Local winners have hands full in Red Bank

Guys Reward and Winning Cause were both graded stakes winners at the 2014 Monmouth Park meet, but they will have to have their running shoes on Saturday to succeed in the Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes there.

The $100,000 Red Bank will be run at a mile on turf and has drawn a field of 10.

Guys Reward finished strongly to win the Grade 3 Oceanport at 1 1/16 miles on Haskell Day last summer for trainer Dale Romans.

:: Bet the Red Bank with DRF Bets. Get up to a $500 cash bonus! Find out more today.

Winning Cause, trained by Todd Pletcher, took down the 1 1/8-mile Cliff Hanger at Monmouth last year. He defeated Big Blue Kitten by a half-length in that Grade 3.

Neither Guys Reward nor Winning Cause have showed their best form recently, and they will face the sharp trio of Slim Shadey, who is trained by David Jacobson; Red Vine, trained by Christophe Clement; and Aztec Brave, trained by Joe Sharp.

Slim Shadey finished fourth April 29 in the seven-furlong Elusive Quality on the Belmont Park turf. Although beaten 2 1/4 lengths, he was running hard at the finish of that race and should appreciate the two turns and extra furlong of the Red Bank.

Red Vine has won his last two starts but, oddly, both races came on the main track. Thirteen of Red Vine’s 15 starts have been on turf.

Aztec Brave won the Danger’s Hour on the Aqueduct grass in his last start. He has good speed and will be prominent throughout.

Key contenders

Slim Shadey (Last 3 Beyers: 94-94-72)

◗ Now 7, he was only 2 for 11 last year.

◗ He may have benefitted from his recent five-month break.

Red Vine (Last 3 Beyers: 98-94-89)

◗ He was stuck at the second allowance level for six starts before breaking through in December.

◗ In his 5-year-old debut this year, he defeated Pimlico Special entrant Kid Cruz in a third-level optional-claiming race.

Aztec Brave (Last 3 Beyers: 98-88-90)

◗ He has steadily improved since being claimed by Sharp for $30,000 last October. He earned a career-best Beyer Speed figure of 98 in the Danger’s Hour.

Guys Reward (Last 3 Beyers: 88-80-87)

◗ Now 8, he has scored three graded wins, the Oceanport last year, the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes in February 2014, and the Grade 2 Firecracker at Churchill Downs in July 2012.

Winning Cause (Last 3 Beyers: 84-64-87)

◗ He raced well in all of his Monmouth starts last year. In addition to his Cliff Hanger win, he was beaten only 1 1/4 lengths by Main Sequence in the Grade 1 United Nations, beaten two lengths in the Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes, and was second in the Red Bank.

Heart to Heart (Last 3 Beyers: 88-100-94)

◗ He won the Grade 3 Commonwealth, Grade 3 Jefferson Cup – both at Churchill – and the $100,000 Better Talk Now at Saratoga consecutively last year at 3. The Red Bank will be his seasonal debut.