Frisk Me Now brings them in from all over
Horses who were foaled in Ireland, Ohio, and at prominent farms in Kentucky line up for Saturday’s $75,000 Frisk Me Now Stakes for 3-year-olds going a mile on the turf at Monmouth Park – and it’s fitting that the race has attracted a group with such widespread roots. The race’s namesake was a well-traveled millionaire who scored his eight graded stakes victories at six different tracks, including the Grade 2 Philip H. Iselin Handicap in 1999 at Monmouth Park.
Four-time stakes winner Diamond Dust will be leaving his home state of Ohio for the first time. He is owned and was bred by nationally prominent WinStar Farm and trainer Tim Hamm’s Blazing Meadows Farm. Nine of his 10 starts have come against Ohio-breds, and in his only start against open company he finished second by a neck in a one-mile allowance race last fall on Thistledown’s main track. In his lone try on turf, he was leading in deep stretch of the Green Carpet Handicap at Belterra Park in late May when he abruptly ducked in and lost his rider.
:: Get PPs, Clocker Reports, picks, and more from DRF's Saratoga/Del Mar One-Stop Shop
Diamond Dust drew the rail for the Frisk Me Now and picks up local rider Paco Lopez for the outing.
Credit Swap, who is drawn next door in post 2 under Nik Juarez, crossed the line second but was disqualified to third in the 1 1/16-mile Stanton Stakes at Delaware in June, then finished second in the 5 1/2-furlong My Frenchman Stakes at Monmouth.
Trained by Michael Stidham, Credit Swap makes his first start as a gelding. He is a half-brother to two other stakes-placed runners, and they are from the immediate family of Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Perfect Shirl and Grade 1 winners Lady Shirl and Shakespeare.
Irish-born and English-raced Critical Data will be making his third start in the United States. Trained by Richard Valentine, he finished third in an optional-claiming race at Laurel, and then was fourth in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park.
Tracksmith, trained by Joe Sharp, comes off an allowance victory on the turf at Churchill Downs in his first start of the year. He was second in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile last September, beaten a head by Henley’s Joy, winner of the Grade 1 Belmont Derby earlier this month.
Successful Zip, stakes-placed on Monmouth’s main track last year, was sixth in the My Frenchman in his first start of 2019. War Treaty, a son of Scat Daddy who cost $550,000 as a yearling, comes off an allowance win on the Monmouth turf. Completing the field is Sacrificing It All, who comes off a win in a claiming race on this course.