Our Friend on favored turf course

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Our Friend Harvey has two wins and a second in three grass sprints at Monmouth Park. He has been less successful in similar races at Gulfstream, Belmont Park, and Saratoga.

His record on the Monmouth course makes him a top contender Sunday in the $60,000 My Frenchman Stakes at 5o1/2 furlongs.

Our Friend Harvey is a closing sprinter who usually gets his trip here.

"What happens, especially at Gulfstream, they have a banked turn and he's sitting behind the leaders and there are no slots to get through, no seams," trainer Tim Hills said. "A lot of horses turn for home looking for something and nothing materializes and the stretch is so short, the race is over. Here, they tend to drift a little more, we have smaller fields and not quite so aggressive riders, so you find more seams. That's all he needs, a little room to run."

Which he didn't get most recently, missing by only three-quarters of a length in a rallying second here with Joe Bravo aboard in the John McSorley Stakes on July 13.

"He was kind of blocked with nowhere to go until too late," Hills said. "Hopefully, we'll be looping this time. Bravo predicted it that day. He said the inside was chopped up and he wanted to angle outside but there was nowhere to go. Finally, they went to the inside. He was coming, but the race was over."

Bravo has the return call as Our Friend Harvey moves from post 3 to post 5 in the nine-horse field.

Blue Sailor is having a standout season for Laurel-based trainer Howard Wolfendale, going 4-1-1 in 6 starts, including a win last time out in the Mo Bay Stakes at Delaware Park.

Jose Lezcano, Monmouth's leading jockey, has the mount.

Museeb makes his 2008 debut for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin with Eddie Castro aboard. He was seventh in his last race, the Grade 3 Phoenix Stakes on the synthetic track at Keeneland last October.

Quietly Mine looks to end a seven-race losing streak, all in stakes races, for trainer Christophe Clement.

He never got into the hunt last time out in the Grade 3 Highlander Stakes at Woodbine, rallying from ninth to get fifth.

Trainer Jason Servis entered two: Sinkwich and Travolta, a second-level allowance winner most recently at Monmouth. Both have been running on the main track.

Completing the field are John's Pic, and That's My Man. Cavallo Pazzo was entered for the main track only.