Monmouth: Dabnabit does best work vs. Jersey-breds in Colts Neck

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Dabnabit pulled off another upset in a New Jersey-bred handicap, winning the $66,500 Colts Neck on Sunday at rainy Monmouth Park.

A 6-year-old trained by Louis Carvajal Jr., Dabnabit won the John J. Reilly Handicap in late May at 16-1.

His next two races were against open company with fifth- and sixth-place finishes.

Back with the statebreds, Dabnabit battled hard for the Colts Neck victory that paid $27.40 to win with Victor Santiago aboard.

“Victor did a great job today,” Carvajal said. “He’s a front-runner, that’s his style and we’re not going to change it. He had to work for the lead today and he dug in nicely in the stretch.”

In a repeat of the Reilly, Dabnabit got the win while Gunfighter settled for second. Those two battled hard through the six furlongs on the sealed track rated good. Dabnabit fought back along the rail to earn his fifth win in 28 starts.

The time was 1:10.31.