Monmouth Park Barn Notes

By Tom Luicci —-

ONE GO ALL GO LOOKING TO REGAIN WINNING WAYS
IN SATURDAY’S GRADE 1 UNITED NATIONS AT MONMOUTH

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Trainer Charles “Scooter” Dickey has not been bashful about testing One Go All Go against the best turf competition available since he took over as the sturdy gelding’s conditioner nine races ago.
So the presence of four horses trained by Chad Brown and two by Mike Maker – 1-2 in turf earnings nationally a year ago – in Saturday’s Grade 1 United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park doesn’t faze Dickey after a half-century of training.
The $300,000 United Nations, at a mile and three-eighths on the grass, will go as the 11th race on a 13-race card that includes the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes, the Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes and the Lady’s Secret Stakes.
“He likes to run and he likes the competition,” said Dickey. “We’ve run against most of the horses in this field. When they beat him they have to flat out-run him. They have to run their race to beat him”
A 6-year-old son of Fairbanks-See Ashleigh Run, One Go All Go came into Dickey’s care when owner Rodney Paden purchased the horse for $62,000 at a dispersal sale at Keeneland for horses of racing age last fall. The horse has produced six times that in earnings since then.
Of the nine races Dickey has had One Go All Go for, eight have been graded stakes – three of them Grade 1 races.
His most recent effort was an 11th-place finish in the Grade 1 Manhattan at Belmont Park on June 9, but One Go All Go was beaten just 3¼ lengths that race. He also never made the early lead, which is his preferred running style.
“That wasn’t his race that day,” said Dickey, who saw One Go All Go’s streak of six straight races with a Beyer Speed Figure of 100 or higher snapped that day. “I don’t know why. I haven’t figured that out. It’s probably my fault. But that race is not the way he runs.”
One Go All Go, who owns a 4-5-4 line from 26 career starts, has lifetime earnings of $713,538. Dickey is most proud of the fact that the horse has not been beaten more than 3¼ lengths in any of his past eight starts despite the rugged graded stakes competition.
One Go All Go’s most recent victory was on April 21 in the Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland at a mile and a half. He went gate to wire in the 11-horse field.
“I want him to get out there and run like he does, and when he does that he is usually on the lead,” said Dickey. “If somebody goes speed crazy he doesn’t have to be on the lead. Hooking him doesn’t bother him at all. He’s just a good, tough horse who enjoys competition.”
One Go All Go is bedded down in the barn of trainer Kelly Breen, who galloped horses for Dickey when he stated his career in racing.
Chris Landeros will have the mount for the ninth straight race.
Brown, meanwhile, has entered two-time Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes winner Money Multiplier, Silvewave, Kurilov and Funtastic. Maker, who has three entered Saturday in the $1 million Queen’s Plate at Woodbine, will send out Bigger Picture, who won the United Nations last year in course-record time, and Oscar Nominated.
Post time is 12:50 p.m.

GRADE 2 WINNER IMPERATIVE SET TO MAKE 2018 DEBUT
IN SATURDAY’S GRADE 3 PHILIP H. ISELIN STAKES

Trainer Bob Hess probably could have found a softer spot for the 2018 debut of Grade 2 winner Imperative, but with an ambitious schedule lined up for the summer the California-based conditioner figures he might as well get his 8-year-old gelding toughened up as quickly as possibly.
Idle since winning the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic on April 22, 2017, Imperative will get his year started in the Grade 3 Iselin Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park.
The 13-race card is highlighted by the Grade 1 United Nations and also includes the Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes and the Lady’s Secret Stakes.
“He’s wonderful,” Hess said of Imperative’s readiness after a 14-month layoff. “Physically, he’s very healthy now. He just had a lot of little things go wrong and time is our friend so we gave him plenty of time. He’s ready to resume his career.
“I’m not sure if he needs a race but he will love the Monmouth Park surface. It should play to his style.”
Hess, who has never started a horse at Monmouth Park, said Imperative is as feisty as ever and eager to get going. The son of Bernardini-Call Her owns a 6-8-3 line from 38 career starts with earnings of $2,973,135.
Hess has only had Imperative for his past three starts – two of them victories – after the horse was purchased privately by Looch Racing and Imaginary Stable last fall.
“I know there are some questions when an older horse comes back after a long layoff, especially if he has had some problems,” said Hess. “Not with this guy. Sometimes you see where an older horse may lose his desire or racing heart. But this guy thinks he’s a 2-year-old colt.
“He loves his life, he loves his job and loves to run and it’s really my job to keep him healthy and kind of get out of the way.”
Imperative, who is stabled in the barn of trainer Kent Sweezey, a long-time family friend of Hess’s, will tackle a buzz saw in Page McKenney, who comes in off a sharp victory in the Grade 3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park on May 26. The $300,000 Iselin is at a mile and a sixteenth.
“I think there will be an honest pace,” said Hess. “I think Page McKenney is the horse to beat. I would like to be in a good stalking position to be able to quicken up late. The hope is that we can have a good solid showing and get ready for a summer campaign on the East Coast.”

$150,000 LATE PICK 5 SINGLE WINNER GUARANTEE,
$61,611 PICK 6 CARRYOVER AWAIT BETTORS SATURDAY

Handicappers have plenty to choose from during Saturday’s 13-race Monmouth Park card, with a $150,000 late Pick 5 guarantee for a single winner and a $61,611 carryover in the Jersey Shore Pick 6 up for grabs.
The late Pick 5 guarantee covers the final five races on the card, which is highlighted by the Grade 1 United Nations. The guarantee applies only if there is a single 50-cent winner.
The Pick 6 carryover will be available over the final six races. The bet costs just 20 cents.
In addition, there’s a $400 Monmouth Park-Woodbine handicapping contest consisting of win, place and show wagering. The contest is open to the public with walk-up registration on Saturday only.
The top four finishers earn a seat in the 2019 NTRA National Horseplayers Championship and the top overall finisher also earns entry into the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge.
Saturday is also the Summer Racing Festival T-Shirt Giveaway, with the first 5,000 paid admission receiving T-shirts.
Following the races, there will be live entertainment at the Beer Garden at Blu Grotto from the Bobby Bandeira band and a DJ from Rock The House Entertainment.