Monmouth Park Barn Notes: Dark Artist Captures Open Mind Stakes

By Tom Luicci —-

DARK ARTIST SURGES LATE TO WIN $60,000 OPEN MIND STAKES
FOR HER SECOND WIN IN FOUR WEEKS AT MONMOUTH PARK

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Dark Artist needed every bit of the Monmouth Park stretch to reel in front-running longshot Too Charming and surged to a neck victory in the $60,000 Open Mind Stakes on Saturday – the filly’s second stakes win in four weeks at the Shore track.
Ridden by Trevor McCarthy, Dark Artist stalked 27-1 shot Too Charming throughout the mile and a sixteenth grass race for 3-year-old fillies before poking her neck in front at the wire.
Sent off as the favorite in the field of eight by the crowd of 10,638, Dark Artist returned $3.80 to win. She covered the distance in 1:44.44.
Exactly four weeks ago the daughter of Paynter-Ominous Cat captured the Boiling Springs Stakes at Monmouth, doing so by coming further off the pace.
Trainer Jane Cibelli said Dark Star may be ready to test graded stakes company after her third straight victory – all on the turf – and fourth in eight career starts.
“Being a filly, and the way she has run recently, you have to look at a graded stakes for her because of her value as a breeding prospect down the road,” said Cibelli. “But you have to be careful because she’s still improving. You don’t want to throw her into a den of wolves yet but you also want to see what’s what with her and see exactly what we have.”
McCarthy, who rode Dark Artist in her previous start, said she was closer to the pace than he had hoped but felt he had no choice since Too Charming was the lone speed.
“The plan was to let her break away from there and settle where she was comfortable,” he said. “She’s a filly that wants to be left alone to do her thing. She was actually a little bit closer than I wanted today, but last race we had a bit of pace and this race we didn’t. I still wound up getting my way. It was perfect.”
McCarthy agreed with Cibelli about testing Dark Artist even more.
“She’s ready for the next step,” he said. “We’ve got to see what she’s made of, right?”
So Hi Society, one of two Chad Brown-trained horses in the field, was third, another 3½ lengths behind Too Charming.

STIDHAM HOPING HIGH-PRICED YEARLING SUMMER SWEET
WILL FIND WINNING WAYS IN SUNDAY’S MONMOUTH FEATURE

Whatever pressure Michael Stidham has felt since taking over the training responsibilities for Summer Sweet is something he sees as “good” pressure. His reasoning: It means he’s in charge of a regally-bred horse.
Summer Sweet, a $550,000 yearling purchase, will again try to get her career jumpstarted in Sunday’s featured $40,000 allowance at Monmouth Park as part of a field of 12 going 5½ furlongs on the grass.
Though the 4-year-old filly has been a disappointment in light of her purchase price, Stidham says he is always willing to take on the added expectations that come with high-priced yearlings.
“It’s the type of pressure you like to have as a trainer because it means you’re getting horses that were well thought of as young horses and you hope they can eventually produce as a race horse,” he said. “So I see it as a very good thing.”
Summer Sweet, owned by Virginia Kraft Payson, has just one victory in 16 career starts, though she has been on the board for half of those lifetime starts. Her career earnings entering Sunday are $56,348.
Stidham took over as the filly’s trainer in June of 2017 after she failed to show much during her first five starts under Christophe Clement in New York.
“We tried her at Arlington Park when we first took her over,” said Stidham. “She just gradually grinds it out. She always seems to be knocking on the door and running hard. She tries. And she’s a sweetheart of a filly. She’s nice around the barn and everybody loves her.”
Stidham has tried as many distances and surfaces as possible to see if he can get Summer Sweet rolling but she has yet to return to the winner’s circle. She has gone both short and long on the turf, short and long on the dirt, and has raced on a sloppy track and yielding turf courses. The daughter of More Than Ready-Summer Solstice is also 0-for-10 on the grass.
Sunday marks her third start this year at Monmouth after finishing third and second in a pair of optional claiming sprints.
“The bottom line is she’s by More Than Ready and she’s out of a female family that is grass,” said Stidham. “I just assume at some point that the grass pedigree will kick in for her and she’ll run on it. That’s why we’re trying her on the grass again.
“She is certainly bred to be a sprinting type on the turf so we’re giving her another shot.”
The yearling price on Summer Sweet makes her the most expensive horse Stidham has trained during a training career that began in 1979, though he said he is “now getting some Godolphin babies.”
“But most of them are home-breds so they don’t have an auction price on them,” he said. “If they did, a lot of the ones I’m getting now from Godolphin potentially could be in the millions because of how they breed.”
For now, though, his focus is getting Summer Sweet into a winning habit.
“Certainly you want to produce for the owner when they pay that kind of money,” said Stidham. “But I think Mrs. Payson knew when she sent her to me that she wasn’t living up to expectations for they paid.
“She just wants to make the best of it and give the filly an honest chance in places she can be competitive. That’s what I’m trying to do with her.”

WINE AND CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL CONCLUDES SUNDAY

The two-day Wine and Chocolate Festival, which features an assortment of desserts and 90 different wines, concludes Sunday, June 24 as a complement to a 12-race live program.
The cash only-festival runs from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with wrist band sales closing at 4:30 p.m.
Cost for unlimited wine sampling and a souvenir glass is $10. The cost for chocolate sampling only is $7. A combined wristband is $16.
The wine sampling will be held in the Festival area, with the chocolate and dessert sampling on the second floor of the Grandstand.
The chocolate vendors include: 2 Chicks With Chocolate; Chocolate Sage; Caramella Moo; Lily’s Chocolate Paradise; The Chocolate Art Gallery; The Cocoa Exchange; JD Gourmet; Sweetly Chique and Gourmet Creations.
The featured wineries are Laurita Winery; Monroeville Vineyard; Wagonhouse Winery; DiMatteo Vineyards; Plagido’s Winery; Villari Vineyards and Valenzano Winery.
Live music will also be featured Sunday with The Larry Stevens Band performing “On the Green” from noon to 4 p.m.
Sunday is Family Fun Day as well, with free clowns, face painters, pony rides and a bounce house for children 12 and under.