National Law faces first stakes test in Saturday’s NYRA Bets Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park

By Tom Luicci —-

NATIONAL LAW TO FACE MAJOR TEST IN NYRA BETS PEGASUS STAKES

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. has seen enough from National Law’s past two starts – both wins going two turns – that he views Saturday’s NYRA Bets Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park “as the logical spot to go forward with him.”

A short field (likely six starters) and a short ship from the colt’s nearby base at Colts Neck Stables made the decision even easier.

“It’s the right transition for him to try this. The quality of the horse is there,” said Duarte. “And if he runs well it sets us up beautifully.”

The Pegasus Stakes, at a mile and a sixteenth for 3-year-olds, serves as the local prep for the $1 million NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes on July 19. The top two finishers in the race receive a free entry and start fees to the Haskell.

Overall, five stakes races headline Saturday’s Haskell Preview Day card, with the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes followed by the $150,000 Monmouth Stakes; the Grade 3, $150,000 Salvator Mile; the Grade 3, $150,000 Eatontown Stakes and the $100,000 Lady’s Secret Stakes in order as the last five races on the 12-race program.

There is a revised 12:30 p.m. first race post time for the card.

Duarte, the private trainer for Richard Santulli’s Colts Neck Stables, has yet to get a horse to the Haskell Stakes starting gate despite the success both he and Colts Neck Stables have had over the years at Monmouth Park.

He is hoping National Law changes that.

A $250,000 yearling purchase, the Kentucky-bred son of Constitution was fourth in Maiden Special Weight company at Monmouth Park to start his career last year, then was fifth going a mile and a sixteenth on the grass in similar company at Colonial Downs.

It was after the latter race that the colt’s turnaround started.

Duarte said he noticed National Law was having a breathing issue, with the horse undergoing myotenectomy surgery shortly after the Colonial race.

“He has been lights out since then,” said Duarte.

But the horse’s greenness has also surfaced.

He opened a seven-length lead in a Maiden Special Weight race at Parx on Dec. 3 before drifting so badly that he finished the mile and 70-yard race close to rail that separates the stands. He eventually won by 1½ lengths.

“I think he got distracted and got out. We analyzed everything, made some corrections and took the blinkers off,” said Duarte. “After the race everyone was asking `What happened?’ But we were excited by the gallop out so we sat down to try to figure out what happened.

“I think he likes to be herd-bound. He likes to be around other horses because he is a fighter. That day he was seven lengths in front and he didn’t see anybody. I think he wanted to make a U-turn to see where everybody else was.”

National Law followed that race with a win in an optional $62,000 claimer going a mile and a sixteenth at Pimlico on May 11 in his 3-year-old debut, setting the stage for his first stakes try.

Duarte has won his share of stakes but never a graded stakes. If National Law runs to his expectations he will have another chance to win one in the Grade 1 Haskell.

“After the surgery he has done everything right,” said Duarte. “I was looking forward to him running at Pimlico and he ran to my expectations. I’m somewhat optimistic for Saturday. I haven’t come close to getting to the bottom of him.”