Monmouth Park: Canadian invader Claresmiezie gets class test in Sorority

OCEANPORT, N.J. – The $100,000 Sorority for 2-year-old fillies and the rescheduled $75,000 Omnibus Stakes for filly and mare turf routers top the Labor Day program as the core summer meet at Monmouth Park comes to an end.

Monmouth shifts to a fall schedule next weekend, reducing live racing to only Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

The Sorority attracted a diverse and widely traveled field of six.

There is Gypsy Robin, fourth last time out in the Grade 3 Schuylerville at Saratoga after venturing to Royal Ascot to run seventh in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes for trainer Wesley Ward. Claresmiezie journeyed a long way for this spot following a pair of blowout stakes wins at Hastings Park and Northlands Park. She flew to Toronto before vanning down to the Jersey Shore, arriving on Aug. 23.

Trainer Greg Tracy wants to get a handle on just how good Claresmiezie might be.

“I don’t really know what she was running against out there,” Tracy said. “She ran some pretty good numbers. I wanted to take her somewhere on a dirt track and see how good she is.”

Tracy considered Saratoga but settled on Monmouth instead. New York will come later, if Claresmiezie passes this test.

“We’ll try here, and then work our way up,” he said. “If she runs good here, maybe we’ll take her to Belmont.”

Claresmiezie was no factor in her debut on the synthetic strip at Keeneland in April. She cruised to dominant wins in her next three starts, all in Western Canada.

Claresmiezie had a breeze over the Monmouth track on Aug. 27 with jockey Channing Hill aboard.

“She’s been running good.” Tracy said. “She’s ready. We’ll just see what she can do.”

Say a Novena, a filly who hasn’t ventured far from Monmouth, is the one to beat. Following her maiden win here in June, Say a Novena stepped up run second in the Grade 2 Matron at Belmont. She returned to Monmouth to capture the Colleen, the Sorority prep.

“The filly is doing great,” said trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. ”It’s her home track. I couldn’t be more pleased with the way she’s going. The schedule has worked well for her.”

Mike Luzzi, aboard for her four previous races, has the return call.

Most of the fillies in the field show a preference for being on or close to the pace. Colormesaichi is the only one who cuts against that grain. In her lone start, Colormesaichi dropped back to eighth before launching a winning rally.

“My filly ran really well that first time,” said trainer Terri Pompay. “She had been a little sick the week before, so I don’t think she was really at her best.”

Vukovar was cross-entered in Sunday’s Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga.

Select Cat, a debut winner in the slop at Saratoga for trainer Todd Pletcher, completes the field.

◗ The 1 3/8-mile Omnibus, originally slated for Aug. 27, was washed out by Hurricane Irene and rescheduled for Monday. Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard sends out the uncoupled duo of Dyna Waltz, beaten 2 1/2 lengths in the Grade 1 Diana, and Dramatica.

◗ Paco Lopez and Carlos Marquez Jr. have both opted to pay $2,000 fines in lieu of suspensions for careless riding.