Summer action heating up at Monmouth Park

BY DOUG McKENZIE
Correspondent

With the anticipation building for the Aug. 1 Grade 1 IZOD Haskell Invitational, Monmouth Park’s marquee event of the 2010 meet, the projected level of competition got a major upgrade on Sunday.

WinStar Farm’s Super Saver, winner of the 2010 Kentucky Derby, will make his next start in Monmouth Park’s Grade 1 IZOD Haskell Invitational, it was confirmed Sunday by his conditioner.

“We’re pointed for the Haskell,” said Todd Pletcher, who trains the Classic winning colt. “He’s training great and we’re on schedule to be at Monmouth on Aug. 1.”

The Haskell, which annually features some of the nation’s best 3-year-olds battling for the richest invitational prize in the country, is the most anticipated day of thoroughbred racing in the Garden State. The race routinely attracts previous Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes winners. Having Super Saver in this year’s field makes the Haskell an even more attractive race, especially considering the success both Pletcher and the horse’s owners have enjoyed at Monmouth at past Haskells. Pletcher and WinStar Farm teamed to take back-to-back runnings of the $1 million race in 2006 with Bluegrass Cat and 2007 with Any Given Saturday.

Regardless of his performance at the Haskell, Super Saver will forever hold a special place in Pletcher’s heart, as his 21/2- length win in the Kentucky Derby on May 1 gave the longtime trainer his first victory in the Run for the Roses. In his last start, the Preakness Stakes, Super Saver stalked the early pace, but faded in the lane to finish eighth. Since the Preakness, he sports a trio of works at Belmont — a pair of four furlong breezes and a five furlong move this week in 1:014/5.

With the rest of the field still pending, Super Saver looms as the early favorite for the 2010 IZOD Haskell Invitational. The race will air live on ABC from 5 to 6 p.m. Reserved seats for Haskell Day can be purchased through the Monmouth Park Admissions Office, by calling 732-571-5563, or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Pletcher has been enjoying plenty of success throughout the Monmouth Park meet this summer, including Saturday’s action in the $100,000 Lighthouse Stakes. Malibu Prayer took the lead early, gave it up to Ask the Moon before retaking him on the inside just before the quarter pole and reporting home a 41/2-length winner.

Trained by Pletcher, Malibu Prayer improved her lifetime mark to 5-3-2 from 11 starts. The daughter of Malibu Moon from the Grand Slam mare Grand Prayer has now earned $408,026 for owner Edward P. Evans. She paid $5.20, $3.80 and $2.60 as the second choice in the field of eight fillies and mares, and covered the mile and a 16th in 1:43 2/5. Luna Vega rallied to pay $7.60 and $4.20 and completed the $51.60 exacta. It was another half-length back to race favorite Just Jenda, who paid $2.20 to show.

“I talked to Todd [Pletcher] this morning and he told me to just put her someplace near the pace,” said winning jockey Garret Gomez.

“Around the far turn, I let her go a little and she responded, handled the turn well and had plenty for the finish.”

Gomez completed the Saturday stakes sweep when he also rode Waterville Lake Stable’s Strike It Rich to the win in the Grade 3, $150,000 Boiling Springs Stakes by a length and a quarter.

Strike It Rich covered the mile and a sixteenth over firm turf in 1:401/5 and returned $8.40, $4.40 and $3 as the second choice in the field of 10 3-year-old fillies. Bay to Bay, the 9-5 favorite, charged hard in the lane to complete the $30 exacta and paid $3.20 to place and $2.60 to show. It was another length back to Triple Cream, who paid $4.20 to show.

“I thought the five horse [Island Time] would be on top, but I found myself on the lead,” said Gomez. “She ran :46 last time and still ran on and this time she was able to go :48. We went slow early and fast late. She did everything I asked of her.”

“She’s an improving filly, a great horse,” added owner Christophe Clement. “We’re not sure where she will go next, we focused on today.”

The Boiling Springs victory was the second consecutive turf stakes win at Monmouth for Strike It Rich, who won the Little Silver Stakes here on May 30 and has now won four of her last eight races. The daughter of Unbridled’s Song from the Dehere mare Belle of Perintown has now earned $185,755 for her connections.

In Sunday’s action, George L. Schwartz’s Way With Words was the big winner as she continued her winning ways by taking the $100,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes, her second consecutive stakes score at the meet, as Greeley’s Rocket flew home to take the $100,000 Crank It Up Stakes.

Ridden by Eddie Castro, Way With Words sat patiently early before angling out for the drive and running down pacesetters Rated Fiesty and Saarlight in the final yards to post a neck win. Way With Words covered the six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:101/5 and paid $7.20, $3.40 and $2.40. Saarlight, who dueled early with Rated Fiesty, completed the $28.60 exacta and paid $3.20 and $2.20. Rated Fiesty was another three-quarters of a length back in third, good for a $2.20 show mutual.

A 6-year-old mare by Sefapiano from the Belong to Me mare Swiftly Tilting, Way With Words now boasts a lifetime mark of 11-4-2 from 26 starts with eight of those victories having come in Oceanport. The Blue Sparkler victory boosted her lifetime bankroll to $521,900.

In the Crank It Up Stakes, Greeley’s Rocket powered past pacesetter Whoopi Kitten just after turning for home and opened up to score a 41/4 length victory.

Trained by W. Bret Calhoun, Greeley’s Rocket stepped the about 51/2 furlongs over firm turf in 1:014/5 and returned $9.60, $3.80 and $3.

Whoopi Kitten completed the $21.20 exacta and paid $3.40 to place and $2.80 to show. It was another length and three-quarters back to Full of Gut, who paid $4.

Sunday’s stakes score was the fourth win in 10 starts for Greeley’s Rocket, who races in the colors of Richard L. Davis. The filly by Mr. Greeley from the American Chance mare Clay’s Rocket has now earned $181,591.

Live racing returns to Monmouth Park on Friday,with first post at 12:50 p.m. Monmouth will host four days of live racing next weekend, Friday through Monday (Fourth of July holiday), with the highlight coming on Saturday in the $750,000 United Nations Stakes (G1), sponsored by Betfair/ TVG.

The United Nations is Monmouth’s premier and richest turf race for the meet. The mile and three-eighths grass U.N. is now in its 57th year.

The U.N., which has a long championship history, will be part of a special Pick Five that Saturday, presented by Betfair/ TVG, that will have a guaranteed minimum pool of $250,000.

The race will be televised live as part of a special TVG show.

In addition, the Sirius/XM satellite radio network will broadcast from Monmouth Park the entire day on Saturday, and will provide live coverage of the Betfair/TVG United Nations Stakes (G1) radio broadcast, which is being sponsored by the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemens Association, will be aired from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Channel 126, with live coverage of Monmouth’s premier grass event, the 57th running of the mile and three-eighths U.N.