Monmouth Stakes 2015 at Monmouth Park

Dave Bond | OTB Writer

Las Vegas, NV - Monmouth Park on the Jersey Shore will be the scene of the Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes on Sunday, June 7. A purse of $200,000 will be on the line for horses three years old and upward when they take to Monmouth's turf track and race 1 1/8 miles.

A large field of 12 older entries will line up in the Monmouth Stakes - race 11 on Monmouth Park's Sunday card. Post time is 5:43 PM. Here is a look into the past performances of all 12 entries for this Grade 2 stakes.

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2015 Monmouth Stakes Race Favorite Entries

Slumber - Chad Brown pupil had two wins, a second and two third place finishes in eight starts in Great Britain before debuting in North America in November, 2011 with a fourth in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby. In 2013 he had three starts - an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Saratoga being the best result. He had five starts in 2014 including an OK second in the minor Bowl Game Stakes in October, a third in the Grade 2 Pan American Stakes in March, and a decent third in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida Stakes February 15. Slumber started 2015 with consecutive seconds - the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Handicap in February and the Grade 2 Mervin H. Muniz Handicap in March and most recently finished fifth in the Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs May 2. He has 20 career starts with four wins, four seconds and four third place finishes and will be looking for his first stakes score Saturday. He starts from the unfavorable outside post with John Velazquez aboard. Slumber is cross-entered in the Manhattan Handicap on Saturday at Belmont Park.

Cage Fighter - has placed in 10 of 12 career starts and his last 10 overall. Last time out was a good stakes debut - a second in the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes at Pimlico which followed an Allowance Optional Claiming score and runner-up finishes in two straight races. He has three wins and three seconds in his last six starts and despite being lightly raced in top company is a threat Sunday. Daniel Centeno gets the call from gate 10 Sunday.

Monmouth Stakes 2015 | Remaining Contenders

Ghurair - Chad Brown trained colt made his North American debut May 3, 2014 and finished a disappointing eighth in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy Stakes at Belmont Park and followed that with a nice win in an Allowance Optional Claiming on that same track June 7. He has just two starts since then - an Allowance Optional Claiming score last time out way back in August and a fifth in the Grade 1 United Nations Stakes here in July. He had five starts in England which yielded two wins and a third place finish. His biggest win to date came in October, 2012 at Newmarket - in the Tattersalls Millions 2yo Trophy Stakes. Ghurair looks for his first stakes victory in North America with the Joel Rosario aboard from post 5.

Lochte - Marcus Vitali trained gelding made his graded stakes debut one to remember - a win in the 2014 Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf at 39-1 odds and followed that with a good second in the Grade 1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita in March and a third in the Grade 1 Maker's 46 Mile in April. He has been up and down since - a disastrous thirteenth in the 2014 Monmouth in Stakes in June and an eighth in the Grade 3 Oceanport Stakes in July were disappointing indeed. He was OK in his next five starts - a terrific win in January in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes, a second in an Allowance and a nice win in the minor The Vid Stakes at Gulfstream September 13 being the highlights. Lochte hasn't looked good lately - a twelfth last time out in the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes May 16 followed a seventh in the Grade 3 Appleton Stakes, an Allowance Optional Claiming score in March and another seventh - in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap. Jockey Orlando Bocachica has been tabbed with getting Lochte back on track - from gate 6 Sunday.

Slim Shadey - British bred gelding had some graded stakes scores in 2012/2013 including the Grade 2 San Marcos Stakes two years in a row and the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship but hasn't been great since. He finished third in the 2014 Grade 3 Red Bank Stakes and went on to an eleventh in the Grade 2 Monmouth Oaks and a win in the minor Elkwood Stakes in July. Last time out was an OK second in an Optional Claiming at Belmont Park May 22 which followed a sixth in the 2015 Red Bank Stakes, a fourth in the minor Elusive Quality Stakes at Belmont Park April 29 and a Claiming score. Slim Shadey has placed in just 2 of his last six starts and just one of his last five graded stakes tries. He will attempt to regain his form from two years ago when he leaves from post 7 with Elvis Trujillo guiding him.

