Night two of the Monmouth at the Meadowlands meet offers another six race card. The rails go all in the way tonight, allowing for 12 starters per race. Race 5 is the featured race of the evening, which is a N1X allowance contest going 1 1/16 miles. First post tonight is 7:00 (EDT).
| Race | Top Pick | A | B | C | Exotics Menu |
| 1 | 2 | 2,6,8 | DBL, PK3, PK6 | ||
| 2 | 5 | 5 | 1,2 | DBL, PK3, PK5 | |
| 3 | 7 | 7 | 9 | DBL, PK3, PK4 | |
| 4 | 3 | 3,1,7 | 5 | DBL, PK3 | |
| 5 | 11 | 11,1 | 3,2 | DBL | |
| 6 | 5 | 5,3,6 | 2 |
Race 1:
We’ll start things off with a $10K maiden claiming race, going five furlongs on the turf. This is a wide open contest where there are many that are lacking any real turf form. I’ll try Lovemeakaren (#2) in this race, hoping to get a nice price on this gelding who is trying the turf for the first time. He was competitive in his last race at a similar level on the dirt at Parx. The dam had two starts, both at long distances in Europe on the turf, winning her only race at 12 furlongs. He other foal to race was a winner at two turns on the turf in Florida. Her sire, Fog of War, won at 5 ½ furlongs on the turf on debut and then won the Grade 1 Summer Stakes at Woodbine in his second start. He didn’t do much of note after that and his career at stud hasn’t really taken off. His stud fee is a mere $3,500 and he has never sired a winner in a turf sprint race. However, this one is bred to like the lawn and since he’s at least been in the conversation in lower level claiming races on dirt, there’s reason to believe that he can move up on the grass. Ranunculus (#6) is a New Jersey bred who has 14 tries in state bred maiden allowance company. He’s dropping in for a tag for the first time, so this definitely class relief for him. He;s making his third start off the layoff and he has run races in turf sprints that would likely make him very competitive with this group. While I don’t love his record, this is a spot that makes sense for him. Chanticleer (#8) takes a big drop after a pair of miserable efforts in 2025. Alexis Delgado is the new trainer of record and she had a decent amount of success at Monmouth this summer with a limited number of starters. He drilled a bullet work at Monmouth last week, suggesting that he’s at least doing better than he was in his two South Florida starts. Samy Camacho taking the mount is also a plus.
Race 2:
Three year olds and up will go one mile in this $7,500-$6,500 N2L claiming race that starts off the only Pick-5 wager tonight. There could be a decent amount of speed in this race, which could set the table for Chaz the Chief (#5) to come rolling down the outside in the late stages of this one. He’s coming off of a maiden breaking score in a state bred maiden allowance race last month at Monmouth. He raced here last fall, closing well to lose in a photo when facing that same class level. This feels like a drop in class for his first start against winners, and running him for this tag is a bit of a calculated risk. However, when looking at the pattern of speed figures coming into this race, I see this as a spot for him to improve. Both Mazzei (#1) and My Pal Max (#2) are two class droppers that he’s going to have to run down. Neither horse ran well in their respective heats last time. Mazzei struggled at the Spa when facing $35K N2L claimers, so he’s definitely getting the higher dose of class relief. Carol Cedeno is making the trip up I-95 from Delaware to ride this gelded son of The Factor. His best effort at two turns came in a race where he was setting the tempo, so the fact that he’s holding the rail position tells me that will likely be the strategy for him here. The 10-1 morning line that was assigned to him felt pretty high, so if I can get that number, I will play him to win. My Pal Max is probably going to try to go with him though. He faltered as the 7-5 favorite with $16K-$14K N2L claimers at Monmouth in his last start. That level is the bottom level for restricted claimers that they’ll run downstate. While he’s dropping in class, it’s not as pronounced of a drop in class as it looks on paper. He was very good prior to that last effort, so he’s likely going to be well-backed at the windows once again tonight. I got burned by him last out though, so I’m going to be a little more cautious with how I use him here,
