Monmouth Park Full Card Analysis – Sunday, 7/26/26 – By Eric Solomon

We’ll put a bow on a beautiful weekend at the Jersey Shore with this eight race card at Monmouth. If you’re in town, the track is hosting the annual Italian Festival and Wine Tasting, which is always fantastic. Post time for the first race is 12:50 PM (EDT).

I’ll be covering the Monmouth Park meet for the 6th consecutive year on the ITM Blog, along with posting some updates and thoughts from time to time on Twitter @EricSolomon718. Feel free to reach out!

Race 1:

We’ll start things off with an optional $40K claiming/$25K starter allowance race for fillies and mares going 5 ½ furlongs on the turf course. The rails for the four grass races this afternoon will be set at 24 feet. A few of these runners met at this level on 6/26 and Allison Park (#6) was clearly better than any of them. She was five lengths or better than any of the other runners out of that race, so if we’re going to beat the heavy favorite in this race, it’s likely going to come from a new shooter here. She is in the best form in the field, but she might have to wait a month before she lands in a conditioned allowance contest for state bred runners where she could be running for much better purses. I think the goal is for McBurney to keep in her good form to get her into a better spot for her on the New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival Day toward the end of August. She’ll likely be even money or lower here and it’s well deserved, but I do think there’s a horse that is an interesting alternative. Immortalove  (#3) gets back on the turf for only the second time in her career today. She has done her best work on the dirt, but she’s proven that she’s capable on synthetic. She faced a much tougher group when getting buried on the rail in a five furlong dash at Tampa last year. Cipriano Gil has been named on a lot of horses at this meet, but he doesn’t always show up. However, when he does ride here, he’s been sharp, winning with five of nine mounts and only finishing off the board once. She has inside position on the favorite and she’s just as quick in the early stages. She has a chance to pull off a mild upset in the opener.

Race 2:

We’ll move to the dirt for the first time this afternoon with this $25K-$20K maiden claiming race going a mile and 70 yards. The morning line favorite in this six horse race is Elko County (#4), who is scheduled to make his 22nd career start while staying in search of that ever elusive first win. A few starts back, he was moved to Jorge Delgado’s barn where the results were the same. He drops to the lowest level of competition yet and while maybe today’s his day, this is a horse that has burned a lot of money, and I’m not sure he really wants to win races. He often leaves himself with too much work to do and he doesn’t produce a late kick that is really threatening. Juan Avila has a pair of second time starters in this race, and I think both are live. Everything Orly (#3) debuted in a tough maiden allowance race on the turf last month. Chad Brown had the winner of that race running off the screen that day. He drops in class, which isn’t great considering the connections paid $60K for him. However, he’s bred to handle the dirt and I think having that experience will be beneficial. Mighty Milo (#6) might get more wagering attention after a narrow miss at this level on debut last month. Avila does well getting horses to stretch out, but he is doing something new for the first time. His pedigree leans one turn, but this is not the deepest group. I’d use both of these runners along with the Chad Brown invader, Teutonic (#1). Brown is trying to find the right kind of spot for this some of Practical Joke. He tried turf in his last two in New York. He didn’t do much in those races, but the figures would be competitive at this level if they can translate to the dirt. He was sent here since he’s clearly not a Saratoga horse. He’s another one worth considering in this spot. 

Race 3:

Fillies and mares will go one mile on the turf in a $40K-$30K maiden claiming race that kicks off the Jersey Shore-6 wager. Chad Brown sends out a $240K first time starter with Basis Point (#1), who has been installed as the morning line favorite. His numbers when debuting a horse in maiden claiming races aren’t good and the fact that they’re starting this three year old filly off with a $40K price tag tells me exactly what they think of her. I think this is a good spot for Meadowlark Drive (#3). She is trying two turns for the first time after two straight turf sprint races in maiden special weight company. She wasn’t really quick enough to compete at that distance at that level, but her pedigree suggests that she’ll be more competitive at two turns. She drops in class, but runs for a tag that is greater than her purchase price. After pairing her last two figures, I see this as a sport where she can move forward. The other one I want from this race is Omahamoiselle (#6). This New Jersey bred filly runs with the waiver since she was bred in the Garden State. She was a game second at a decent price at this level when making her first start of the year last month. Perkins does well second time off the bench so I wouldn’t be surprised to see her move forward here. 

Race 4:

State bred two year old fillies will go five furlongs on the main track in this maiden special weight contest. I’m not seeing anything that gets me excited about any of the first timers in this spot, so I’m not going to be very creative in this spot. She’s a Twelve (#7) and Tiz Tapping (#8) squared off three weeks ago. She’s a Twelve broke well, but was in chase mode most of the race as the race winner, Midnight Voodoo, was good enough to hold one to score in gate to wire fashion. Tiz Tapping ended up on the rail in that four horse race and she got away a step slow from the gate. In a five furlong race that does mean something and I was impressed with the way she finished up, coming with a neck of the winner and getting the head bob over She’s a Twelve for second. While Breen adds blinkers for She’s a Twelve, I thought the debut was better from Tiz Tapping. Both of these horses come from good barns and as Jersey breds go, both of these fillies have nice pedigrees. I think the outside draw will help Tiz Tapping break a bit smoother and I think that will be enough to make the difference. 

