Past winners Precious Avary, Mia's Crusade square off in Jersey Girl

A group of highly familiar New Jersey-bred runners will square off again in the $85,000 Jersey Girl Handicap on Saturday at Monmouth Park. The 2023 and 2024 Jersey Girl winners Precious Avary and Mia’s Crusade will be directly at odds as both mares try to become repeat winners of the race.

When Precious Avary won the 2023 Jersey Girl for trainer Tim Shaw, she was an obscure 3-year-old filly pulling off a 22-1 front-running upset in the second turf start of her career. The 5-year-old mare is sure to earn more respect from bettors Saturday, as she has settled into a solid turf career bouncing in and out of state-restricted competition.

“It’s all been about being completely locked in for this race,” Shaw said. “I don’t want to sound like a typical horse trainer, but I wouldn’t change a thing right now. She’s loaded.”

In two allowances at Laurel Park this year, Shaw planned to race her into shape for this start. She outran her odds to finish second in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint in April and the following month, Shaw removed her blinkers to see if she could rate at a mile. She finished sixth that day, so the blinkers will naturally be back on for a front-running trip Saturday in the one-mile turf route.

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“In early spring, I made a point to try and focus on this race, third race off the layoff,” Shaw said. “When we brought her to Maryland to go five and a half, that was part of the plan, the sprint to a route to a route. While she hasn’t won this year, I thought she ran fantastic in both starts.”

While the 2023 Jersey Girl winner returns to statebred competition with clear intentions, the 2024 winner is on the verge of making history. Mia’s Crusade, a 6-year-old mare trained by Chuck Spina, could become the first horse to win seven statebred stakes races in New Jersey.

Last month, Spina’s mare earned her sixth statebred stakes victory in the $85,000 Smart N Classy Handicap on dirt, winning by 4 1/4 lengths in one of the strongest performances of her career. Dirt has always been her preferred surface, and she typically competes in sprints, but her photo-finish win at this turf mile last year makes her a credible contender.

Precious Avary and Mia’s Crusade are keeping their enemies close in the Jersey Girl. Riding Pretty, a 5-year-old mare trained by Eddie Owens Jr., finished third in this race in 2023 and lost by a nose to Mia’s Crusade last year. She is still looking for her first stakes victory on turf.

Summer’s Comin, a 4-year-old filly trained by Mike Dini, had poor racing luck finishing seventh against older fillies and mares in the Jersey Girl last year. She has traded wins with Mia’s Crusade on dirt in her last two starts, and Dini believes she’s due for a more mature performance switching surfaces.

Bel Pensiero, a 5-year-old mare trained by Anthony Margotta Jr., will try a turf route after finishing fourth in the $100,000 Goldwood in open company last time out. Last year, she defeated Mia’s Crusade and Summer’s Comin in the $85,000 Pinot Grigio, a 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint.

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