Jersey trio aims for Travers card

OCEANPORT, N.J. - There could be a strong Monmouth Park flavor at Saratoga for Travers Day on Aug. 28.

It starts with the Travers itself, where Lion Heart, winner of the Monmouth's Haskell Invitational and Long Branch Stakes, will be one of the favorites in the Mid-Summer Derby.

Joe Bravo, Monmouth's leading rider, will have the return call on Lion Heart for Saratoga-based trainer Patrick Biancone.

Hotstufanthensome and Frisky Spider, a pair of prominent Monmouth runners, could turn up in supporting stakes on the Travers card.

Trainer Norman Pointer is considering the Grade 2, $200,000 Fourstardave Handicap for his rapidly improving Hotstufanthensome.

The 4-year-old gelding has won two straight allowance races at Monmouth and ran a lifetime best Beyer Figure of 98 in his last outing.

"I'll tell you, so far we ain't found the bottom of this horse," said Pointer. "We have to go ahead and try him. He came out of that last race bucking, so we'll go ahead and see what happens."

Bravo has ridden Hotstufanthen-some to three wins and two seconds in his last five outings.

Frisky Spider could wind up in the Grade 1, $250,000 King's Bishop for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.

"We are considering it," said his trainer, Bob Durso. "The distance is what entices me. We'll take a look at who is running in it."

Frisky Spider is unbeaten in two dirt starts at seven furlongs. He has run three straight races at a mile or longer on the turf. Frisky Spider scored a sharp front-running win in Monmouth's Restoration Stakes in his grass debut, but was unable to sustain that speed in the Choice and the Ocean Place Resort stakes.

Doctor Voodoo shifts to turf

Trainer Jim Ryerson faced a pleasant dilemma when his colts Park Avenue Ball and Doctor Voodoo finished one-two in Monmouth's Tyro Stakes for 2-year-olds.

Rather than run both back in Monmouth's top juvenile event, the Grade 3, $100,000 Sapling Stakes on Aug. 28, Ryerson opted to split them up.

Park Avenue Ball will shoot for the Sapling, while Doctor Voodoo will take aim at Monmouth's Continental Mile on the turf on Sept. 5.

"He ran a good race to be second in the Tyro," sad Ryerson. "We anticipate the Sapling coming up tougher than we first thought, so the timing looks good to give this a try."

In preparation for the Continental Mile, Doctor Voodoo will try the grass for the first time in a $39,000 allowance race Thursday at one mile.

It also marks the first time the son of Petionville races beyond 5 1/2 furlongs. He has one win in three starts and has never finished off the board. His Beyers are steady, ranging from 63 to 67.

"We're trying to stretch him out," said Ryerson. "We want to see how he handles it."

Luis Rivera Jr. will ride.

Copyco owns the best Beyer in the field. Copyco spotted the field 11 lengths in his debut, which came on the turf at Belmont Park. He powered into contention in the six-furlong race with a four-wide move and continued on to score a half-length win for trainer Todd Pletcher. That effort earned him a 70 Beyer.

Eibar Coa gets the mount.