Monmouth Park Notes

By Tom Luicci —-

HEMINGWAY SEEKING 1ST STAKES WIN WITH WHOLEBODEMEISTER

IN SATURDAY’S LADY’S SECRET STAKES AT MONMOUTH PARK

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Trainer Michelle Hemingway is hoping the third time truly is a charm when it comes to her latest foray into a stakes race.

In the midst of her first year as a trainer, and her first summer stabled at Monmouth Park, the 38-year-old Hemingway will send out Wholebodemeister in Saturday’s $100,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes at the Jersey Shore track.

Manor House, the first horse she started in a stakes – the Discovery Stakes on Oct. 27 at Aqueduct, one of only three starters she had last year – “grabbed a quarter” in the race. Wholebodemeister was then set to go in in the Serena’s Song Stakes on May 8 at Monmouth Park but flipped in the gate and was scratched.

“Luckily, for as scary of a situation as it was, she has come out of it no worse for the wear,” said Hemingway. “If anything I think she’s better.”

Wholebodemeister, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Bodemeister-Wholelottashakin by Scat Daddy, has to overcome two obstacles if she is to give Hemingway her first career stakes winner. She has been idle since her seasonal debut on March 12 at Tampa Downs because of that gate scratch and has never tried two turns. The Lady’s Secret Stakes is at a mile and a sixteenth for fillies and mares, 3 and up.

“I’m not really concerned about it,” said Hemingway. “The way she trains and the way she does things she is just a very professional filly when it comes to running. She is very competitive but she is also ratable, so I don’t have any concerns with two turns.”

Wholebodemeister, owned by Holly Hill Stables LLC, enters Saturday with a victory in the Grade 2 Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park in her last start as a 3-year-old last Feb. 27. She was trained by Juan Avila then.

Hemingway, a third generation trainer who took out her license last fall, had a win and a second from her three starters last year, posting her first career victory on Oct. 16.

She has her sights set on a stakes win as her next goal.

“I think there would be no words (when she wins her first stakes race),” Hemingway said. “I think if I have that first stakes winner … I tend to get slightly emotional. The tears would be coming.”

Hemingway, who has four wins from 29 starters this year – two victories from four Monmouth Park starters – has 30 horses stabled at Monmouth Park and another 31 at Thorostock Farm in Ocala, Fla.

Her father was a trainer who spent time on the New Jersey circuit at now defunct Atlantic City Racetrack and Garden State Park.

“My dad raced at Atlantic City all of my summers as a child, so I spent a lot of time there growing up,” she said.

A native of Virginia, Hemingway is a graduate of Sweet Briar College in Virginia, where she received a degree in International Equine Business and Marketing while participating on the riding team all four years.

“My dad said `you can train race horses but you have to go to college first,’ ” she said.

Hemingway then spent parts of seven years as an assistant in South Africa to notable trainers Joey Ramsden, Glen Kotzen and Mike DeKock.

“I wanted to go somewhere my dad had not trained,” she said. “An opportunity opened up in South Africa. It was a great experience.”

Now Hemingway is hoping Wholebodemeister will provide another great experience.

She made her seasonal debut at Tampa Downs following a 13-month layoff, finishing a close third in a handicap race.

“I was really happy with that,” Hemingway said. “I knew we were about a race short. But the race came up and I wanted to get one in her to prepare for the Serena’s Song Stakes and the Lady’s Secret Stakes. She ran a very credible first race back. I was very pleased.”

Jorge Vargas Jr. has the mount aboard Wholebodemeister, who has three wins in eight career starts.

COOLER BAG GIVEAWAY, SUMMER WIND SPECIAL DEAL

HIGHLIGHT SATURDAY PROMOTIONS AT MONMOUTH PARK

A cooler bag giveaway and a buy-one, get-one-free buffet special at the new Summer Wind trackside café highlight the promotional events on tap for Saturday, June 11, at Monmouth Park.

The first 5,000 paying fans will receive a redemption coupon for one free Monmouth Park cooler bag. Redemption areas are located on the 1st floor of the Clubhouse and by the new Drink Shack in the Festival Area,

“The Summer Wind Comes Blowing In A deal” promotion will span the entire three-day racing weekend from Friday through Sunday. Guests must show a special ad in the program to receive the promotion.

Cost for the buy-one, get-one-free deal is $35 for adults and $12.50 for children 6 through 12,

The Friday Summer Wind buffet menu consists of a craft your own salad bar; Manhattan clam chowder and soup of the day; chicken Murphy with sweet sausage; rice pilaf and grilled asparagus; dinner rolls and butter; season fruit and berries; bowtie pasta salad, and bagged chips and cookies.

