Royal Urn rallies for first stakes win in John J. Reilly Handicap

The well-traveled Royal Urn made his return to Monmouth Park a winning one, taking Sunday’s $75,000 John J. Reilly Handicap for New Jersey-bred sprinters.

This was Royal Urn’s first start since January, and first since transferring to the care of Kelly Breen from trainer Michelle Nihei. It was the colt’s first stakes victory after previously competing in stakes at Monmouth, Churchill Downs, Gulfstream Park, Gulfstream Park West, Tampa Bay, and Laurel Park. His previous career highlight was a third in the Kitten’s Joy Stakes at Gulfstream in January 2019; he was third in last year’s edition of the Reilly.

Breen put blinkers on Royal Urn for Sunday’s race.

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“He really kicked it in,” Breen said. “We changed his training a little bit. The things that we did with him worked. They don’t always work. I changed a couple of his training tactics. Blinkers were one of them. He’s a good feeling horse. I don’t know that when I first got him if he was as focused as he should be. That’s why we put the blinkers on him, and it all worked out.”

Royal Urn ($7) and Trevor McCarthy we’re fifth in the field of 10 turning for home in the six-furlong sprint, but rallied four wide to win by 2 1/4 lengths, going away. They stopped the clock in 1:09.94.

Defending race winner Prendimi finished second after leading into the lane, two lengths ahead of favored Golden Brown in third.