UNITED NATIONS STAKES (G2)
Monmouth Park R11 — Saturday July 18, 2026 — 5:09pm ET
$500,000 — 3yo+ — 1 3/8 miles, turf
One of the longest-established turf stakes in the country, dating to 1953 at Atlantic City, the United Nations has been won by the likes of Dr. Fager, Round Table, Lure and English Channel. Chad Brown won it for a sixth time last year with Redistricting under Flavien Prat, and the same trainer-jockey combination returns with the class of this year’s field in Program Trading. The question, as it often is with this race, is whether the 11-furlong trip will sort out horses who look fine on paper at shorter distances. Eight are entered, though Telescopic is cross-entered at Ellis Park on Friday and may not show.
#1 ELDEST SON
Jockey TBD | Michael Simone
Honest turf router who was claimed for $16,000 last November and has worked his way up through the Tampa starter/allowance ranks to earn a shot here. He was a solid third behind Program Trading in the Monmouth Stakes last time, which is the connection to this race. He draws the rail at a trip where it’s worth something, and the FLOW profile of his best efforts shows he’s capable of running solid figures when the pace is honest. But this is a $500,000 Grade 2 and his best Beyer is an 87. He’ll need to improve substantially on anything he’s done to date and while I think he’s a cool horse, he’s up against it here.
#2 TELESCOPIC
Luis Rivera Jr. | Victoria Oliver
Cross-entered at Ellis Park on Friday and likely to run there instead. If he does show up here, he’s won just once from 15 starts and his best figures, while respectable at the allowance level, are well short of what the principals have been running. His second behind Supercharger at Churchill in June was his best recent effort but that was against OC1X company, not graded stakes runners. Pass.
#3 ECHO LANE
Luis Saez | Rohan Crichton
The proven stayer in the field. By Treasure Beach, he’s bred to relish this trip and his record backs it up — he was a game third in the Pan American at Gulfstream going 1 1/2 miles and ran a strong second in the Mac Diarmida (G2) over the same distance behind Grand Sonata, who has franked that form subsequently. He was fourth behind Burnham Square in the Charlywood at Churchill last time, a race where the pace set up against him. At his best he runs to a mid-90s Beyer, which puts him in range if the top two don’t fire. The distance is his friend and Saez is a significant booking. Big shot to finish in the frame.
#4 PROGRAM TRADING (GB)
Flavien Prat | Chad Brown
The obvious horse. Three-time Grade 1 winner who won the Saratoga Derby and the Turf Classic at Churchill, he’s 2-for-2 at Monmouth including that facile win in the Monmouth Stakes prep last out when he was sent off at odds-on and justified it. That said, this is the first time he’s been asked to go 1 3/8 miles, and his profile to date — by Lope de Vega, most of his best efforts at a mile to nine furlongs — doesn’t scream stayer. Brown’s assistant Cabrera was quoted after the Monmouth Stakes saying this was a confidence-builder designed to set up a tilt at this race, so the connections clearly believe he’ll get the trip. He should sit a comfortable stalking trip and the pace figures to be honest enough. If he handles the distance, he wins. He probably does.
#5 THUNDERING
Tyler Gaffalione | Derek Ryan
Won the JRA Turf Cup stakes at Laurel last time by wiring the field over a mile and a half, his best effort to date. Before that he was well beaten in the Cliff Hanger at Monmouth behind some of today’s rivals. He’s by Mosler out of a Street Cry mare, which is an interesting staying pedigree, and his recent form suggests a horse who is improving. But his figures are a notch below the top pair and he’s stepping up significantly in class. He’s got speed but so do several of today’s rivals. Interesting outsider you could tell a story about but probably not quite good enough.
#6 UNCLE’S GOLD
Paco Lopez | Michael Trombetta
The improver. He’s won four of his last five, including two on turf, and brings a three-race winning streak into this. His most recent was a sharp allowance score at Colonial Downs where he drew clear under Lopez. By Uncle Mo, the stamina for 1 3/8 miles is a genuine question — he’s never gone beyond nine furlongs and Uncle Mo is not a stamina sire. But Lopez rides with supreme confidence and Trombetta has done an excellent job bringing this horse along gradually. If the distance is within his grasp, the current form gives him a shout. If it isn’t, he’ll fade in the final furlong. Interesting at double-digit odds but at the 9-2 of the morning line, others appeal more. A deeper backup type.
#7 JUST A TOUCH
Irad Ortiz Jr. | Brad Cox
The other obvious one. He was Grade 1-placed in the 2024 Blue Grass and was competitive in the Met Mile last summer, so we know the talent is there. His first 11 starts were all on dirt. Then connections tried him on turf and he’s won both grass starts, including the Cape Henlopen at Delaware last time where he controlled the pace and drew off by nearly five lengths over 1 3/8 miles — the exact trip of this race. That’s a huge positive. By Justify out of a Tapit mare, the breeding says he should handle the surface and the trip. The concern is that the Cape Henlopen was against much weaker opposition than this. He stacks up well on figures with Program Trading but does he have the class on the grass to take down that rival?
#8 POST COMMAND
Charlie Marquez | Sergio Rabadan
The lone New Jersey-bred. He just won an OC15k at Monmouth with a nice late rally, which was a career best, but his overall profile — mostly claimers and low-level allowances — is several classes below this. He’s been running well for Rabadan and the turf form is not nothing, but this is a massive step up. He would need to improve by 20+ points on his best Beyer to be competitive. I can’t see a scenario where he factors.
THE PICK: PROGRAM TRADING
His class advantage is obvious — he’s the only multiple G1 winner in the field and his best figures are the best in the game. The 11-furlong trip is the lone question but Chad Brown can be trusted implicitly when it comes to these types of decisions.
I’ll give a long look to #6 UNCLE’S GOLD as well. Trombetta is a trainer I’ve long admired and he’s done a great job with this one. It will take a peak effort for him to win but he could be sitting on one.
#7 JUST A TOUCH makes all the sense in the world on figures and I won’t be losing to him.
