He'spuregold tries open stakes again in Oceanport

He’spuregold was one of just 64 New Jersey-bred horses foaled in 2018, and the 5-year-old has feasted on statebred restricted competition, going 5 for 5 in New Jersey-bred turf races. But He’spuregold long has hinted he could win an open stakes race, and Sunday at Monmouth Park might be the day he does.

He’spuregold makes the third start of his form cycle, the time when many horses deliver a peak performance, and could get a great trip under leading rider Paco Lopez in the $100,000 Oceanport Stakes. Tenth in the Grade 1 United Nations 13 months ago, the last time he tested open stakes competition at Monmouth, He’spuregold ought to go postward a fair price in the Oceanport, a 1 1/16-mile turf contest that drew 11 entrants.

Big Everest is the 5-2 morning-line Oceanport favorite, and deservedly so. The Christophe Clement-trained 5-year-old gelding faced Grade 1-level rivals when he set the pace and finished fifth, beaten 3 1/2 lengths, in the Grade 3 Kelso on July 15 at Saratoga. Besides running into the likes of Casa Creed and Annapolis in the race, Big Everest might have gone a little too fast over a course with some give in it. A difficult pace scenario could arise again for Big Everest, who will pull too hard for his head if asked to rate behind foes. On a clear lead through a manageable pace when he went wire to wire May 27 at Monmouth in the $102,000 Cliff Hanger over this same turf trip, Big Everest could face pressure from There Are No Words and Safe Conduct. Jockey Jorge Vargas got along with Big Everest, who can be tricky, winning the Cliff Hanger and will be tasked Sunday with avoiding a compromising duel.

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It was There Are No Words that He’spuregold ran down July 9 winning the Irish War Cry, a New Jersey-bred one mile grass stakes, for the third year in a row. That made He’spuregold 7-5-1-0 over the Monmouth turf, and while he won by only three-quarters of a length, Lopez was hand-riding the gelding under the wire and more than eight lengths separated There Are No Words and the third-place finisher.

He’spuregold’s last two open stakes tries came over the winter in Florida. In the Tampa Bay Stakes, won by the classy 4-year-old Emmanuel, He’spuregold broke a touch slow from post 11 and wound up too far off the pace, making a solid run through heavy traffic to finish a respectable fifth. He was so far below form next out in the Appleton Stakes at Gulfstream that the race is best ignored. Trainer Kelly Breen, who has brought He’spuregold along beautifully for owner-breeder John Bowers’s Roseland Stable, got a sharp half-mile workout into his horse on July 23, and He’spuregold is set for an ideal stalking trip breaking from the rail.

Grooms All Bizness very tough

The $100,000 Select Stakes for older horses at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf failed to fill for Saturday’s card but made it onto the Sunday program with a field of eight, seven in the field’s main body, with Spun and Won entered for the main track only.

The Select is likely to stay on turf, and Spun and Won’s connections, owner-breeder Richard Santulli’s Colts Neck Stables and trainer Jorge Duarte Jr., still have the horse to beat in Grooms All Bizness.

While Colts Neck generally breeds to sell, 4-year-old Grooms All Bizness never was entered in an auction. He won his debut at age 2, was stakes-placed three times turf sprinting last year at age 3, and has hit a higher level this season. Grooms All Bizness comes off his first stakes win, the Get Serious on June 18 at Monmouth, has four wins in seven Monmouth turf starts, and remains a relatively lightly raced horse with upside.

Yes and Yes clearly is the main competition. Trained in New York by David Donk, Yes and Yes for a couple seasons has looked like a turf sprinter who prefers races at six and seven furlongs, but following a pair of subpar showings, Donk cut the gelding back to 5 1/2 furlongs in the Van Clief Stakes last month at Colonial and got an improved performance out of Yes and Yes, who was a closing second.

◗ Jockey Samy Camacho was to resume riding Friday at Monmouth after missing five weeks with a shoulder injury. Camacho was a strong second to Paco Lopez in the Monmouth jockey standings when he got hurt.

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