Despite a disappointing seventh-place finish when she last ran in the Sorority Stakes on the first of September, Flay Mignon has been installed as the morning line 8-5 favorite when she faces four other New Jersey-bred two-year-olds in the Jersey Juvenile Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park. A daughter of Yesbyjimmy, Flay Mignon seemed poised for big things when she broke her maiden first asking in June, and then came right back to win in open stakes company in the Colleen.
The Sorority, then, was a step back, as she pulled hard through four furlongs and had to be steadied at the 1/8 pole. Assuming she’ll be more relaxed this time, she’s expected to be challenged by Charleymillionaire, the ML second choice at 2-1. While he’ll be stepping up to stakes company for the first time in his third lifetime start, it shows how quickly things can change in the juvenile division, as he had run second to Flay Mignon in that maiden event back in June. After two months off, he came back and recorded his first win, running a quick 46.42 half-mile in the process and winning by 2 lengths.
The two others with recent history expected to go to the gate in the Jersey Juvenile are She’s Hot Wired (6-1) and MSC Jet (3-1), who meet in their first lifetime start in early August, with She’s Hot Wired getting the best of the match with a four-length win. The Jersey will be just her second start, while MSC Jet got her first win two weeks ago. Rounding out the field will be the gelding Lorjim (5-1), also making just his second lifetime start, having won first asking at 5 ½ furlongs in mid-September.
The field is set for the $1 million Haskell, where Nyquist will be trying to re-stake his claim as the top three-year-old in the country.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $300,000 United Nations Stakes. Scheduled to be run at a mile and three-eighths on the turf, the Grade 1 event has drawn a field of ten colts and geldings.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes, a key prep race for the Haskell Invitational (G1). The Grade 3 event will be contested at a mile and a sixteenth and has drawn a field of seven three-year-olds.
With five grade 1 races and a grade 2, the undercard for the June 11 Belmont stakes could be the best single day of racing on the calendar outside of the Breeders’ Cup.
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