BOOK’EM DANNO DAY SET FOR FRIDAY AT MONMOUTH PARK

Lynne Snierson Monmouth Park publicity staff

July 16, 2026

BOOK’EM DANNO DAY SET FOR FRIDAY AT MONMOUTH PARK;

OCEANPORT, N.J. – He’s the first New Jersey-bred to win an Eclipse Award since the Hall of Famer and dual champion filly Open Mind in 1988-1989, and the home-grown hero will be fittingly honored by Monmouth Park with the newly-created “Book’em Danno Day” on Friday.

Book’em Danno, a multiple graded stakes-winning, multi-millionaire trained by Derek Ryan and stabled at Monmouth Park, is the headliner that day in a field of nine entered for the $200,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes, to be contested at six furlongs on the main track.

“It’s been a long time since Open Mind won her Eclipse Awards. Having a special day for Book’em Danno is a nice honor, especially for the horse,” said Ryan, who has been a Monmouth Park mainstay since 1989.

Book’em Danno, owned by the Monmouth County-based Atlantic Six Racing partnership and bred by Gregory Kilka and Bright View Farm, is a deserving recipient of the honor and the accolades.

The 5-year-old gelded son of Bucchero has traveled the country and the world while earning $2,135,425 from a record of 11-4-1 in 18 starts. Last season, the brilliant sprinter won five of his seven races and swept the Grade 3 Truth North, Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt and Grade 1 Foregoat Saratoga.

His campaign was so impressive that even though his connections decided to bypass the Breeders’ Cup to avoid shipping across the country to Del Mar in Southern California he still was voted North America’s champion Male Sprinter for 2025.

He is also the reigning three-time New Jersey-bred Horse of the Year (2023-2025).

This year, Book’em Danno defended his title in the True North at Saratoga June 6, but rather than van him back to The Spa for a potential repeat in the Vanderbilt July 25, Ryan decided to run him on his home track. This will be the first time local racing fans have had the chance to see him race at Monmouth Park since he won the Jersey Shore two years ago on July 19, 2024.

He is 3-for-3 at Monmouth Park.

“For once we don’t have to ship,” the trainer said. “He had a hard campaign last year. This year I have my schedule picked out. I know where I’m going every race. Maybe that’s old school. But I like to pick out races and aim for them. That’s the way I like to do it.”

The 2026 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. on Oct. 31 is the ultimate goal for Book’em Danno, whom Ryan said has grown bigger, stronger, and more mature and is moving even better than last year. That is a testament to Ryan’s abilities, as it is not easy to keep a horse in top-level form in successive years.

“I’ve been lucky, I’ve been blessed. I have him. I had (multiple graded stakes winner) Musket Man and he got me through the whole (Kentucky) Derby scene and the Preakness,” Ryan said. “I ran in the Breeders’ Cup Classic with him, and I was stabled beside (Hall of Famer) Zenyatta for the whole week, which was quite an experience.”

In his many years based at Monmouth Park Ryan has had the experience of seeing some of the sport’s greats compete on this track. Hall of Famer American Pharoah won the 2015 Haskell in his first effort after he became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years.

“I’ve seen some good ones. I also saw Skip Away, Holy Bull, and Unbridled’s Song. He did all his works here as a 2-year-old and he was the fastest horse I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Now the very fast Book’em Danno is keeping good company at Monmouth Park.

“It is heartening to know that his horse is one of the champions to run over this track,” said Ryan. “He’s a freak. I don’t think I’ll ever have another one as good as him. We’ll enjoy him for as long as we can.”

Meanwhile, the horse is carrying the banner for the New Jersey breeding program.

“He certainly is. He’s very consistent,” said Ryan. “Right now I’ve got 20 in the barn, including a lot of nice 2-year-old fillies. I’m already looking for the next one.”

The Mr. Prospector is the featured seventh race on the eight-race card and leading rider Paco Lopez, who has been in the irons for each of Book’em Danno’s last seven starts, gets the return call.

Silver Slugger, owned by former Major League All Star Victor Martinez’ Victoria Ranch; multiple Mid-Atlantic stakes winner Quint’s Brew from the barn of Ned Allard; Go Irish, a son of Irish War Cry claimed out of his last race by up-and-coming trainer Peter Synnefias; the New Jersey-bred Boardwalk Jack, the pair of Banishing and Durante from the stable of David Jacobsen; Doroteo, and Full Moon Madness were entered in the field.

Monmouth Park will be giving away a Book’em Danno T-shirt to the first 2,000 paid admissions and there will be free admission for all Oceanport residents, a nod to the ownership group, all of whom live close to the track..

The Monmouth Park Pick 6 carryover going into Friday’s card is $43,699. There will be a mandatory payout on Sunday, when the Pick 6 starts in the third race.

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Spendthrift Farm’s Further Ado, the 2-1 morning line favorite for the $1 million, Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell on Saturday, arrived early Thursday morning and Katie Tolbert, the assistant to trainer Bard Cox, reported that he will go out for a gallop on Friday morning and school in the paddock later.

All of the other Haskell horses are on the grounds save for two: Preakness runner-up Iron Honor, who will arrive Saturday morning from Saratoga with the large contingent of Chad Brown trainees for the seven stakes on the card, and Star Sweeper. Trainer Louis Linder, Jr. will send Star Sweeper from his base at Parx on race day.

Though Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who holds the Haskell training record with nine wins, does not have an entry in the 2026 edition, he will be represented on the card Saturday by 2025 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Splendora.

The 2025 Maryland-bred champion Older Female Sprinter arrived early Thursday morning. She is set to take on six other fillies and mares in the Grade 2, $500,000 Molly Pitcher at 1 1/16 miles on the main track.

Scalable, Lost Horizon, Dry Powder, Like a Rolling Stone, Nerazurri, and Alpine Princess are her competition.