Last Sunday at Keeneland, trainers Mike Maker and Brad Cox squared off with the top two choices in the 1 1/2-mile Elkhorn Stakes. Maker came out on top as even-money Zulu Alpha stormed home to win by three-quarters of a length while 3-1 Arklow came up flat in the stretch for Cox and checked in sixth, beaten 3 3/4 lengths. On Saturday, Maker and Cox will be back at it in the Grade 1, $300,000 United Nations at Monmouth Park. Maker has entered top contender Aquaphobia and Muggsamatic in the 1 3/8-mile turf race, while Cox is giving Arklow a chance to redeem himself on six days’ rest. They all will have to deal with the Chuck Lawrence-trained Paret, who looks like the lone speed, just as he was winning the Tiller Stakes on June 4 at Belmont Park. The United Nations is slotted as the 11th on Monmouth’s 14-race card and immediately precedes the Haskell Invitational. There is a 50 percent chance of showers on Friday at Monmouth, according to Weather.com, but Haskell Day looks dry and the turf should be firm. :: Want to get your Past Performances for free? Click to learn more. Arklow, the 5-2 morning-line favorite for the United Nations, didn’t do much to tire himself out in the Elkhorn, which had a slow pace that worked against him. On Thursday morning, Cox said Arklow was already at Monmouth and that he fully intended to run him. “Honestly, as I was walking off the track at Keeneland last week I was already thinking that if he came out of the race good about running him in the United Nations,” Cox said. “The way the race unfolded and the lack of opportunity he had to run, it just didn’t set up for him. Given the horse’s style, that’s not a trip he can win with.” The Elkhorn stands in stark contrast to Arklow’s prior effort in the June 13 Louisville, when he showed determination to come up the hedge in tight quarters before dropping a head decision to Admission Office. Cox has been successful running horses back quickly, according to Daily Racing Form’s Formulator. Over the past five years, he is 7-2-2-0 with horses returning in seven days or less. Arklow finished fourth of 13 in the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf two weeks after running second in the Sycamore Stakes. Mike Smith, who is in town to ride Authentic in the Haskell, is named to ride Arklow, replacing Florent Geroux, who earlier this week tested positive for the coronavirus. Maker won the 2017 United Nations with Bigger Picture, whom he claimed for $32,000. Unsurprisingly, Maker also claimed both Aquaphobia (for $62,500 in January at Gulfstream Park) and Muggsamatic ($25,000 at Monmouth last August). Aquaphobia, 7, and Muggsamatic, 6, are both at the top of their game, but neither is proven at the United Nations distance. Aquaphobia, fourth last out in the 1 1/16-mile Wise Dan with a 97 Beyer Speed Figure, hasn’t competed in a three-turn race since March 2018. Muggsamatic, who is coming off a win in the Florida-bred Soldier’s Dancer at Gulfstream, has never raced beyond 1 1/8 miles. Still, Maker is adept at stretching out these type of runners, and added ground might be just what these two hard-knockers need at this stage of their careers. Joe Bravo rides Aquaphobia, and Paco Lopez will be aboard Muggsamatic. Between them, Bravo and Lopez have accounted for 19 Monmouth riding titles. Paret, who was imported from Australia in the spring of 2019, is coming off his first U.S. win in the 1 3/8-mile Tiller. Jockey Jorge Vargas Jr. put Paret on the lead and was able to slow down the pace and then sprint home to win by a head. Look for Vargas to use similar tactics here. The United Nations field also includes the fifth- through seventh-place finishers from the Tiller, who were unable to close into a final three furlongs in 35.33 seconds – Current, who is trained by Todd Pletcher; Standard Deviation, who races for Graham Motion; and Corelli, who will be adding blinkers for Jonathan Thomas. :: To stay up to date, follow us on: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Matchmaker Stakes A wide-open field of eight fillies and mares meet in the Grade 3 WinStar Matchmaker, a 1 1/8-mile turf race. In addition to the race’s $150,000 purse, WinStar Farm has donated three stallion seasons – to Exaggerator, Take Charge Indy, and Yoshida – for the top three finishers to divvy up. Feel Glorious, who is trained by Christophe Clement, is arguably the horse to beat, but not by much. The 4-year-old was narrowly beaten for second behind 5 1/2-length winner Mean Mary in the 1 1/4-mile New York Stakes at Belmont in her seasonal debut and has every right to move forward at this slightly shorter distance. At 3, she accounted for the Winter Memories and Memories of Silver at Aqueduct. Chad Brown has entered the threesome of Nay Lady Nay, Tapit Today, and Beautiful Lover. They are close ability-wise, with possibly late-running Beautiful Lover the most dangerous. Varenka won the Grade 2 Lake Placid last summer at Saratoga for Motion and is dangerous now that she’s had a race at 4. One thing for certain is the 6-year-old veteran Valedictorian loves the Monmouth turf course, over which she is 4 for 5. Twelve for 34 in her career, she has won the Eatontown and Jersey Girl here, the Sand Springs and Suwannee River at Gulfstream, and the All Along at Laurel Park for trainer Kelly Breen since 2018. ◗ Race 13 is the $75,000 Wolf Hill, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint with a 12-horse field. The top contenders include 4-year-old Regally Irish, 7-year-old Dubini, and the very quick 8-year-old American Sailor.