Valid has versatility for Majestic Light
The $75,000 Majestic Light Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday has attracted a deep field of 11 runners based at the New York tracks, the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, and, yes, Monmouth itself.
The leading local hope and one of the top contenders in the mile-and-70-yard race is Valid, the winner of the Grade 2 Monmouth Cup last season. Valid, trained by Marcus Vitali, was based over the winter in south Florida and won the Grade 3 Fred Hooper at Gulfstream Park.
Vitali brought Valid north in mid-April and ran him in a seven-furlong, no-conditions allowance at Parx on Kentucky Derby Day. He finished second, beaten a neck by the hard-knocking 6-year-old Mezzano.
“We gave him a breather after his last race in Florida, and we’ve been tuning him up for this,” Vitali said. “I’d like to take him from here and go to the Salvator Mile and then to the same races we ran in last summer.”
The Grade 3 Salvator Mile on July 5 leads to the $200,000 Monmouth Cup on Aug. 2. The Grade 3 Iselin Stakes is Aug. 30.
Valid might have the best early speed in the Majestic Light, but Vitali said he will let rider Orlando Bocachica choose where to place him.
“He’s a good, honest horse and very competitive at a mile to a mile and a sixteenth,” Vitali said. “If someone wants the lead, we’ll let them go and try to make one big run.”
Key contenders
Valid (Last 3 Beyers: 96-88-102)
Since being purchased for $115,000 out of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga mixed sale in October 2013 as a 3-year-old, Valid has earned $490,265 for Vitali and the Crossed Sabres Farm of Carolyn Vogel.
Cousin Stephen (Last 3 Beyers: 97-99-97)
Came to hand for trainer Chad Brown over the winter, reeling off impressive optional-claiming wins at Parx. He was run down late when second in the Stymie Stakes at Aqueduct in March last time out.
Enters off a sharp work tab and could be Valid’s biggest pace threat.
Red Vine (Last 3 Beyers: 98-94-89)
Now 5, he has taken his game to a new level in his last two starts for trainer Christophe Clement, scoring back-to-back victories from just off the pace.
He is tactical enough to sit and pounce and showed sharp acceleration in his third-level optional-claiming win April 11 at Aqueduct.
Old Time Hockey (Last 3 Beyers: 87-93-95)
Had a good winter at Tampa Bay Downs, winning the statebred Florida Cup Turf Classic and finishing second in both the Challenger Stakes to General a Rod and the Tampa Bay Stakes to Lochte.
Late-running 6-year-old is dependent on pace and would be the prime beneficiary of a speed duel.