Treasury Bill, Sharp Omar head up Friday feature on turf

OCEANPORT, N.J. – It’s an all-turf weekend for featured races at Monmouth Park. It starts Friday with a $37,800, second-level allowance with a $30,000 optional claiming price at 1 1/16 miles.

Then come a pair of Grade 3, $100,000 grass stakes that originated at the Meadowlands Racetrack: the Violet for fillies and mares Saturday and the Cliff Hanger on Sunday.

The Friday contest is a wide-open affair.

Treasury Bill, a 4-year-old chestnut colt making his grass debut for trainer Wayne Catalano, figures to draw solid support. He breaks from the rail with leading rider Paco Lopez in the saddle.

The second-level allowance won by Dangerous Lad on the Haskell Invitational undercard holds several potential keys to this race. Four runners from that contest return here, including Sharp Omar, making his second start for trainer Patricia Farro following a $30,000 claim.

A deep closer, Sharp Omar fell too far off the pace last time. After spotting the field 13 lengths, he lost by only three, finishing fourth. Since then, Sharp Omar had a nice half-mile breeze in 48 seconds Sunday.

“We expect a big race out of him,” said Mike Farro, who oversees the New Jersey division for his wife. “On Haskell Day, it was a bit of a tough race, and he ran decent in it. I think we got a shot in this race.”

Key contenders

Treasury Bill (Last 3 Beyers: 79-81-66)

* Trainer Wayne Catalano rarely has missed at this meet, going 7-2-1 from only 16 starters. Lopez is the runaway leader in the riders’ standings.

* Together, Catalano and Lopez are 3 for 6 here.

* Distance is a concern, as both wins came in sprints. In his defense, three of his four route efforts were stakes last year against top-level 3-year-olds such as Oxbow and Will Take Charge.

Sharp Omar (Last 3 Beyers: 79-72-78)

Formulator fact: Makes his second start off the claim for a barn that is a solid 4 for 18 (22 percent) with 10 in-the-money finishes with that angle over the last year at Monmouth.

* Fell too far back behind blazing early fractions last time. The pace should be more reasonable, keeping him in better position to uncork his rally.

Special Skills (Last 3 Beyers: 82-72-84)

* Looking for his first win of the season after returning with a pair of seconds and a third in three tries.

* Owns a win and a second in three races over this course.