Tamahere dominates Violet Stakes

Tamahere sailed to an easy front-running victory Saturday at Monmouth Park, winning the $98,000 Violet Stakes by 7 1/4 lengths under Jose Ferrer.

Even-money favorite Vigilantes Way could not come close to mustering a rally after racing well behind Tamahere’s moderate pace, finishing second, 1 1/4 lengths in front of Tamehere’s Chad Brown-trained stablemate Counterparty Risk. Longshots Hogans Holiday and Love and Peace rounded out the five-runner field; Marlborough Road and Ice Princess were scratched.

:: Join DRF Bets and play the races with a $250 First Deposit Bonus. Click to learn more.

Tamahere was timed in 1:45.74 for 1 1/16 miles over a yielding grass course and paid $5.40 as the second choice. It was a meet-leading seventh stakes win (no other barn has more than three such victories) for Brown, who has a string of horses at Monmouth under the supervision of assistant trainer Luis Cabrera.

Tamahere, a 4-year-old daughter of Wootton Bassett and Alatasarai, by Giant’s Causeway, shipped from New York for the Violet, run the same day as the Athenia at Belmont, a race in the same division. A French export, Tamahere won the 2020 Sands Point in her North American debut but came into the Violet following five subsequent defeats.

But she took care of business Saturday with a dominant front-end victory. Ferrrer put Tamahere right on the early lead and, after racing slightly too eagerly around the first turn, Tamahere rated comfortably enough while taking a lead of several lengths through fractions of 24.36, 49.62, and 1:13.66.

Ferrer set her down (cropless, of course, as per New Jersey Racing Commission rules) at the head of the homestretch and Tamahere was gone. She led by five lengths at the stretch call and lengthened her advantage to the finish, earning a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure.