Pompay treatment has paid

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Clearly a Queen has been a different horse since coming to the barn of Terri Pompay at Monmouth, and she guns for her second consecutive Grade 3 win in the $100,000 Eatontown Handicap at Monmouth Sunday, the highlight of the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational undercard.

The Eatontown, run as the eighth race on a 12-race card, drew a field of nine at nine furlongs on the turf.

Clearly a Queen, owned by John Franks, was sent up from the barn of Bill White at Calder to Pompay's at Monmouth the move has paid tremendous dividends. Once a Grade 3 winner on the grass last year, Clearly a Queen won her first race for Pompay in a money allowance here May 26, ending the mare's six-race losing streak. She next ran a troubled third in the Politely Stakes before scoring a win in the Grade 3 Matchmaker Handicap July 7. Eibar Coa, aboard in her last three starts, retains the mount Sunday.

Clearly a Queen had been a possibility for the Grade 2 Diana Handicap at Saratoga last Saturday, but her connections opted to wait for the easier Eatontown.

"She fit up there, but there were some really tough fillies in that race," Pompay said. "She's gotten better each race here, and this track fits her very well."

The pace scenario should be very quick in the Eatontown, which would benefit Clearly a Queen's late-closing style. Laurica, Presumed Innocent, and Secret Rive all have done their best work on the front end.

Of the front-runners, Secret River should be very tough if she can avoid a speed duel. In the Grade 3 All Along Breeders' Cup at Colonial Downs July 13, Secret River was right on the early pace, and after assuming the lead turning for home, she held strongly by a neck over Golden Corona.

Christophe Clement is always dangerous when shipping in his grass horses from New York, and he is sitting on a big day come Sunday. He has an entrant in each of the three undercard turf stakes, and in the Eatontown he is represented by Coney Kitty. Coney Kitty ran fourth in the Grade 3 Just A Game Handicap at Belmont June 8, a result that split three allowance victories.

Caught Out, trained by Michael Dickinson, holds the only win over Clearly a Queen this meet. She closed from last to first in the Politely Stakes, and has since won the Firecracker Stakes at Mountaineer Park. She puts a four-race win streak on the line in the Eatontown.

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