Oak Bluffs wins stakes debut in My Frenchman

Oak Bluffs made his stakes debut a winning one Saturday at Monmouth Park, surging between horses to take the $72,480 My Frenchman Stakes by a head over Ancil. It was the fourth straight win for Oak Bluffs, a 5-year-old Defrere gelding owned and trained by Jamie Ness.

After breaking from the rail under Gabriel Saez, Oak Bluffs settled into third as the favored Dreamsgonewild built a 2 1/2-length lead through a quarter-mile in 22.79 seconds, with Ancil in closest pursuit. Dreamsgonewild covered a half-mile in 45.02 and entered the stretch with a half-length lead, but he tired in the final yards, as Ancil and Oak Bluffs steadily advanced.

Oak Bluffs squeezed between the rail-hugging Dreamsgonewild and Ancil and forged to the front in the final yards, holding off a game Ancil to stop the timer in 1:02.16 for 5 1/2 furlongs on a firm turf course. He paid $8.20 to win as the third choice in a field of seven horses ages 3 and up.

“The plan was to break well and get into a good position,” Saez said. “We were in a good spot in third or fourth and then found a hole around the turn. He had just enough to get to the wire first.”

Ancil finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Dreamsgonewild, who was followed by Rainbow Heir, Saucy Don, Heaven’s Runway, and Mellow Fellow. Dreamsgonewild was made the 3-2 favorite on the strength of his win in the John McSorley Stakes at Monmouth last out June 7.

Oak Bluffs is 3 for 3 on the Monmouth turf course, having taken a $20,000 optional claimer in May and a $30,000 optional claimer last month, coming from off the pace on both occasions. His winning streak started May 9, when he won a $50,000 allowance race for New Jersey-breds by a head. Oak Bluffs has won nine of 19 career starts for $227,796.