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Middleburg - Christophe Clement trainee made his stakes debut last time out and finished a decent third in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy Stakes at Belmont Park May 2 and now has placed in 12 of 13 career starts - four wins, five seconds and three third place finishes. Before his step up in competition he had a two race win streak - both Allowance Optional Claiming races. Those results followed a string of four runner-up finishes. Middleburg has improved every time out and looks to continue his upward trend. Joe Bravo has been tabbed to ride from gate 4.

Legendary - British bred Niall Saville trained gelding has 22 career starts with six wins, five seconds and two third place finishes. He has looked OK since shipping to North America - four wins, a second and a third place finish in eight starts but has failed to place in his last three overall. He enters off a fifth in the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes May 16, a fourth in the Grade 1 Maker's 46 Mile and a fifth in the Grade 3 Red Smith Handicap at Aqueduct November 15. Before that was a terrific win in the Grade 3 Knickerbocker Stakes in October and a nice win in the minor Japan Racing Association Stakes at Laurel Park in September. Legendary will be looking for a strong bounce back this week when he departs from post 3 with Jevian Toledo aboard. He is cross-entered in the Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park Saturday.

St. Albans Boy - has three wins and a third place finish in 14 career starts and enters this week having failed to place in his last five starts overall - a fifth last time out in an Allowance April 19 followed a seventh in an Allowance Optional Claiming in March and consecutive sixth in graded stakes action - the Grade 3 WL McKnight Handicap in December and the Grade 3 Red Smith Handicap in November. St. Albans Boy enters in less-than-spectacular form and leaves from post 11 with Angel Serpa in the reins.

Inchcape - Jason Servis trainee enters off a fifth in his graded stakes debut - the Grade 3 Miami Mile which followed an Allowance Optional Claiming score March 7 and a second in a similar race January 17. He has 16 career starts with three wins, five seconds and three third place finishes and has placed in three of his last five starts overall - no stakes however. Paco Lopez rides from post 9.

Tricky Hat - last year's fourteenth place finisher in this race Chilean born Shug McGaughey trained gelding hadn't looked good before a nice win in the minor John's Call Stakes at Saratoga August 6 - a result that was followed by a fifth in the Grade 3 Kentucky Turf Cup Stakes September 13 and a fourth in the Grade 3 Sycamore Stakes at Keeneland October 16 and an ugly eleventh to end his 2014 campaign in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Stakes. Tricky Hat has two starts this year - a ninth last time out in the Grade 2 Dixie Stakes followed a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Gulfstream in March. He has placed in just one of his last five starts overall and will look to hit the board for the first time in graded stakes company when he departs from gate 8 with Trevor McCarthy guiding him.

Triple Threat - Bill Mott French bred entry makes his North American debut Sunday after 13 starts at home yielded three wins, two seconds and two third place finishes. He did win the Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam-Grand Prix de Maisons-Laffitte in July, 2013 and did finish third in a Group 2 in April of last year at Longchamp but he has placed in just one of his last three starts overall - a second last time out way back in September. Triple Threat makes his first start in nine months in his first start outside of Europe with Jose Lezcano aboard from the rail.

Our Emerald Forest - James Day trained Irish bred gelding makes his graded stakes debut Sunday having posted three wins, two seconds and a third place finish in 13 career starts. He has alternated wins and fifth place finishes in his last four starts overall - his only stakes action resulted in one of those fifths - the minor PTHA President's Cup at Parx in September. He takes a huge step up in competition in just OK form - from gate 2 with Andrew Wolfsont in the reins.


2015 Monmouth Stakes Entries & Odds

Race 11 on Monmouth Park's Sunday card with a Post Time of 5:43 PM.

Entry Horse Jockey Trainer ML Odds
1 Triple Threat (FR) J. Lezcano W. Mott
9-2
2 Our Emerald Forest (IRE) A. Wolfsont J. Day
30-1
3 Legendary (GB) J. Toledo N. Saville
8-1
4 Middleburg J. Bravo C. Clement
5-1
5 Ghurair J. Rosario C. Brown
7-2
6 Lochte O. Bocachica M. Vitali
12-1
7 Slim Shadey (GB) E. Trujillo D. Jacobson
10-1
8 Tricky Hat (CHI) T. McCarthy C. McGaughey III
12-1
9 Inchcape P. Lopez J. Servis
15-1
10 Cage Fighter D. Centeno J. Lawrence, II
10-1
11 St. Albans Boy A. Serpa K. Rubley
30-1
12 Slumber (GB) J. Velazquez C. Brown
4-1