Stidham looks to disrupt Brown's hot streak in Eatontown
The Grade 3, $150,000 Eatontown on Saturday at Monmouth Park is a 1 1/16-mile grass race for fillies and mares. Fair to assume trainer Chad Brown is winning it.
Through last weekend there had been 17 filly-and-mare turf route stakes run this year outside of California. Brown has run a horse in 13 of them and – after Bleecker Street captured the New York Stakes on June 10 at Belmont and Regal Glory the Just a Game there the following day – has wins in all 13 of them.
Brown has Fluffy Socks and Lemista for the Eatontown, but Princess Grace might have something to say about breaking Brown’s remarkable run.
Princess Grace makes her first start since a troubled third Nov. 28 in the Grade 1 Matriarch at Del Mar, a race won handily by Regal Glory, who has emerged as the best older female middle-distance turf horse in North America. Princess Grace likely would have been second in the Matriarch had a hole not closed in upper stretch, causing her to be checked at a key moment. In her previous start, the Goldikova at Del Mar, Princess Grace found herself on the lead, not at all where she wants to be, finishing third after sharp wins in the Ladies Turf at Kentucky Downs and the Yellow Ribbon, yet another Del Mar start.
Trainer Mike Stidham and owners John and Susan Moore had the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf in January picked out as a winter spot, but a jaw abscess Princess Grace developed in California failed to heal in a timely fashion. Instead of a January start, Princess Grace got a break, and the lightly raced 5-year-old mare, by Karakontie, has trained encouragingly at Fair Hill in Maryland.
“I think this year could potentially be her best year,” Stidham said. “She’s training great, doing real well, healthy and happy. Whether or not she’s fine-tuned for her best effort off the shelf is something different, but this race should set her up for a good summer and fall.”
Stidham also starts Alms, who should be forwardly placed. Alms was second to Regal Glory in the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf before tailing off in two subsequent starts.
“We freshened her up a little bit and she’s looking good, too,” Stidham said.
Fluffy Socks, drawn on the far outside under Manny Franco, should vie with Princess Grace for favoritism coming off a second-place finish to stablemate Bleecker Street in the May 6 Modesty at Churchill. Bleecker Street flattered the Modesty form returning with a last-to-first rally into a slow pace to win the New York Stakes. It should be noted that Fluffy Socks was one of the horses during Derby week who handled a tricky, greasy Churchill course while getting up onto the crown of the track, the best part of the turf, in the Modesty.
Lemista could be the better play Saturday. She fell too far behind a slow pace coming back from a long layoff May 22 in the Beaugay, won sharply by her stablemate Rougir.
Rail-drawn Vigilantes Way suffered through a tough trip finishing a close second in the Miss Liberty last month at Monmouth.
Monmouth Stakes
The dozen entrants in the Grade 3, $150,000 Monmouth Stakes are, to say the least, a diverse group. They include long-layoff comebackers, a shipper from Kentucky, and a successful dirt horse trying turf after an extended break.
One thing the Monmouth, carded for 1 1/8 miles on grass, likely won’t include is Public Sector, expected to start Saturday in the Poker at Belmont Park. His trainer, Chad Brown, still has a win candidate in 7-year-old Sacred Life, who won the 2020 Oceanport by four lengths in his lone local appearance.
Tax, winner of the 2019 Jim Dandy Stakes, is entered for his first start since finishing 10th in the 2021 Pegasus World Cup. Trainer Danny Gargan said he intends to run and has always wanted to try Tax on turf. The gelding, by Arch, worked twice over the Palm Meadows grass course, once in 2021, once in 2020.
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Ever Dangerous, unraced since August and a win candidate on his best day, was entered with no rider named. Trainer George Weaver said the horse will start and might pick up John Velazquez, who was named on Public Sector.
Kentucky shipper Hidden Stash will be running late – as will most of this field. Safe Conduct, the pick for an upset win, is the Monmouth’s main speed and is set to improve in the second start of his form cycle.