Horologist upsets Jaywalk in Monmouth Oaks

In a remarkable upset, New Jersey-bred Horologist outfought 2-year-old champion filly Jaywalk by three-quarters of a length following a stretch-long battle to win the Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks on Saturday.

Horologist, a daughter of Gemologist who is trained by 82-year-old John Mazza, has now won four races in a row. Still, it was hard to imagine her beating the 2-year-old filly champion of 2018, who was prepping for the Grade 1 Cotillion Stakes at Parx on Sept. 21.

Jaywalk, the 1-5 favorite, was on her toes during the post parade. She broke smoothly in the 1 1/16-mile Oaks under Joe Bravo and cleared the three fillies to her inside entering the first turn. She set fractions of 23.49 seconds, 46.82, and 1:11.12 while being pressed by Sweet Sami D before disposing of that rival on the second turn.

Horologist, who broke from post 1, was on the pace early but was eased back by jockey Angel Suarez after a quarter-mile. She began to advance along the rail on the far turn, reached even terms inside Jaywalk nearing the quarter pole, took a short lead, then inched away in the final sixteenth of a mile.

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“I was so positive about this race, I knew I had a good shot,” Suarez said. “I wanted to be close but I just let the speed go with Jaywalk. I decided to stay inside on the far turn.”

The Oaks is Suarez’s fourth stakes win of 2019 and the first graded win of his career.

Owned by the There’s A Chance Stable of Cameron Beatty, Horologist is 5 for 10 in her career, and 4 for 4 in dirt races at Monmouth. She paid $12.80 as the second choice in the five-horse field. She was timed in 1:44.44, while getting her final sixteenth in a tepid 6.91 seconds. Sweet Sami D finished third, 2 1/4 lengths behind Jaywalk.

Jaywalk who had $164,000 of the $184,000 show pool bet on her and $33,000 of the $43,000 place pool, returned $2.10 and $2.10. A nine-length winner of the Delaware Oaks in her last start, Jaywalk is now 1 for 5 as a 3-year-old.

Horologist began her win streak with a first-level optional-claiming win at Gulfstream Park on March 8. She has since won three races at Monmouth, a second-level optional claimer, the statebred Smart N Classy Handicap under 125 pounds, and the Oaks.

Mazza has been training horses 63 years, the bulk of that time at Monmouth. The Oaks was his first graded win since Great Navigator won the Hopeful Stakes in 1992.

“She has been training the best since I’ve had her and she has filled out a lot. She’s a big, mature filly now,” Mazza said. “I’m emotional. It’s been a long time between graded stakes wins for me. I’m so happy it happened again with her. I thought she would run a bang-up race. I just didn’t know if we could beat a champion like Jaywalk.”