Monmouth: City Fire splashes home

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Another weekend, another rainstorm on the Jersey shore.

Monmouth Park found itself awash in showers for a second straight weekend. Hoping against hope, Monmouth officials and horsemen tried to squeeze in the first turf races of the season.

The effort proved fruitless. A downpour 35 minutes before the first race forced the transfer of the three grass races, including the $50,000 Revidere Stakes, to the main track.

Not surprisingly, the Revidere field of 13 dwindled to six on the change to the sealed surface listed as muddy.

The outcome was not a surprise either, as City Fire won by 2 1/2 lengths as part of the Michael Gill-owned entry that went off the even-money favorite.

City Fire has carved out a niche in 3-year-old filly turf stakes that wind up on the main track. She won the Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico on May 10 under similar circumstances.

"Any turf race that I see I'm going to enter her in and hope it comes off," said trainer Mark Shuman. "She'll try some better fillies now if I don't find anything else. She was entered hoping to come off the turf."

Shuman got his wish, and City Fire responded with a second straight gate-to-wire victory under jockey Jeremy Rose.

Lady Echo rallied to get second over Impolite, the runner-up in the Hilltop who pressed the Revidere pace for three-quarters of a mile before fading to third.

City Fire, coupled with Our Mariah, paid $4, running the mile in 1:37.91.