OCEANPORT — So Madcapt Stable’s Capeside Lady became the first filly in 30 years to sweep Monmouth Park’s major distaff stakes Saturday when she led from gate to wire for a five-length victory in the $300,000 Molly Pitcher Breeders’ Cup Handicap (G2).

Last year as a 3-year-old, the Todd Pletcher-trained daughter of Cape Town won the Grade 2 Monmouth Breeders’ Cup Oaks. The last filly to accomplish the double was Dan Lasater’s Honky Star, who took the Oaks in 1974 and the Molly Pitcher in 1975.

In an odd twist, Honky Star was trained in 1975 by David Vance, who saddled La Reason to win last year’s Molly Pitcher and had that filly back in Saturday to run sixth.

With Chris DeCarlo in the irons, Capeside Lady justified her 3-2 odds as she easily handled a field of top fillies and mares. Bending Strings, the 3-1 second choice, was along in time to beat Emerald Earrings by a head for the place.

Capeside Lady, who scored her fourth win in six career starts at Monmouth, raced the mile-and-a-16th over a muddy track in a quick 1:41.4, and paid $5, $3 and $2.40 across the board. Bending Strings paid $3.40 and $2.60 and completed the $23.20 exacta. Emerald Earrings returned $3.80 to show.

The race was relatively without drama. Capeside Lady, who had taken control from the start of the Oaks last year, assumed command early in the Molly Pitcher and never looked back. She held a two-length lead turning for home and widened from there.

“I drifted her out in the first turn,” DeCarlo said. “If they wanted to get in front of us, they were going to have to go wide to do it. She’s pretty much a push-button filly. Every time she heard a horse coming, she spurted away.”

“We left the strategy up to Chris,” said Anthony Sciametta Jr., Pletcher’s assistant at Monmouth. “He played it by the break. When she got off good, he just went on with her. She knows how to do that, and she loves this racetrack. Chris said when he turned for home with a two-length lead, he knew it was ‘lights out.’ ”

Chekhov back to follow in

Lion Heart’s shoes

Last year it was Lion Heart. Owned by Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith and trained by Patrick Biancone, Lion Heart became the first horse to win the Long Branch and the Haskell.

They’re back — this year with Chekhov, who will go the mile-and-a-16th distance in the Grade 3 Long Branch this Saturday.

Last seen in the Belmont Stakes, where he finished sixth, Chekhov has just a maiden win to his credit on May 8 at Belmont, but he’s kept very nice company throughout his six-start career.

“He has the talent, he’s just immature,” Biancone said. “He’s immature in the head. He doesn’t know how to race yet. He was a late baby, and he’s just learning as we go.”

Chekhov debuted on Oct. 9 of last year at Keeneland where he rallied five wide to finish second. He came back in January of this year and finished third in another maiden race before trying the Sham Stakes, this time finishing fifth. The winner of the Sham was Kentucky Derby starter Going Wild, while the third-place finisher was Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo.

“He’s like a kid at school when the teacher tells you he’s smart, but he just hasn’t learned how to do it yet,” said Biancone. “We’ll just keep teaching him, and if it comes in his next race or the race after that, then that’s what it will be.”

After a three-month break, Chekhov was back to break his maiden by eight lengths at Belmont Park and then finished fourth in the Peter Pan (G2) as the 3-2 choice. He followed that with his Belmont Stakes run.

“If you watch his race in the Belmont, he ran a very good race,” Biancone said. “We’ve given him time to recover from that race. We continue to take it day-by-day and race-by-race.”

Others considered likely for the $150,000 Long Branch are Park Avenue Ball, Secret Woods, Smokescreen and Tani Maru. Listed as possible are Awesome Twist, Mighty Mecke and Quadrant.

Bravo leads in jocks race,

Breen leads trainers

Jockey Joe Bravo has widened his lead in the riders’ race for the 2005 Monmouth Park title. The 10-time leader has 62 wins this season, 22 more than his nearest rival, Stewart Elliott.

Following Elliott are Chris DeCarlo with 26 wins, Aaron Gryder, who has piloted 23 winners, and Rajiv Maragh, an 18-time visitor to the winner’s circle this meet.

Over in the trainers’ race, Kelly John Breen continues to show the way, sending out 13 winners from 36 starters, good for a 36 percent win clip. Bruce Levine and Todd Pletcher are tied in second with 12 wins each, one more than Lawrence Q. Walters. Two-time Monmouth champion Tim Hills is fifth with nine victories.

Michael Gill, going for his third straight owners’ title, leads that category with nine wins, one more than Hardacre Farm. Jayeff B Stables is third with seven wins, one more than Gerald Sleeter. Tied in fifth, with five wins each, are Eddie Broome and Sanford J. Goldfarb.