Rose Brier auditions for stakes in high-level turf route

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Trainer Jane Cibelli thought about running Rose Brier in the Grade 3 Oceanport Stakes last Sunday on the Haskell Invitational undercard at Monmouth Park. On certain levels, the Oceanport made sense. Rose Brier was coming off a bang-up allowance victory at Delaware Park, and the stakes was right here on his home track.

Upon further review, Cibelli and the Panic Stable LLC decided to take it one step at a time with the 5-year-old Rose Brier. Hence the decision to skip the Oceanport and wait for Friday’s feature, a $44,000 third-level optional $75,000 claimer on turf at 1 1/16 miles.

“I talked to the owner and said, ‘We want to win.’ Obviously, the easier spot is the three-other-than,” Cibelli said. “He’s a gelding, so there was no rush to get black type, like with a filly. If he wins here, then we’ll look for a stakes.”

Race 9

KEY CONTENDERS

Rose Brier (Last 3 Beyers: 95-82-84)

◗ The 95 is the best last-race turf Beyer Speed Figure in the field, delivered in a four-length win as the 2-1 favorite in a second-level allowance at Delaware Park.

“He’s really training well, and he ran a monster race last time out,” Cibelli said. “If it stays dry all week, we should be good.”

◗ Although only 1 for 6 on Monmouth’s turf, Rose Brier turned in two solid efforts at the meet. He was fourth in the Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes following a layoff of more than two months and returned two weeks later to get second money in a second-level allowance.

Pass the Dice (Last 3 Beyers: 88-92-97)

◗ Pass the Dice returns to the turf for the first time since finishing seventh in the 2011 Hawthorne Derby. The surface switch should not be an issue for the 6-year-old, who is 2 for 3 on grass.

◗ Pass the Dice is winless in three quality tries this season, including a third-place finish on Arlington Park’s synthetic surface in the Grade 3 Hanshin Cup.

Saint Pierre (Last 3 Beyers: 84-83-78)

◗ Trainer Kelly Rubley has made the most of limited opportunities this season. Rubley is 4 for 8 overall, including a 1-for-2 mark at Monmouth. That local winner, Desvelo, scored at 13-1 on June 22.

◗ Saint Pierre won his last outing, a starter handicap at Pimlico in May. The 7-year-old gelding should be fresh and fit after seven half-mile breezes at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.