Lake Belmar gets extra distance

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Lake Belmar will make his grass debut Saturday in the $65,000 Continental Mile, the first 2-year-old turf race of the season at Monmouth Park.

The race attracted a full-field of 10, with The River Mon on the also-eligible list.

The Continental Mile and the $70,000 Miss Woodford for 3-year-old fillies are the supporting stakes on the Iselin Day undercard.

Lake Belmar, a gray New Jersey-bred son of Meadowlake, will be stretching out beyond five furlongs for the first time. In his career debut, he gamely rallied up the fence to get second against maiden special weight company at five furlongs. He returned at the same conditions July 16 and pulled away to a 1 1/4-length victory.

"We think he needs more distance," said Kelly Breen, Monmouth's leading trainer. "Neither the added distance or the turf should harm him. He isn't fast enough right now to run in the Sapling, but he's ready to run."

The Grade 3, $150,000 Sapling Stakes, Monmouth's top juvenile race, will be run Sept. 3. Breen said he is keeping Keeneland Kat in reserve for a possible run in the Sapling.

Delta Park should benefit from his turf experience. He ran twice in one-mile grass races at Colonial Downs, with a win and a fourth for Hall of Fame trainer Grover (Bud) Delp of Spectacular Bid fame.

Marcavelly, an easy winner in his grass debut at Belmont Park, also hails from a Hall of Fame barn, as Bill Mott tries to keep his Monmouth stakes record unblemished this meet. His only other starter was a winner: Quiet a Bride in the Grade 3 Boiling Springs Stakes on July 4th. Marcavelly will run on Lasix for the first time

Timely Encounter made a strong closing move last time out and missed by only a neck in the Chenery Stakes at Colonial Downs at 5 1/2 furlongs.

He has a win and two seconds in three starts with a rallying style that suggests the added distance will help.

Pure Disco vs. open foes again

Pure Disco, cooked by a hot pace last time out, will try to rebound in the $70,000 Miss Woodford Stakes at six furlongs.

The Miss Woodford will be Pure Disco's second straight start against open company. Last time out, she wound up in a punishing battle for the lead with Misty Rosette in Monmouth's off-the-turf Crank It Up Stakes on July 23, when she faded to seventh.

"She went head and head with Misty Rosette for most of the race, and she tired," said trainer Tony Wilson.

Misty Rosette, a 4 1/2-length winner in the Crank It Up, stepped up in her next race to run third in the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga.

New Hope Seven, who tracked the speed duel in third and held on for second in the Crank It Up, returns in the Miss Woodford. She is trained by Richard Dutrow Jr.

Trainer Todd Pletcher sends out Yachats, a second-level allowance winner here earlier in the meet. She most recently ran second as the 1-2 favorite in the Beautiful Day Stakes at Delaware Park.

* Monmouth's overnight purses will be raised by $3,000 to $10,000 from Saturday through Labor Day.