Monmouth Oaks next step for Jaywalk on way to Cotillion

When Jaywalk failed to win in her first three starts as a 3-year-old, trainer John Servis regrouped with the champion 2-year-old filly of 2018 and put together a somewhat unorthodox plan to get her to the Grade 1 Cotillion over her home track of Parx Racing in September.

Phase 1 went according to script in July when Jaywalk won the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks by nine lengths. The second step comes Saturday when she will be heavily favored over four rivals in the Grade 3, $150,000 Monmouth Oaks.

To help Jaywalk regain her best form, Servis eased up on her training and placed the emphasis on two-minute miles rather than quick workouts, which is similar to how he conditioned her during her championship season.

Servis also put her in against easier company to improve her confidence and added blinkers to the light-framed filly’s equipment so she would not be intimidated by her often larger competitors.

The result was that finicky Jaywalk began eating better and won her third graded stakes in the Delaware Oaks to go along with Grade 1 victories last year in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and Frizette. Jaywalk earned a career-high 96 Beyer Speed Figure in the Delaware Oaks, 2 points higher than her Beyer in the Juvenile Fillies.

“I’d love to see her jump up on Saturday and run big again like she did at Delaware,” Servis said. “It would be nice to go with that momentum into the Cotillion.”

Jaywalk’s only recorded workout in the six weeks since the Delaware Oaks came Aug. 3 at Parx when she went an easy five furlongs in 1:00 and, according to track clocker Scott Bakos, galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.55.

Joe Bravo will be back aboard for the Monmouth Oaks, which will be held at the same 1 1/16-mile distance as the Delaware Oaks. Expect Bravo to put Jaywalk on the lead, just as he did in Delaware.

The Monmouth Oaks field includes a pair of New Jersey-breds. Horologist has won three races in a row, all for trainer John Mazza, and Stay Smart is 2 for 2, all for Kelly Breen, since she moved to the New Jersey-bred ranks and began wearing blinkers.

Horologist is the more proven of the pair. She won a first-level optional claimer at Gulfstream Park in March, a second-level race at Monmouth in May, and then two weeks later scored by 1 3/4 lengths in the statebred Smart N Classy as the 1-20 favorite.

Stay Smart has improved dramatically in her last two races, winning a New Jersey-bred maiden race and first-level optional claimer.

The field is completed by Sweet Sami D, who finished second for Pat McBurney in the Just Jenda Stakes at Monmouth last time out, and Lady Banba, who is coming off a first-level optional-claiming win for Servis at Parx.

◗ Saturday is fan appreciation day at Monmouth. Parking and admission are free.