Majestic Dunhill wins My Frenchman Stakes at Monmouth Park

By Tom Luicci —-

MAJESTIC DUNHILL SHAKES FREE FROM STRETCH TRAFFIC
TO WIN MY FRENCHMAN STAKES AT MONMOUTH PARK

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Majestic Dunhill continued his strong start to his 3-year-old campaign, overcoming stretch traffic before finally shaking free to score a handy 1½-length victory over longshot Like What I See in the featured $60,000 My Frenchman Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Ridden by Joe Bravo, Majestic Dunhill struggled to find room in mid-stretch before getting a seam late and drawing off.

The Kentucky-bred son of Majestic Perfection-Candy Fortune, trained by George Weaver, covered the about 5½ furlong distance in 1:02.35. It was another three-quarters of a length back in third to Reed Kan.

Majestic Dunhill made his sophomore debut a winning one on June 23 in a 5½-furlong allowance race on the grass at Monmouth Park, rallying to win by a neck. He was closer to the pace this time in the field of nine 3-year-olds.

“I was concerned coming back after just three weeks,” said Weaver. “He ran a pretty hard race off the bench. I really don’t like coming back like that in three weeks but when you sort out where you want to go for the summer and fall this fit the schedule and was showing h was ready.

“His last race was good. This race was excellent. He showed a new dimension. He impressed me today.
I’ve always liked this horse and he has been good but he’s at the stage of his career when he needs to step up and he did today.”

Now 3-for-7 lifetime, Majestic Dunhill is 2-for-2 this year. He paid $5.20 to win, with the exacta with 60-1 Like What I See returning $226.40.

“It was worse than the Belt Parkway out there with some of the traffic we had to deal with,” said Bravo. “But I was on the best horse. I just had to sit there and wait for my opening. I was able to keep him comfortable and when he was clear he was very strong.”

Weaver said Majestic Dunhill would be pointed next to the Quick Call at Saratoga on Aug. 8.

JERSEY SHORE PICK 6 CARRYOVER AT $132,884 FOR SUNDAY

The Jersey Shore Pick 6 failed to produce a single jackpot winner once again on Saturday at Monmouth Park, resulting in a carryover of $132,884 heading into Sunday’s 11-race card. First race post is 12:50 p.m., with the Jersey Shore Pick 6 sequence starting in the sixth race.

The 20-cent wager requires a single winning ticket to collect the jackpot. But picking six winners on Saturday still resulted in a payoff of $1,800 for 20 cents, despite just one big upset winner over the six races.

Saturday’s sequence started with Going Abroad ($3.40) in the seventh race, followed by Rough Night ($42.00) in the eighth race, Papa Joel ($6.40) in the ninth race, Majestic Dunhill ($5.20) in the 10th race, Band of Angels ($3.80) in the 11th race and Sweet Reef ($3.40) in the 12th and final race.

SURF & TURF SEAFOOD FESTIVAL CONCLUDES SUNDAY

The Surf & Turf Seafood Festival, sponsored by The Star-Ledger, will conclude its two-day run at Monmouth Park on Sunday, July 15.

The event, which takes place in the Festival area, showcases a variety of delicacies from 18 different vendors and will include beer, wine and a seating set up.

Food service starts at 11:30 a.m. and runs through the end of the live racing card.

The eateries and vendors are: Chip Stix; Cold Stone Creamery; Cousins Maine Lobster; Dag’s Dippers; Enzo’s; Good Food = Good Mood; House of Cupcakes; Ike’s Famous Crabcakes; Joe Smoke Bar-B-Que; Maddalena’s Cheesecake; Scuba and the Beast; Sherri’s Crab Cakes; Star of the Sea Seafood; Tacoholics; The Little Sicilian; The Tasty Trolley; Tony’s Italian Sausage and Raw Bar and Wild Bill’s Olde Fashioned Soda Pop Company.

Monmouth Park has an 11-race program on Sunday. Post time is 12:50 p.m.

Sunday is also Family Fun Day, with free clowns, face painters, pony rides, and a bounce house for children 12 and under.

There will be live music as well, with Brent and Co. performing “On The Green” from noon to 4 p.m. and PK’s Band Without Fear playing at the Beer Garden at Blu Grotto following the races.