BROWN-TRAINED MAMAN JOON SEEKING STAKES BREAKTHROUGH IN SATURDAY’S $100,000 VIOLET STAKES AT MONMOUTH PARK

By Tom Luicci —-

BROWN-TRAINED MAMAN JOON SEEKING STAKES BREAKTHROUGH

OCEANPORT, N.J. – There are two promising signs for Maman Joon as the Chad Brown-trainee looks to finally nail down an elusive stakes win in Saturday’s $100,000 Violet Stakes at Monmouth Park.

One is that the 4-year-old daughter of Irish sire See the Stars won’t have to deal with a stablemate in the mile and sixteenth grass race that will serve as the co-feature along with the $200,000 Sapling Stakes for 2-year-olds.

Fellow Brown charges Tax Implications and Grade 1 winner Beaute Cachee, who captured the Grade 2 Ballston Spa at Saratoga in her most recent start, aren’t among the six other fillies and mares, 3 and up, in the field. Maman Joon tackled both in her last two starts.

Second is that there should be a reasonable early pace for Maman Joon to close into – something she was unable to do when the Grade 3 Matchmaker Stakes went in :50.3 to the half-mile and 1:15.1 for three quarters in her last start on July 20 at Monmouth Park.

“She’s doing good,” said Luis Cabrera, who handles Brown’s division at Monmouth Park. “She ran good numbers her last two starts so this should be a good spot for her.”

After winning her first two starts when she was shifted to Brown’s barn, Maman Joon was second, beaten just three-quarters of a length by Tax Implications, in the Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes. She followed that up with a fifth place finish, though beaten just 3¼ lengths by Beaute Cachee, in the mile and an eighth Matchmaker Stakes.

“They just went to slow in front for her to be able to close,” said Cabrera. “There was just no pace that race. I see a couple of horses in this field with speed so we’ll see if that helps. She just needs to get into a comfortable position and go from there.

“She’s a good filly. We like her. And she has been working well. I think she looks good in this spot. The goal is to get her a stakes win.”

Cecile, trained by Lindsay Schultz, comes in off a sharp allowance win at Monmouth Park on July 20 and looms as a major factor in the race, with the unknown quantity in the field being the Graham Motion-trained Beach Bomb, a two-time Grade 1 winner in South Africa who has not raced since Feb. 24.

The one-mile Sapling, meanwhile, drew a field of seven, with trainer Mark Casse entering Global Legend and Sweet Fantasy. The latter comes in off a 5¼-length win in restricted maiden special weight company at Saratoga.

Truly Legit, who broken his maiden first asking for trainer Chris Davis at Horseshoe Indianapolis, and Majority Opinion, a first out winner at Louisiana Downs for trainer Henry Johnson Jr., are among the shippers in the field, along with the Richard Vega-trained Roxton, who won his debut impressively at Parx.

Trainer Jorge Delgado will return Crazy Frazy to the dirt after a fourth-place finish in the Tyro Stakes at five furlongs on the grass and will stretch out the son of Blame for the first time. Crazy Frazy was a near-miss second in maiden special weight company at Monmouth Park in his debut before winning next time out, also at Monmouth Park.

The two stakes races will kick off a three-day Labor Day weekend of racing from Saturday through Monday that will be complemented by the BBQ & N.J. Craft Beer Festival all three days. The Festival will feature 15 vendors, more than 50 New Jersey craft beers and live music.

First race post time all three days is 12:50 p.m.