Grooms All Bizness seeks first stakes win in Get Serious
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Trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. is an aspiring marathon runner, but on Sunday his focus will be sprint racing when he saddles Grooms All Bizness in the $100,000 Get Serious at Monmouth Park.
The stakes, to be run over five furlongs on the grass, is for 3-year-olds and up. It drew a field of nine, including That’s Right, winner of the Grade 3 Turf Monster last September at Parx Racing; Belgrano, a four-time stakes winner and a son of multiple Grade 1 winner Ask the Moon; and Our Shot, who is coming off an allowance win at Keeneland for which he earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 98.
Grooms All Bizness won a two-other-than allowance over the Monmouth turf in his most recent out May 28. Last year, he placed in a pair of turf sprints, running second in the Carle Place at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet in October and third in the My Frenchman in July at Monmouth.
“He’s turned into a very good closing sprinter,” Duarte said Thursday after finishing up a five-mile run. “I think this is a good spot for him. He came out of his last race very sharp and very happy. We’re excited about Sunday.”
Duarte has been running with the hope of qualifying for the New York Marathon in 2024. But his immediate hope is to secure a stakes win with Grooms All Bizness. The horse has registered all three of his career wins over the turf at Monmouth.
“He’s a homebred,” Duarte said of the son of Fed Biz who races for Colts Neck Stables. “The mare was a very good horse. She was lightly raced. He goes back to a very good family of mares. Hopefully, he can get his first stakes win.”
Grooms All Bizness is out of the Candy Ride mare Bride to Be, who was 3 for 6. Duarte noted her dam, Cat Chat, won the Grade 2 Nassau County over Xtra Heat in 2001 at Belmont Park. Cat Chat later produced Grade 1 winner In Lingerie. Cat Chat’s dam is Phone Chatter, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Grooms All Bizness will break from post 2 under Angel Rodriguez.
“There is some rain in the forecast,” Duarte said. “If it stays on the turf, he does handle the off turf, a little give in the turf. So, I’m not concerned about that. Hopefully, he runs his race.”
That’s Right is making his second start of the year, after finishing sixth in the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint on the Preakness Stakes undercard May 20 at Pimilco. His win in the Turf Monster came on the front end, as he wired the field for a 1 1/2-length victory.
Belegrano, now 9, was a two-time stakes winner last year at 8. He won the $100,000 Janus in December at Gulfstream Park and the $100,000 Select in June at Monmouth.
The allowance Our Shot won last out at Keeneland has since produced two next-out winners, making it a key race. Our Shot wired the field for a three-length win in the 5 1/2 furlong turf sprint on April 26.
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