Fuzzy Muzzle finds good spot to gain first turf win in Dan Horn
The $60,000 Dan Horn, a one-mile turf handicap for New Jersey-breds at Monmouth Park on Saturday, has drawn a confusing field of 11, plus a main-track-only runner.
The 122-pound highweight in the group, Fuzzy Muzzle, could have a lot to say in the outcome. Although he is 0 for 2 on turf in his 20-race career, he did close well to finish fourth in both of his grass tries. And with four of his rivals coming out of sprint races, a realistic pace seems likely.
Trained by Jason Servis, Fuzzy Muzzle tuned up for this race by finishing a well-beaten third in the John J. Reilly Handicap, a six-furlong main-track race for statebreds on May 28.
Other Dan Horn contenders include Here’s to Mike and the Maryland shipper Oak Bluffs.
Here’s to Mike, trained by Jane Cibelli, has made his first two starts of the year against open company. He finished third in a $50,000 starter race on the Gulfstream Park turf in April, then was eighth in a first-level allowance on the Monmouth grass May 29. He is 2 for 8 on turf and should fit well against this field.
Oak Bluffs was claimed by trainer Mary Eppler for $5,000 last November but didn’t start again until May. He closed well in that $7,500 starter turf sprint at Laurel Park. Although he has primarily been a turf sprinter, he has won going two turns on grass before.
Saucy Don recuperating from illness
Last year, Saucy Don swept the first two New Jersey-bred stakes of the Monmouth meet, the six-furlong John J. Reilly and the Dan Horn at a mile on turf. Saucy Don was entered in the May 28 Reilly but had to be scratched when he spiked a 104-degree temperature and had diarrhea.
Trainer Terri Pompay sent the 6-year-old Saucy Don to the New Jersey Equine Clinic, where he remains. Saucy Don, an earner of $322,000 for owner and breeder Patricia Generazzio, has recovered from his illness and is expected to rejoin Pompay’s stable next week.
“They’ve weaned him off the meds,” Pompay said. “He lost a lot of weight and muscle tone, but he’s being turned out in a paddock every day and doing much better.”
Pompay said Saucy Don’s feet stayed cold during his illness, and there was no sign of laminitis, which can develop during the type of health problem he had.
“Luckily, we caught it quickly and sent him to the clinic right away,” Pompay said. “It messed up his season, but we’re looking forward to having him back in the barn.”