Monmouth Park Barn Notes for Saturday, August 5, 2017

By John Heims —-

COOP TRIES HARDER SHORTENS UP IN SUNDAY’S TYRO

Coop Tries Harder will try to make it two straight wins when he cuts back to one turn in Sunday’s $60,000 Tyro Stakes going five and a half furlongs on the Monmouth Park turf.

The 2-year-old son of Gone Astray out of the Milwaukee Brew mare Alluring Power broke his maiden in start number two when he tackled the turf and two turns for the first time, going wire-to-wire in a maiden special weight affair at Delaware Park on July 5.

“I think he may want to go longer than this, but he loves the turf and has been training really well,” said conditioner Jane Cibelli. “With these 2-year-old races, you got to be able to be up and in the mix early, so he had a strong work the other day. We’ll have him break and go from there.”

That work Cibelli was mentioning came on July 28, one of two leading up to his run in the Tyro. That day, he worked a bullet five furlongs at Monmouth Park in 1:00 2/5, fastest of the eight horses that went the distance on the day.

Owned by RPS Racing Stable, Coop Tries Harder made his debut over the Monmouth main track on June 3 where he finished fifth behind runaway winner Schianti, who beat the boys that day, and fellow Tyro runner Phonemyposseagain.

The two main challengers that Coop Tries Harder will have to deal with in order to grab consecutive wins on the grass will be the two morning-line favorites, Hemp Hemp Hurray (9/5) for Wesley Ward and Todd Pletcher’s Earth (8/5). Both broke their maidens on the turf in their first attempts.

Other entrants coming off maiden scores include Wesley Ward’s other entry Nuclear Option and Chuck Spina-trainee Phonemyposseagain, who has finished first or second in all three career starts, both in gate to wire fashion.

The Tyro will run as race 9 on Sunday’s 10-race card. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. with first post set for 12:50 p.m.

KORTNEY’S CHALLENGE 2-MILE FUN RUN/WALK AND FOOD BANK DAY SUNDAY

This Sunday, Monmouth Park will once again host Kortney’s Challenge, a two mile fun run/walk. Proceeds from the event will go to the Kortney Rose Foundation, an organization devoted to raising money to support research related to the treatment and cure of pediatric brain tumors.
The race will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the track’s entrance and will end two miles later in the Grandstand. Runners will also receive free Grandstand parking and admission to the park with registration to Kortney’s Challenge. Participants can register on race day in person starting at 8:30 a.m., or online at www.thekortneyrosefoundation.org.
Nonparticipants can also receive free admission by participating in Food Bank Day and donating a canned food or a non-perishable item. All food donations will go to the Monmouth/Ocean County Food Bank.
Gates will open at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, with the first race set for 12:50 p.m.