Player Quick Pick: Monmouth for 7/19/2014
by D.S. Williamson
Monmouth Park 10 | 5:29 pm ET Allowance Optional Claiming (20) for 3&up F&M going 1 mi. and 70y
6 – Catch My Drift – Trainer Chad Brown has won 65 races from 236 starters this year. That’s 28%, making Brown easily one of the most successful trainers so far in 2014. This last out maiden winner won at first asking over at Philly Park and even though Brown is 0 for 9 at Monmouth, it’s tough to look past Catch My Drift since the trainer wins at 28% with his last out maiden winners and 29% with his allowance runners. Catch My Drift was fractious and off slow and still managed to take home the maiden race.
7 – Souper Scoop – Sometimes a talented horse just responds to particular jockeys and doesn’t show talent until a particulr jockey hops aboard. That appears to be the case with Souper Scoop who responded brilliantly in her first race with Paco Lopez riding. Up until then, she had been underperforming, but with Paco riding her, she was sensational in her last when winning a mile open maiden race by 8.25 widening lengths after a quarter in :22.2 and a half in :45.5. She could go gate-to-wire again in this allowance race.
2 – Comme Chez Soi – This three-year-old filly sold for $325K at the September Keeneland sale in 2012. She hasn’t lived up to her excellent breeding; she was sired by Empire Maker but after running lights out in her first two races, she has disappointed. This is a big drop from the optional claiming $75k races in which she’s been running. If the class shows, she could beat this field by open lengths. If it doesn’t, she’ll run out of the money.
Monmouth Park 11 | 5:59 pm ET Desert Vixen for 3yo F going 1-1/16 mi. (T)
9 – Saintly Joan – In this competitive affair, it makes no sense to take short odds. Hopefully for me, Saintly Joan is the right 6 to 1 shot to win the Desert Vixen on Saturday. She goes into this event off of a sensational win in a $60k race over the main track where she closed from 3.5 lengths off at the top of the stretch to win by a half a length. She has a victory over the grass, but, more importantly, this is her second race for trainer Patrick McBurney who has a decent 6-8-3 record out of 39 starters at this meet. Saintly Joan should get a nice stalking trip in this.
7 – Our Amazing Rose – This Yes It’s True filly is one of three entrants for trainer Todd Pletcher. She won her first two races in fine fashion before inexplicably losing her next 3 races by a combined 26.75 lengths. But, she was running against much more difficult competition at Churchill and Belmont where those races took place. Her first on grass, and the lighter competition, might wake her up in this. She’s definitely worth using if she keeps the 10 to 1 morning line odds.
1 – Danalin – She looked fantastic when wiring a group of $40K nx1 allowance foes at 1 1/8 miles over the Monmouth turf in her last. Paco Lopez didn’t waste any time taking this one directly to the front and then nursing her speed through a half in :48.3 and six furlongs in 1:12.3. It appears that there is other speed in this, including Our Amazing Rose, but Paco should have this one in great position from the outset since she breaks from the rail and it’s not like she doesn’t have any class since she was sired by Curlin and is out of a Giant’s Causeway mare. Could Paco steal the Desert Vixen on Saturday? Yes, he could.
Monmouth Park 10 | 5:29 pm ET Allowance Optional Claiming (20) for 3&up F&M going 1 mi. and 70y
6 – Catch My Drift – Trainer Chad Brown has won 65 races from 236 starters this year. That’s 28%, making Brown easily one of the most successful trainers so far in 2014. This last out maiden winner won at first asking over at Philly Park and even though Brown is 0 for 9 at Monmouth, it’s tough to look past Catch My Drift since the trainer wins at 28% with his last out maiden winners and 29% with his allowance runners. Catch My Drift was fractious and off slow and still managed to take home the maiden race.
7 – Souper Scoop – Sometimes a talented horse just responds to particular jockeys and doesn’t show talent until a particulr jockey hops aboard. That appears to be the case with Souper Scoop who responded brilliantly in her first race with Paco Lopez riding. Up until then, she had been underperforming, but with Paco riding her, she was sensational in her last when winning a mile open maiden race by 8.25 widening lengths after a quarter in :22.2 and a half in :45.5. She could go gate-to-wire again in this allowance race.
2 – Comme Chez Soi – This three-year-old filly sold for $325K at the September Keeneland sale in 2012. She hasn’t lived up to her excellent breeding; she was sired by Empire Maker but after running lights out in her first two races, she has disappointed. This is a big drop from the optional claiming $75k races in which she’s been running. If the class shows, she could beat this field by open lengths. If it doesn’t, she’ll run out of the money.
Monmouth Park 11 | 5:59 pm ET Desert Vixen for 3yo F going 1-1/16 mi. (T)
9 – Saintly Joan – In this competitive affair, it makes no sense to take short odds. Hopefully for me, Saintly Joan is the right 6 to 1 shot to win the Desert Vixen on Saturday. She goes into this event off of a sensational win in a $60k race over the main track where she closed from 3.5 lengths off at the top of the stretch to win by a half a length. She has a victory over the grass, but, more importantly, this is her second race for trainer Patrick McBurney who has a decent 6-8-3 record out of 39 starters at this meet. Saintly Joan should get a nice stalking trip in this.
7 – Our Amazing Rose – This Yes It’s True filly is one of three entrants for trainer Todd Pletcher. She won her first two races in fine fashion before inexplicably losing her next 3 races by a combined 26.75 lengths. But, she was running against much more difficult competition at Churchill and Belmont where those races took place. Her first on grass, and the lighter competition, might wake her up in this. She’s definitely worth using if she keeps the 10 to 1 morning line odds.
1 – Danalin – She looked fantastic when wiring a group of $40K nx1 allowance foes at 1 1/8 miles over the Monmouth turf in her last. Paco Lopez didn’t waste any time taking this one directly to the front and then nursing her speed through a half in :48.3 and six furlongs in 1:12.3. It appears that there is other speed in this, including Our Amazing Rose, but Paco should have this one in great position from the outset since she breaks from the rail and it’s not like she doesn’t have any class since she was sired by Curlin and is out of a Giant’s Causeway mare. Could Paco steal the Desert Vixen on Saturday? Yes, he could.
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