Golden Brown surges late to win Sunday’s Dan Horn Handicap at Monmouth Park

By Tom Luicci —-

GOLDEN BROWN SURGES LATE TO BEAT IRISH STRAIT
IN SUNDAY’S DAN HORN HANDICAP AT MONMOUTH PARK

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Golden Brown used a stalking trip in a race-long slugfest with Irish Strait before surging in the shadow of the wire to score a half-length victory in Sunday’s $75,000 Dan Horn Handicap for Jersey-breds at Monmouth Park.

Ridden by Paco Lopez, who was content to sit just off the flanks of Irish Strait throughout most of the mile and a sixteenth turf event, Golden Brown recorded his second win in as many starts this year and his fifth in 14 career starts.

Golden Brown and Irish Strait went off as co-favorites at 4-5.

“Paco said he wanted to be head and head with Irish Strait but he said he was too much horse for us down the backside so he let Golden Brown relax a little bit,” said winning trainer Pat McBurney. “When he went into the stretch he went after him again. It was a big, big performance.”

It was another 8½ lengths back to Don’s Marsh in third.

Lopez, who capped a big weekend at Monmouth Park – he won the Grade 1 United Nations and the Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes on Saturday – said he was content to let Irish Strait go after he peeked at the early fractions.

“I stayed behind Irish Strait after I saw how much he wanted the lead,” said Lopez. “It was just the two of us. Nobody else was coming. And I waited and waited until we needed him to kick in and he gave me that little extra we needed.

“There was nobody else in the race and when he went 46-seconds and change and then 1:09.64 to three quarters I thought he was maybe going a little too fast. I just kept following him until we had to go get him.”

Golden Brown covered the distance in 1:40.95 over a firm turf course.

The 4-year-old son of Offlee Wild-Suzee Sunrise by Chester House made amends and turned the tables on Irish Strait after finishing second to him by a half-length in this same race a year ago.

Golden Brown now owns two turf victories in five tries, including a win in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes on the grass at Delaware.

“As it works out, our schedule 13 days from now is another Jersey-bred turf race (the Irish War Cry Handicap on July 6) so if he bounces out of this good I think we’d be looking at that,” said McBurney. “We’ll stay with Jersey-breds for now with him.”

$75,000 DAN HORN HANDICAP (6th running)

WINNER – Golden Brown ($3.80, $2.10, $2.10)

2ND – Irish Strait ($2.10, $2.10)

3RD – Don’s Marsh ($3.60)

WINNING TIME – 1:40.95

WINNING EXACTA — $4.40

WINNING TRAINER – Pat McBurney: “His first race off the bench this year was faster than anything he had last year and from three to four they’re supposed to get stronger and improve and be a little faster. So knock on wood, he could be even better this year than he was last year. As it works out, our schedule 13 days from now is another Jersey-bred turf race (the Irish War Cry Handicap on July 6) so if he bounces out of this good I think we’d be looking at that. We’ll stay with Jersey-breds for now with him. Paco said he wanted to be head and head with Irish Strait but he said he was too much horse for us down the backside so he let Golden Brown relax a little bit. When he went into the stretch he went after him again. It was a big, big performance.”

WINNING JOCKEY – Paco Lopez: “I stayed behind Irish Strait after I saw how much he wanted the lead. It was just the two of us. Nobody else was coming. And I waited and waited until we needed him to kick in and he gave me that little extra we needed. There was nobody else in the race and when he went :46-seconds and change and then 1:09.64 to three quarters I thought the other one maybe was going a little too fast. I just kept following him until we had to go get him.”

NAVARRO-TRAINED SHANCELOT BLAZES SIX FURLONGS IN 1:08.43

Trainer Jorge Navarro didn’t mince any words after Shancelot blazed six furlongs in 1:08.43 – the fastest time for that distance so far during the Monmouth Park meeting – in his second career start on Sunday.

“The best horse I’ve ever trained,” said the track’s leading trainer.

The 3-year-old son of Shanghai Bobby-True Kiss by Is It True did it all on his own, too, cruising through fractions of :22.16 and :44.56 in posting a 6¼-length victory in the second race on the card.

Unraced at 2, Shancelot made his debut by winning a Maiden Special Weight race at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 16, beating Kentucky Derby starter and Florida Derby runner-up Bodexpress. He clocked in at 1:22.15 for that seven-furlong race.

Navarro called that “probably the best Maiden Special Weight race of the meet.”

In addition to beating Bodexpress that day, Shancelot also defeated Forth Worth, who won a Maiden Special Weight race at Aqueduct by 6¾ lengths in his next start, and Bandon Woods, who came back to win a Maiden Special Weight race at Keeneland by three lengths in his next start.

Only one other horse has clocked a sub-1:09 for six furlongs at the current meet: The Navarro-trained Li’l J, who went in 1:08.92 on May 27. The track record for the distance is 1:07.47, set by Idiot Proof on July 4, 2007.

Navarro said he would likely keep Shancelot sprinting.

ANNOUNCER FRANK MIRAHMADI SET TO RETURN FRIDAY

Announcer Frank Mirahmadi will be back calling races at Monmouth Park when racing resumes on Friday, with fill-in Jason Beem headed next to Colonial Downs in Virginia before returning to Monmouth again in late September.

Mirahmadi is the full-time announcer at Santa Anita, which wrapped up its meet on Sunday.

Beem handled Monmouth’s first 17 days of live racing in Mirahmadi’s absence, earning high marks for his work.

“We can’t thank Jason enough for the quality, accuracy and professionalism he displayed and look forward to his return in the fall,” said Monmouth Park general manager Bill Anderson.

Beem, who hails from the Pacific Northwest, had never been to Monmouth Park before serving as the fill-in race caller.

“It was wonderful experience. It’s such a classic-feeling, old-school track and it has a great fan base,” said Beem. “I got stopped every day walking over to the announcer’s booth, with people telling me they know Frank or just wanting to say hi. So it was really great. People were very supportive and I appreciate the opportunity I had to call the big races they had while I was here.”

Beem will move on to the Colonial Downs meet, which runs from Aug. 8 to Sept. 7, before returning to Monmouth Park to fill in again for Mirahmadi in late September. Beem will also work Sundays at Monmouth Park in October as well as the seven all-turf thoroughbred cards at the Meadowlands Racetrack that month.

“I look forward to coming back,” he said.