Heading Home by a neck in Jersey Girl Handicap
Heading Home pushed past Diamond Play in the late stages to win the off-the-turf Jersey Girl Handicap by a neck Sunday at Monmouth Park. It was another 5 1/4 lengths back to pacesetter Ebony Ball in third.
The Jersey Girl, which had a purse of $75,000, was scheduled for a mile on turf but was moved to the main track. The race was restricted to fillies and mares bred in New Jersey.
Heading Home ($6.80) settled in third along the rail as Ebony Ball set a controlled pace, taking the field through an opening quarter in 25.44 seconds, a half-mile in 49.60, and six furlongs in 1:13.56. Diamond Play took over in the stretch, but Heading Home started gaining ground after jockey Joe Bravo was able to angle her out. She put in a determined run to catch the leader while covering the mile on a fast track in 1:39.49.
“Joe rode her great, got out,” winning trainer Kelly Breen said on the simulcast feed from Monmouth. “When he got her in the clear, he said she exploded.”
Following the race, there was a stewards’ inquiry into the start concerning Crazy Daisy, who did not break with the field. There was no action taken as a result of the inquiry. Crazy Daisy finished fourth in the field scratched down to six with the defection of I’m Listening.
Heading Home was making her first start for Breen and owner Mike Napoli after being claimed for $22,000 in May at Monmouth. She won that afternoon in a turf route against open company. Last year, Heading Home was beaten a head in the Jersey Girl. She was winning her first stakes race Sunday, and it also was the first stakes win for Napoli, according to Daily Racing Form records.
Napoli, the World Series champion who retired from baseball in December, recently won the spring-meet owners’ title at Gulfstream Park. Heading Home is one of four horses he has with Breen at Monmouth. Napoli shows 25 career wins as an owner, all in 2019.
Heading Home is a daughter of After Market. She has won four races from 19 starts and has earnings of $152,006.