The Saturday menu features of a craft your own salad bar; Manhattan clam chowder and soup of the day; grilled chicken caprese with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables; crisp crudité and spinach dip; dinner rolls and butter; seasonal fruit and berries, and bagged chips and cookies.

On Sunday, the menu will offer a craft your own salad bar; Manhattan clam chowder and soup of the day; orecchiette, sausage and broccoli; meatballs in pomodoro and summer splash; tomato and mozzarella caprese; seasonal fruit and berries; dinner rolls and butter, and bagged chips and cookies.

Saturday’s live racing program will be headlined by the $100,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes for fillies and mares, 3 and up, going a mile and a sixteenth. Simulcasting on the entire Belmont Stakes card will be available as well, with the Belmont Park program starting with an 11:30 a.m. post time.

Post time at Monmouth Park on Saturdays and Sundays is 12:15 p.m. On Fridays, the first race post time is 2 p.m.

CHRISTY MOORE WINS PICK YOUR PRIZE HANDICAPPING CHALLENGE;

290 ENTRIES EASILY ECLIPSE PREVIOUS CONTEST RECORD

OCEANPORT, N.J. – “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”

A 57” x 57” prize board wasn’t big enough to fit all the prizes during Saturday’s $2,000 Pick Your Prize Handicapping Championship at Monmouth Park due to a record 290 entries into the June 4 contest.

In total, a record 25 seats to the National Horseplayers Championship, seven seats to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, and $100,000 in cash prizes were awarded to the Top 32 finishers.

And after snagging victory from the jaws of defeat, Christy Moore is headed to the NHC, the BCBC, and the bank.

Moore entered Monmouth Park’s Saturday nightcap, the final contest race, with just $950. That left her approximately $8,000 off the lead. But after hitting a straight $950 exacta – returning $9,690 – Moore found herself atop the official standings.

For finishing first, Moore automatically received a $17,550 cash prize. In addition, Moore received the first two selections off the overflow prize board. She selected “BCBC” and “NHC+$6,000.” The Fishers, Ind., resident walked away with her $9,690 bankroll, $23,550 in cash prizes, a trip to Las Vegas for the 2023 NHC, and a spot in the BCBC.

Ernest Hey, Jr. finished Saturday’s contest with a bankroll of $9,400, earning him an automatic $9,750 plus two prize selections. The Lancaster, N.Y., resident selected a BCBC seat plus the top available cash prize of $9,800.

The Top 7 finishers received two prize board selections. Finishers 8 through 32 each received one pick.

All of the Pick Your Prize players had to bet a minimum of five Monmouth Park races. The minimum bet for those races was $200. Pools available for contest play were win, place, show, exacta and daily double.

Monmouth Park’s next handicapping contest is the $1,000 Haskell Challenge on Saturday, July 23. Entries can only be played through TVG/4NJBETS or Xpressbet.

For information on future Monmouth Park contests, please contact Brian Skirka at bskirka@monmouthpark.com.

$2,000 Pick Your Prize Official Contest Results & Prizes

Name

Bankroll

Prize(s)

Christy Moore

$9,690

$17,550, BCBC, NHC+$6,000

Ernest Hey, Jr.

$9,400

$9,750, BCBC, $9,800

John Nichols

$8,000

$5,850, BCBC, $8,500

Gary Russell

$7,532

$3,900, BCBC, NHC+$4,000

David Rink

$6,930

$1,950, BCBC, $7,500

John Vail

$5,755

NHC+$3,000, $6,500

Jim Tipps

$5,640

BCBC, NHC+$2,000

Michael Domabyl

$5,192

BCBC

David Nelson

$4,905

NHC

Dennis Galvin

$4,855

NHC

Thomas O’Conner

$4,620

NHC

Michael Caposio

$4,492.50

NHC

Dan Bergen

$4,365.60

NHC

Michael Caposio (2)

$4,240

$5,500

Mitch Schuman

$4,105

NHC

Jack Wong

$4,168

NHC

Evan Trommer

$4,030

$4,500

Rich Averill

$3,971.30

NHC

Paul Weizer

$3,840

NHC

Anthony Mattera

$3,550

NHC

Bill Rendino

$3,255

NHC

Scott Cavalieri

$3,128.40

$3,700

Kevin Engelhard

$3,070.40

NHC

Kevin Matties

$3,027

NHC

Jeannie King

$3,000

NHC

Brian Fairlie

$2,882

NHC

Marshall Gramm

$2,687.50

NHC

Corey Esquerre

$2,680

NHC

Joe Metka

$2,675

NHC

Chris Kinum

$2,603

NHC

Ray Arsenault

$2,600

NHC

John Kostin

$2,550

NHC