Undefeated World Gone Wright tests elders in Open Mind

OCEANPORT, N.J. – World Gone Wright has done nothing wrong in her first two starts. The undefeated 3-year-old World Gone Wright puts an unblemished record on the line Sunday at Monmouth Park in the $60,000 Open Mind Handicap for New Jersey-bred fillies and mares.

The six-furlong stakes drew a field of eight. World Gone Wright is the only runner making her Monmouth debut. The path back to her native state was a road not often traveled by a New Jersey-bred.

World Gone Wright won her debut at Tampa Bay Downs in March for trainer and co-owner Robert G. Smith. Then it was on to the synthetic track at Keeneland, where she prevailed once again in a first-level allowance.

That effort was flattered when Henny Jenney, the runner up, came back to capture the $100,200 Inaugural Stakes at Presque Isle Downs in her next outing.

Now World Gone Wright gets her first taste of stakes action. The lone 3-year-old in the field tackles older runners for the first time.

“She faced two good groups of open horses,” Smith said. “Going against older horses, you always wonder. I think at this time of year they are all getting close to moving up, so we’re going to take a shot.”

Smith is also taking a shot, coming north to Monmouth this summer from his home base in Florida. He has six stalls here, and last ran a horse at Monmouth in 1994.

“I was stabled at Philadelphia Park that year,” Smith said. “Then we took a hiatus, and did the 2-year-old sales. We’ve been back at the races the last five years, mainly doing the Florida thing. We got lucky enough to have a nice filly who is a Jersey-bred so we decided to come up here and see what we can do.”

Smith got the filly through a foal-share agreement with the owner of the stallion, Forty Grams, who stood several seasons in New Jersey before relocating to Florida.

Paco Lopez, the meet’s leading jockey, rides for the first time.

Trainer J. Willard Thompson sends out Pinot Grigio and Morning Miracle, both making their stakes debuts as uncoupled runners in the wagering.

P J’s Superego has been a successful double dipper. A daughter of Freud, who stands in New York, P J’s Superego was foaled in New Jersey. She is eligible to statebred races here and has captured a New York Stallion Series stakes at Aqueduct.

Hotnslick, Easter Blossom, Elba, and Champagne Rain complete the field.