Race 5:

Jetaros (#2) is my strongest opinion on the card today. He’ll be in search of his fourth straight win in a race where I think he’ll get the run of the race. I liked his closing kick at Delaware last out and I think he’s even better on this course. I see a lot of early speed in this race as both Speed Figures (#1) and Cold Feet (#7) are “need the lead” types and I never love that when there are two of them against each other in the same spot. Both can carry a field to win at this distance, but I think together they will make things difficult for each other. I’d be inclined to upgrade Speed Figures if Cold Feet were to defect and I’d probably use Cold Feet should Speed Figures scratch. THere’s a chance that Fitts (#5), who is coming off a long layoff and Gianluca Be Lucky (#9), who is stuck on the outside, could also press the pace. Meanwhile, I think Jetaros is going to be just off the speed and he’ll have dead aim on the pacesetter when they spin for home. Speed Figures is the class of this field and he’s been up against much competition consistently, so if one of the speed horses does wire them, I think it has to be him. I can forgive his last race, but I do think the race shape at this distance is not ideal for him. Pealing Lad (#4) is a live longshot in this race. Admittedly, I prefer him in the bottom of the vertical exotics, but I do think we’re going to see a better effort from him. He’s the kind of horse that could benefit from a pace meltdown scenario and his best chance of winning might involve Jetaros getting too close to a hot tempo. He was sharp on this course last summer and Perkins’ horses tend to be sharper in their second start back from a layoff. 

Race 6:

Fillies and mares will go six furlongs on dirt in this beaten $5K claimer that starts the late $3 Pick-3. Horses at this level tend to be on the inconsistent side, which is not the case with Don’t Tell Tammo (#6). She usually runs her race when she’s competing on dirt. She was a game second at this level when she was claimed by Juan Bernardini two back. He moved her up into starter allowance company where she was 5th against a tougher bunch. If she can run back to the effort in this spot, she’s going to be tough with these. Promblematica (#5) is one of two horses sent out by Wayne Potts and I see her as the more desirable runner. She’s dropping in class after being sidelined since April, which is not an angle that I love. She does make sense with this group as class relief could be the key. On deeper tickets, Lady Patrick’s (#3) could be a horse that could have an impact here. She showed some promise at two, but she’s been struggling to find her best stride of late. She ships here for the first time while switching barns. If you believe that she didn’t care for the track at Delaware last time and the sloppy course two back was not up her alley, she was trending up at Gulfstream three back. If she’s more comfortable here, she could be in line to run a better race at a decent number. 

Race 7:

The final race on grass today is a beaten $16K-$14K claiming race going 5 ½ furlongs. At lot of money is going to come toward Archimedes (#7) for Mike Maker. He’s taking a deep drop in class after some dull efforts after leaving New Orleans this past winter. He’s been facing better, but I thought we’d see a better effort from his last time in New York when he dropped into the $40K N2L level. He was well backed that day, but he never fired. I feel like he’s more of a backup in this race, especially at a short price. I’ll try a longshot and mae the New Jersey bred, Perotto (#9) the top pick. He’s clearly a better animal when he’s racing on the turf. While he might be better at two turns. He was very competitive against a sharp group of state bred turf sprinters in the Joey P Handicap last summer. His last race was nothing more than an afternoon workout so I do think he’ll be sharper in his second start back. Copernium (#1) is a bit of a wild card as he’s treying the turf for the time today. He’s a four time winner taking on a lot of N2L types. He’s never been on the grass before though. He’s been good on synthetic and his pedigree suggests he could handle the turf. Charlatan is getting 17% winners from his turf sprinters and while the dam did her best work on the dirt, her lone turf start came in a Grade 2 race where she had a rough trip, but still didn’t embarrass herself. He feels like a horse that will be competitive on any surface if he’s at the right level.

Race 8:

We’ll close things out with a $10K maiden claimer and like earlier in the card, there’s another professional maiden in this spot that figures to take a lot of wagering attention here. All the Luck (#6) is making his 23rd start. He was close last out at this level and he’s hit the board in 8 of his last 10 trips to the track. He’s been close a few times, but keeps finding ways to come up short. I’ll side with inexperience and make Why Me Lord (#5) the top pick. He ran on well to get third at this level on debut last out. He gets a significant jockey upgrade to Jorge Vargas for his second career start. Any slight improvement should be enough to score with this field. I’ll also use Skyrush (#1) who is taking a deep drop this afternoon for Danny Gargan. He’s New York based, but it seems clear that he’s clearly not a Saratoga horse. His lone start here was rough, but he is capable of better. If he runs back to his race two back, he’ll win this race by double digit lengths. However, he’ll be a short price and the risk probably outweighs the reward in the win and vertical exotics. He’d be a backup for me in the horizontal wagers and I’d try to beat him in the verticals. 

Meet Statistics: Top Pick Winners 52/195 (26.7%), $295.90 ($1.52 ROI)

Turf Data for Each Rail Setting

I kept data from every turf race at the 2024 and the 2025 meeting to see if there were any trends on the turf at any of the various rail positions. I tried to quantify the data below and in 2024, it appears that the farther the rails go out, the more fair the track plays. Lead indicates that a horse won the race in wire to wire fashion. Stalk indicates that they were within five lengths of the leader at the first call in the race. For the purposes of this data set, a closer is a horse that rallied from five lengths or more behind the leader at any point of call in the race. The closer stats are listed next to the rail settings. I’ll continue to track this data for 2026 to see if this trend continues. 

0 Feet (2026)

12 Feet (2026)

24 Feet (2026)

36 Feet