Race 3:
Fillies and mares will go one mile in the race that starts the lone Pick-4 wager tonight. Note that both runners that were cross-entered at Delaware on Thursday, Bramble Bush (#3) and Maximo Madness (#5) were originally planning to run there. However, the last two turf races of the day were taken off the grass after the first turf race of the day. I’ll assume that both will defer to Plan B and run here, but I don’t love that running here was never the intent for either horse. I like Tell Me Some Lies (#7) a good bit in this race. She has made 11 career starts, 4 of which have been routes on the turf. All four efforts were solid and those races account for two of three career wins. While both of her wins since breaking her maiden came with restricted claimers, she finds a field that feels beatable. She’s one of only a few runners that probably does her best work at two turns on the turf. The two defections will likely drive her number down a bit from her 4-1 morning line figure, but at 3-1 or better, I’m definitely interested. Bali Kuta (#9) is the backup for me in this race. She has one win in one start on this course, scoring in a race at this exact condition last fall. She did have the services of Paco Lopez that day, but he won’t be riding here until later on tonight after competing in the 15 race marathon card at Parx today. This one was a distant third in a 13 furlong starter allowance race at Fair Hill in her last start. We’ll see if that effort takes any starch out of her for this spot.
Race 4:
Fillies and mares will once again be going one mile over the Meadowlands turf course in this $16K-$14K N2L claiming race. I was trying to justify Miguel Clement sending Inamorata (#5) here to race at this level after scoring with $50K maiden claimers in her first try on the turf at two turns and on the turf at the Spa this summer. While those races aren’t always the deepest, I would think she’d be eligible to improve off of that effort while running for the second time off the layoff and on the turf. Even though she would have been a bit of a longshot, there is a N1X allowance race tomorrow at Aqueduct where she could have gone. Clement does have another horse in that race, albeit for different owners though. She’s a homebred for Jump Sucker Stable, sired by More Than Ready, who carries a significant stud fee. I would think that if Clement thought this one was capable of improving somewhat off her last start, she wouldn’t be making the trip here. He did have a strong track with the runners that he brought to Monmouth over the summer, and this filly’s last race might be good enough to win this race, which is why she’s on the B line for me. However, I am suspicious of her in this spot and I suspect she’s going to go off at a price that is shorter than I’m comfortable taking. I’m willing to give Beckett’s Map (#3) another chance in this race for Jorge Delgado. She ran well to be third at this level two starts ago, but she was eased up in her last start after fading badly. Her turf efforts prior to that were consistent and I think breaking closer to the inside will allow her to stay in closer contact with the field. Delgado is a good trainer and this filly wouldn’t be running back in this spot if she wasn’t showing signs that she’s good to go. Apple Shake Shake (#1) missed about a year and half of racing before coming back at Monmouth this summer. She was a little rusty in her first few starts, but she started to show signs of improvement. She got stronger with more races when she was competing in Maryland in 2023. She’s following a similar pattern coming into this race, so she could be sitting on one of her better efforts here. River Tay (#7) is another A line play in this race. It’s not uncommon to see New York based class droppers show up and win at the Big M. Bruce Brown had her running in $35K N2L claiming races at the Spa, which is about the lowest level of turf racing in New York. She was competitive in some of those races, and while she was often close, she couldn’t seal the deal. Katie Davis is familiar with this mare and she’ll cross the bridge to come ride her this evening.
