Leader of the Band notches first stakes victory with Monmouth Oaks
Leader of the Band marched to her first stakes victory Saturday in the Grade 3, $250,000 Monmouth Oaks, blowing past favored Edie Meeny Miny Mo in deep stretch to win by two lengths.
Edie Meeny Miny Mo, making her stakes and two-turn debut, ran well in defeat. She leapt in the air leaving the starting gate, then rushed wide around the first turn to take the lead, going a half-mile in a solid 47.03 seconds while pressured, in spots, by Leader of the Band’s John Servis-trained stablemate, Midnight Obsession.
Midnight Obsession took one run at Edie Meeny Miny Mo going down the backstretch, then another midway around the far turn, but Edie Meeny Miny Mo beat her back, pushing out to a clear lead in upper stretch, seemingly on the way to a third victory to start her career. But the early mistakes and the pace pressure took their toll at the furlong grounds.
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Leader of the Band, ridden by Frankie Pennington, rated well behind the leaders around the first turn and down the backstretch but began moving up at the half-mile pole and came into the homestretch with a full head of steam. She passed Midnight Obsession and took aim on tiring Edie Meeny Miny Mo, rushing past her in the last half-furlong to win the Monmouth Oaks.
Midnight Obsession had been second, almost three lengths in front of third-place Leader of the Band, in the July 3 Delaware Oaks, but that start, Leader of the Band’s first around two turns, moved the filly forward.
“She’s getting better and she’s maturing,” Servis said. “She’s a little on the nervous side and she is starting to settle a little bit and she is starting to understand the racing game. I think she will continue to get better.”
Edie Meeny Miny Mo finished a clear second, 1 1/2 lengths in front of Midnight Obsession. Winning time for the 1 1/16 miles over a fast track was 1:43.44, and the winner paid $22.60.
Servis trains Leader of the Band for her breeder, SMD Limited. Leader of the Band, a Pennsylvania-bred, is by Bandbox out of Catsuit, by Sir Cat.
Tale of the Cat
Founder, racing in blinkers for the second time in his seven-race career, was much the best rallying from last to first in the $100,000 Tale of the Cat Stakes, a two-turn turf race for 3-year-olds.
Shipped in from New York by trainer Chad Brown, Founder had finished a fine second in his most recent start, an off-turf Belmont allowance race, while making his first start in blinkers. On Saturday he raced at the back of a seven-horse field as It Can Be Done set splits of 22.37 and 46.34 over a firm, quick-playing turf course.
Paco Lopez, riding Founder, probed up the fence going around the far turn while racing only four or five lengths off the pace, but at the three-furlong marker abandoned that plan, took back, and swung to the far outside. In the clear, Founder surged powerfully, pouncing on It Can Be Done at the eighth pole and drawing away to a 1 1/4-length victory as Lopez took his foot off the gas in the final strides.
It Can Be Done held gamely for second, 1 1/4 lengths in front of Hot Blooded. Founder paid $4.20 to win and was timed in 1:41.81 for the 1 1/16 miles. Founder, a ridgeling by Upstart out of Blue Beryl, by Bernstein, is owned by Jeff Drown and Don Rachel.