a strong lineup even if the race is rained off the turf – have knocked heads several times before.

Stablemates Ode to Joy and Ellyb, in particular, have been familiar foes over the last year for trainer Arnaud Delacour. The two met last September in a second-level allowance turf sprint at Laurel; Ellyb was victorious, with Ode to Joy beaten less than two lengths while third. They met three-other-than allowance May 30 at Laurel, with Ode to Joe besting her stablemate by a half-length.

Both most recently started in the Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes on June 21 on Woodbine’s synthetic main track, with Ellyb finishing eighth and Ode to Joy ninth. Ellyb will be ridden by Hector Diaz Jr. on Sunday, while Jorge Vargas Jr. has the mount on Ode to Joy.

One of the most accomplished runners in this field on dirt – there is a 60 percent chance of rain at Monmouth on Sunday – is Bronx Beauty, a seven-time stakes winner sprinting on the dirt. Trained by Anthony Margotta Jr., Bronx Beauty won a conditioned allowance race July 19 at Monmouth in her last start. Finishing third behind her was one of her foes for this race, Sunny Dale.

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A conditioned allowance that was taken off the turf July 23 at Delaware produced several other entrants in the Incredible Revenge. Mr. Al’s Gal won by a neck over Miss Auramet, with Too Much Tip finishing fourth. Mr. Al’s Gal is the first horse on the also-eligible list, and is entered for the main track only.

Sanity is familiar with several of the other entrants in this race. She was soundly defeated by Flat Awesome Jenny (a Sunday also-eligible), Miss Auramet, and R Happy Ending in consecutive races. She then dropped into claiming company last out and was a 2 1/4-length winner at Belmont for Kelly Breen, Monmouth’s leading trainer.

R Happy Ending, who is making her first start for Mike Dini after switching barns, owns the top last-out Beyer Speed Figure in the main body of this field for her victory over Sanity, an 89.

Joining Mr. Al’s Gal, A Bit of Both, and Flat Awesome Jenny on the also-eligible list is six-time stakes winner Chalon, who is trained by Delacour. Chalon, who finished a close second in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, won the Dashing Beauty on the dirt over A Bit of Both at Delaware Park on July 11.