Race 5:
Tonight’s featured race is a N1X allowance race for three year olds and up, going one mile. In this 11 horse field, you’ll find horses that last raced at six different tracks. There really isn’t a lot of early speed in this race, so I’m interested to see if Lucas’s Mischief (#11) can clear from his outside draw in this race. He was able to do that when breaking from the outside post at Penn National two starts back, despite a bit of a slow break. Inoel Beato had to use him pretty hard on a course that was labeled “yielding”, but he ran well to be second that day. He was away a bit awkwardly again last out and he wasn’t able to make the lead. He faltered badly after chasing a hot pace. If we’re seeing a course where closers are struggling to get home, I would upgrade his chances. He’ll need to break cleanly, but I think Beato could be able to steal this one at long odds here. Investment Mandate (#1) comes back to New Jersey for Chad Brown after a solid effort at Saratoga in an 11 furlong N1X allowance race there. I thought his maiden breaking effort at Monmouth on Haskell Day was really good. He came with an outside bid after breaking from post 9 in that race and he got up just in time to beat a good field. There were seven turf races on that card and he was the only true closer to win at a time where speed and the inside lanes were very good on that course at Monmouth. I’m not surprised that he improved off that effort while facing a better field in New York. Brown was excellent with his runners at Monmouth and he typically finds the Winner’s Circle a few times a season at this meet as well. I worry that the mile might be a tad short and that the pace scenario isn’t ideal for him, but I respect his ability. Primed to Go (#2) and Mickey Shillelagh (#3) have similar running lines, but Primed to Go is a much shorter price with Paco Lopez riding. That one does have more tactical speed, which feels important in a race where there’s not much early speed signed on. I think Paco is going to be able to track the top pick and get the run of the race, so I’m going to be using him. However, I do like the cutback in distance for Mickey Shillelagh and I think he’s a better horse now than he was when he showed up at Monmouth three starts ago. If his odds float up from his 9-2 morning line, I’d be more interested.
Race 6:
The night ends with a maiden special weight for two year old fillies going one mile. There are three, well-bred fillies that stand out from a pedigree perspective in this race. Skywatcher (#2) is set to debut for Miguel Clement, Fitz Right (#3) is slated to make her second career start for Chad Brown, and Amuse Me (#6) is scheduled to debut for Jorge Delgado. Both Fitz Right and Amuse Me were based at Monmouth, whereas Skywatcher is shipping in from Saratoga. Much like in the last race, I do wonder about Miguel Clement bringing Skywatcher here when he could have entered in a race with a significantly higher purse at Aqueduct on Thursday. Just like in the 4th race, Clement had a runner there, but again, for different ownership interests. On the plus side, this filly is not for sale in this race. Christopher Elliott is riding both horses for Clement, which is the first time he’s ridden for this barn since Miguel Clement took over the stable from his late father. I always like when younger riders get these opportunities, because you know you’re going to get their best effort, as these races could lead to more lucrative partnerships down the road. Much like with Inamorata, I’m going to slot this filly on the B line. If that filly runs well, I’d be more likely to upgrade this filly in the nightcap. However, there are some concerns there. While the other two fillies look live in this race, lets try to blow up the toteboard with Sweet Ruby (#5) as the top pick here. She makes her second start for Diane Morici and after showing a little interest on the dirt at Monmouth in her debut. She finished a distant third in that race, which was a sprint on the dirt. Uncle Chuck could be another horse that Bob Baffert campaigned on the dirt, but has a lot of success as a stallion with turf runners (Think Justify and American Pharoah). Only two of his runners that he’s sired have routed on the turf so far, but one of them was a dominating winner in his second start at Gulfstream. This filly follows a similar pattern coming into this race and her dam was a winner at two turns on the turf in her day. I like Samy Camacho taking the mount on this filly for her first try at two turns on the turf. Fitz Right is from the freshman crop of Charlatan, who could fall into the same category as Uncle Chuck as a Baffert horse that excelled on dirt, but could produce better turf horses. His runners have yet to win on the turf, but he’s had some run competitive races. This one tracked a runaway leader early. He got to the front but lost the duel to the race winner. She should be more fit for this race and the mile distance should be in her wheelhouse. Jorge Delgado sends out Amuse Me, who cost AMO Racing USA close to a half million dollars. Maxfield is another freshman sire here and his runners are 1-8 in turf races so far. The dam was sired by Exceed and Excel and did all of her work on grass in her career. Her two North American runners haven’t been great thus far, but the fact that the connections paid this hefty price tag for her tells me that she looks more formidable than those runners.
