Posts Tagged ‘Pegasus Stakes’

PRESS RELEASE

HASKELL INVITATIONAL TO ANCHOR RECORD $12.1 MILLION IN STAKES PURSES FOR 2010 MONMOUTH PARK MEET

Oceanport, N.J. – With the $1 million Haskell Invitational on Aug. 1, leading the way, Monmouth Park will offer a record $12.1 million in stakes purses for the 2010 racing season, which gets underway on Saturday, May 22. A total of 90 stakes races are on the calendar, 16 graded and 74 overnight events.

In addition to the record stakes schedule, Monmouth Park will offer record purses in 2010. In what’s being called the “Million Dollar Meet”, Monmouth will race primarily on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day - a calendar that spans 50 live racing days. Overnight purses, when coupled with stakes events, are expected to be $1 million for those live programs, with stakes races starting at $100,000. By comparison, stakes at Monmouth Park in 2009 started at $60,000 with a total of $9,170,000 paid in stakes purses.

“What we’re offering this year is a new approach to racing,” said Bob Kulina, vice president and general manager of Monmouth Park. “This stakes schedule, along with our new race meet, is certainly attracting the interest of new horsemen from across the country.

“Our goal is to deliver the public what they’ve asked for - quality, competitive racing with big fields. We believe this new schedule should help us achieve that goal.”

Returning for the third time to the stakes calendar is the $250,000 Monmouth Stakes, which will carry a Grade 3 status for the first time when it’s renewed on June 12. The turf test, which serves as a prep for the Grade 1 $750,000 United Nations on July 3, was captured by champion Big Brown in it’s inaugural running and last year saw fan-favorite Presious Passion go wire-to-wire.

Other notable changes include the addition of the Grade 3 $200,000 Pegasus Stakes for 3-year-olds. Set for June 19, the mile and a sixteenth Pegasus will be run six weeks before the mile and an eighth Haskell. Also added to the schedule is the $300,000, Grade 2, Monmouth Cup (formerly the Meadowlands Cup), to be run on Oct. 9, for 3-year-olds and up.

The 2010 racing meet spans 71 days, beginning with the May 22nd-23rd weekend. The racetrack will then offer live programs on May 29, May 30 and Monday, May 31 (Memorial Day). Following the Memorial Day card Monmouth will be open for live racing on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 6. In addition, the track will host live racing on Monday, July 5 (4th of July Holiday). A fall meet will get underway on Saturday, Sept. 11, and run through Sunday, Nov. 21. Racing in the fall will take place on Saturdays and Sundays.

Unless you live in a cave without an internet connection, you know that this weekend (Friday and Saturday) is the 26th Breeders’ Cup Championships which are being held at Santa Anita Park in Southern California. There’s plenty to be said about the Breeders’ Cup’s 14 races with a total purse value of $25.5 million but we’d like to mention the other graded stakes that are being run around the country.

Aqueduct features the G2 Red Smith Handicap as Saturday’s sixth race. Grand Couturier heads up the field in this 1 3/8-mile turf contest for 3-year-olds and up. He has just one win this year which came in the G2 Bowling Green Handicap but has been facing much stiffer competition. Another interesting prospect is 2007 Arlington Million winner Jambalaya. Sidelined for two years, the 7-year-old gelding won his comeback race, an optional claimer at Woodbine. Is he ready to return to his former glory? Also on Saturday, Aqueduct will spotlight juveniles in the G3 Tempted (7th race) for fillies, and the G2 Nashua (4th race) for colts and geldings, both run at one mile on the dirt.

A contentious field is slated to run in the G3 Ack Ack Handicap on Friday’s Churchill Downs card. Ones to watch in the one-mile dirt feature are Riley Tucker (2-1), Jonesboro (5-2) and Greeley’s Conquest (3-1). On Saturday, it’s the fillies’ turn in the G2 Chilukki. Two very talented runners here–One Caroline, who was 5-for-5 before her last out, a narrow loss in the Louisville Distaff on the Kentucky Oaks undercard, and the amazingly consistent Swift Temper who hit the board seven times before her most recent start, a puzzling 10th-place finish in the Spinster (G1). Also entered is Dubai Majesty, coming off a stakes win at Keeneland.

The Meadowlands will present the G3 Pegasus on Friday night. Kiaran McLaughlin may have a rising star in the Shadwell-owned Iqbaal. The 3-year-old son of Medaglia d’Oro has only raced twice, but he won both races convincingly as favorite.

Oak Tree has carded supporting Grade 2 stakes on both Breeders’ Cup days. The ninth and final race on Friday is the Las Palmas Handicap for distaffers going a mile on the turf. On Saturday, the Oak Tree Derby, run at 1 1/8 miles on grass, will follow the Classic. Battle of Hastings is hoping to conquer here; the versatile gelding has over $1 million in earnings.

For further information about the Breeders’ Cup entries click here.