Monmouth Barn Notes

By Tom Luicci —-

HOROLOGIST LOOKING TO BUILD OFF DAZZLING DEBUT
IN SATURDAY’S SORORITY STAKES AT MONMOUTH PARK

OCEANPORT, N.J. – During his more than five decades as a trainer, John F. Mazza had never had a horse win by the margin that Horologist did in her racing debut on Aug. 9 at Monmouth Park , when the 2-year-old filly drew off to score a dazzling 20¾-length victory.

“I got tears in my eyes seeing that,” said Mazza. “I remember thinking `Holy cow, what do I have here?’ ”
Mazza hopes to begin answering that question during Monmouth Park ’s 12-race card on Saturday.

That’s when the Jersey-bred Horologist will face open company in the $75.000 Sorority Stakes at a mile on the grass. The track’s signature race for 2-year-old fillies will be part of a stakes lineup that includes the Grade 3 Violet at a mile and an eighth on the grass, the Grade 3 Red Bank at a mile on the grass and the $75,000 Sapling for 2-year-olds at a mile on the dirt.

Monmouth Park’s four-day Labor Day race weekend starts with an eight-race card on Friday and concludes with live racing on Monday, Sept. 3.

Mazza, having a solid meet (7-for-24) at the age of 81, is confident Horologist can follow up her impressive debut with another strong performance – though her first race was at 5½ furlongs on the dirt and the Sorority is a mile on the grass.

“She breezed in :47.4 the other day (Aug. 28) and she did it so easily,” said Mazza. “We always knew she had some talent but I didn’t expect her to win the way she did. That’s the first time in my life I’ve had a horse win like that. She came out of that race great and now she’s working like she is ready to run a big one again. When she worked in :47.4 she was under a tight hold. She likes to run off after she breezes.”

Mazza does not see turf as being a problem for the daughter of Gemologist-Cinderella Time by Stephen Got Even.

“We looked up her breeding, with Tiznow (the sire of Gemologist) and the bottom line, and there were 259 horses with that breeding line and they won $13 million on the grass,” said Mazza. “So I think she will handle it well. She even likes an off track. She loves splashing in the mud.

“When we broke her we galloped her on the grass and they told me that they thought she would be a grass horse because of the way she went over it.”

Mazza, for all of his 57 years in Barn 3 on the Monmouth backstretch, has only won the Sorority once before, doing so with Divine Answer in 1988.

Thirty years later, he thinks he has another one capable of winning the Sorority again.

“They’re going to have to run to beat her,” he said. “We don’t know what kind of filly she is. This is when you start to find out about them.”

OCEANPORT WINNER SYNCHRONY HEADS RED BANK FIELD

A little more than a month after scoring an impressive victory in the Grade 3 Oceanport Stakes Synchrony will attempt to become the first multiple graded stakes winner of the meet during Monmouth Park ’s 12-race card on Saturday – if the Chad-Brown-trained Elysea’s World doesn’t beat him to the punch.

Elysea’s World, who won the Grade 3 Matchmaker Stakes on July 29, heads the field in the Grade 3 Violet Stakes that goes as the eighth race. The Red Bank is the 10th race on the card.

“Whether we’re the first or not it would mean a lot. It would be a significant accomplishment,” said trainer Michael Stidham.

The ultra-reliable Synchrony has been “a model of consistency,” Stidham said, with three wins and two thirds from five starts this year. Overall, the 5-year-old son of Tapit-Brownie Points shows a 6-3-4 line from 15 career starts with earnings of $556,552. On the turf he is 4-2-2 from eight career starts.

The Red Bank is at a mile on the turf.

“He’s been at Fair Hill ( Md. ) and he has been training well. We’re pleased with the way he is coming into this one,” said Stidham.

After winning as the 7-10 favorite in the Oceanport Stakes at a mile and a sixteenth, Synchrony is cutting back in distance. It’s the only uncertainty about him entering the race, since he is 0-for-2 at the distance, though he was second both times.

According to Stidham the cutback in distance is by design.

“When we went to Arlington Park (on July 7 for the mile and three-sixteenths Arlington Handicap) we were at a pivotal point where we had to start focusing on mile and mile and a sixteenth races or a mile and an eighth and up,” Stidham said. “We felt the Arlington race being at a mile and three-sixteenths would tell us if he had any distance limitations.

“It looked like the added distance took a little away from his kick. That’s why we shortened up in the Oceanport and now again in the Red Bank. If you want to get into the bigger races like the (Grade 1) Shadwell Mile (at Keeneland on Oct. 6) and the Breeders’ Cup we felt like the mile distance would be more to his liking than a mile and a quarter.”

Synchrony will again be looking to turn to the tables on the Graham Motion-trained Irish Strait , who scored a 1½-length victory over Synchrony in the Red Bank Stakes a year ago. Synchrony did beat Irish Straight by three lengths in the Oceanport last time out.

“We think he’s a better horse than he was last year,” said Stidham. “I think this will be a good test for him. There are a couple of new shooters in there. Certainly every race is a different race and you have to navigate a good trip. But it looks like there is quite a bit of speed in the race, which is good for us. As long as Joe Bravo can get a good trip it should set up well for his late run.”

PICK 6 CARRYOVER AT $305,470 FOR FRIDAY’S CARD

Handicappers have plenty to take aim at during the first two days of Monmouth Park ’s four-day Labor Day race weekend that starts Friday and runs through Monday, Sept. 3.

The Jersey Shore Pick 6 carryover stands at a record $305,470 entering Friday’s eight-race card, with the 20-cent base wager paying out the entire jackpot pool only if there is a single winning ticket holder.

The Pick 6 starts in the 3rd race on Friday. First race post time that day is 1:15 p.m.

On Saturday there will be a $150,000 single ticket guarantee on the late Pick 5, which covers races eight through 12 and includes the Grade 3 Violet Stakes, the Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes and the $75,000 Sapling Stakes for 2-year-olds.

First race post time Saturday is 12:50 p.m.