Shootersgottashoot locked and loaded for Smoke Glacken

Trainer Mario Serey Jr. won 40 races during 2023. Out of nowhere he has won 30 during the 2024 Monmouth Park season alone.

Twenty-seven of Serey’s winners have come in claiming races. One of his non-claiming winners also is Serey’s only maiden special weight winner at the meet, and Shootersgottashoot could give Serey his first stakes win of 2024.

Shootersgottashoot debuted July 28, got in a pace war that he appeared to be losing, but, like many of Serey’s horses this summer, found more in deep stretch and prevailed by a neck. If he runs back to or exceeds that performance, he’ll prove a major factor Saturday in the $100,000 Smoke Glacken, a six-furlong dirt sprint for 2-year-olds.

The Smoke Glacken drew nine entrants, none of whom have yet covered themselves in glory. Among the eight who have started, Shootersgottashoot has the second-highest Beyer Speed Figure, the 71 he earned in his maiden sprint win from which the third-place finisher returned to easily capture a maiden special weight at Timonium.

Shootersgottashoot, an Honor A. P. colt owned by Robert Reidy, has returned to post just one timed workout since his race, a slow half-mile Aug. 24. He gets a jockey change Saturday to Samuel Marin, who should have tactical options from post 8.

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The field’s top Beyer belongs to J J Zo Zo, a 78 he earned in his third start, all of which have come against New Jersey-breds. J J Zo Zo just raced Aug. 25 and drew the rail, all of which combines to drag down his appeal.

Royal Performance, a once-started New Jersey-bred, rates a stronger chance for trainer Kelly Breen. Royal Performance debuted July 25 and won a statebred-restricted race by three-quarters of a length, with J J Zo Zo finishing fifth. A Roseland Farm Stable homebred, Royal Performance is by Oscar Performance and out of Born to Royalty, the dam of Pickin’ Time, whom Breen trained to win the 2020 Smoke Glacken.

New Jersey-bred Book’em Danno won this race a year ago, and his trainer, Derek Ryan, tries Kentucky-bred My Military Hero this season. A maiden after two starts, My Military Hero ran nearly the same race in both outings, pressing the pace and finishing second.

Jorge Duarte, private trainer for Richard Santulli’s Colts Neck Stable, said earlier in the summer he had 15 2-year-olds in training. Only three have so far made a start, with a fourth, Antisocial, debuting in the Smoke Glacken. While Antisocial has posted slow workouts over the Colts Neck training track, Duarte would not be starting him off in stakes competition if this were a slow colt.

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