Size, Ria Antonia meet again in Monmouth Oaks

OCEANPORT, N.J. – The road to the Grade 3, $100,000 Monmouth Oaks ran through Iowa and Delaware. The Saturday feature for 3-year-old fillies at Monmouth Park attracted Size and Ria Antonia, first and second in the Iowa Oaks. The Delaware Oaks also is well represented by the second- through fourth-place finishers: Joint Return, Aibhilin, and Lady Paradime.

That quintet helps make this one of the deepest Monmouth Oaks fields in recent memory. The 1 1/16-mile race drew a field of 10.

Consideration of the contenders starts with Size and the impressive 91 Beyer Speed Figure assigned to her 1 1/4-length victory on a sloppy track at Prairie Meadows. The competition has to hope for a bounce, a regression from that race-high Beyer. If Size duplicates that number, she’ll be very tough to beat.

The Iowa Oaks was a major step forward for the Claiborne Farms homebred trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott. Size handled every challenge thrown at her: a long ship from her home base in New York, an initial encounter with a wet track, and her first time around two turns.

And she did it in a style ideally suited to Monmouth.

Size and jockey Junior Alvarado broke sharply and led through the opening quarter-mile before yielding to Dream Spinner. Size rated nicely until Alvarado called on her turning for home. She was a comfortable winner over Ria Antonia, who came running late.

Ria Antonia adds class as the only Grade 1 winner in the race, placed first in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies when She’s a Tiger was disqualified. The Iowa Oaks was her second start since running last against the boys in the Preakness.

“The [Kentucky] Oaks and the Preakness were hard races for her,” said trainer Tom Amoss, who saddles her for the third time. “I’ve been trying to give her plenty of time between starts. We’ve had her for a while now, and we really think she’s back on track.”

With the field this deep, trainer John Servis was debating this spot for the late-running Joint Return.

“The track is not conducive to our style of running,” Servis said.

The Monmouth Oaks (Race 11)

Key contenders

Size (Last 3 Beyers: 91-78-70)

* Her Beyers are on the rise, topped by the 91 earned in her Iowa Oaks victory. The daughter of First Samurai is just starting to tap her potential.

Formulator Fact: Mott is 3-1-0 in only six starts over the last five years with 3-year-old fillies on the main track at Monmouth.

Ria Antonia (Last 3 Beyers: 89-57-81)

* Any Breeders’ Cup winner always merits respect at Monmouth. The second-place finish in the Iowa Oaks was a positive move following the Preakness debacle.

* Ria Antonia gets yet another rider. Jake Radosevich will be her eighth jockey in only 11 starts.

Cassatt (Last 3 Beyers: 78-72-67)

* Trainers Larry and Cindy Jones combined to win the Monmouth Oaks three straight years starting in 2008.

* After steadying in her debut, Cassatt won her last two by very comfortable margins.