Rusty Slipper turns perfect trip into Violet victory

OCEANPORT, N.J. - Rusty Slipper pulled a 13-1 upset on Saturday in the Grade 3, $109,000 Violet Stakes for fillies and mares on turf at Monmouth Park.

Never worse than second at any point in the race, Rusty Slipper reeled in the pacesetting Why Katherine a furlong from the finish and held off the late charge from 8-5 favorite Overheard by 1 1/4 lengths with Fasnacloich a neck back in third.

It was the third straight stakes appearance at the meet for Rusty Slipper, a 4-year-old trained by Graham Motion for Zanim R. Meahjohn. She won the Little Silver overnight stakes back in May and was a rallying fourth in the Grade 3 Eatontown in June.

Alex Cintron, aboard for the first time, made sure Rusty Slipper didn’t have to make up ground.

“Last time, she was a little far back,” Cintron said. “This time she had good position. I just let her go comfortably. She finished good.”

The finish earned Rusty Slipper her fourth win in seven starts, and first graded victory. She paid $29.20 to win, topping a $106.20 exacta over the favored Overheard.

While Rusty Slipper had clear sailing throughout, some rivals in the 10-horse field encountered issues.

Overheard took the overland route, coming widest off all after sitting ninth for most of the contest.

The winner of the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes at Woodbine in her prior outing, Overheard kept her streak intact of never finishing out of the money in 13 career starts.

Starstruck, the 3-1 second choice following her second straight victory in Monmouth’s Grade 3 Matchmaker Stakes, spent most of the race buried on the fence in traffic. She finished fifth after a mild inside rally.

Scampering, the 5-1 third choice, was seventh after a wide trip from the outside post.

The time was 1:49.07 for the 1 /-8 miles on the course rated good after a heavy rainstorm early Friday morning and intermittent sprinkles on Saturday.

This was the third renewal of the Violet at Monmouth. The race was contested at the Meadowlands Racetrack from 1977 until 2009. It was not run in 2010 or 2013.

Nellie Cashman was an early Violet scratch. She ran third in the Ballston Spa Stakes at Saratoga on Saturday.

Green Wave, She’s Not Lazy, Irish Mission, and Brenda’s Way, the main-track only entrant, were also early scratches.

Lopez fined $2,000 for careless ride

The stewards fined Chuckie Lopez $2,000 for careless riding aboard Willy d’Rocket in the eighth race on Aug. 16.

Willy d’Rocket forced Cosa Dolce into the fence just past the chute gap on the turf course, unseating Forest Boyce.

Willy d’Rocket finished eighth before a disqualification placed him last.