Presious Passion, Custom For Carlos big winners at Monmouth
BY DOUG McKENZIE Staff Writer
Presious Passion was a dominant force in coming from way back to win the Monmouth Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 13. That, however, was just the warm-up for the fireworks the 6-year-old horse had planned for the July 4 weekend.

Presious Passion put on an incredible display of speed and power to win the 56th running of the $750,000 United Nations Stakes (G1) on the Monmouth Park turf, leading from wire to wire and shattering a course record in defending his U.N. title.

The son of Royal Anthem thrilled the holiday crowd of 15,210, racing the mile and three-eighths over firm turf in 2:10.97. The previous record was 2:12.89 set by champion grass horse English Channel in 2007. The world record for the distance is 2:10.20 set by With Approval at Belmont Park in 1990.

Presious Passion, trained by Mary Hartmann and ridden by Elvis Trujillo, scored by two lengths over Lauro in the United Nations, with Brass Hat four and a half lengths farther back. The order at the finish was exactly the same as it was after the first quarter mile, since no horse in the field of eight could close any ground in the stretch.

"I think it was a super performance," Hartmann said. "Elvis rides him great. He's really grown up and matured. Obviously I was worried when I saw the first fractions, but when he's able to get clear up front, he just relaxes nicely.

"This year I'm hoping to go to the Breeders' Cup [Nov. 7] with him," Hartmann continued. "If all goes well and he stays healthy, it's very likely."

Presious Passion, a dedicated front-runner, was sent to the front immediately by Trujillo and opened an enormous lead that reached more than 20 lengths at one point in the first half-mile. He raced the opening half in :45 1/5 and the three-quarters in 1:09 4/5, and still held a 10-length margin after a mile in 1:34 3/5.

There was never a question of whether he could carry his speed to the wire, since no horse in the race was able to mount any kind of challenge. The margin shrunk to a few lengths nearing the wire, but Presious Passion was home free.

"This is the way this horse likes to run," Trujillo said. "He wants to go to the lead, and I'll let him go as fast as he wants. There is no fighting this horse.

"I knew we were going pretty fast," the jockey added, "but I didn't see anybody coming after us when I took a look at the top of the stretch. In deep stretch, when the horses started to get closer, he just dug in more. He loves to win."

The winner, sent off second choice, paid $7.40, $3.80 and $3 across the board and topped the $89.80 exacta. Lauro, off at 12- 1, paid $11 to place and $7.20 to show, and Brass Hat, 14-1, returned $8.20 to show. Court Vision, the 9-5 favorite, finished sixth.

Presious Passion earned a prize of $450,000 for owner Patricia Generazio, hiking his career total to $1,842,018.

In the day's other Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" event, Robert LaPenta's Coal Play employed front-running tactics to score by three lengths in the $250,000 Salvator Mile (G3) with Long Branch's Joe Bravo aboard.

In the Salvator Mile, Coal Play employed the same tactics that nearly brought him an upset victory over Big Brown in last year's Haskell Invitational. The Mineshaft colt took the track out of the gate and set solid fractions on the lead as Bravo kept his speed under control.

Coal Play galloped along unchallenged on the front end through splits of :23 3/5 for the quarter, :46 3/5 for the half and 1:10 flat for six furlongs, and was never in danger at any point.

Through the stretch, the colt widened his lead as Smooth Air, the 7-5 favorite, drifted out, losing any chance of threatening. Solar Flare was third, three lengths farther back after chasing the leaders most of the way.

Coal Play hit the wire in 1:34 2/5 for the mile over a fast main track, just three ticks off the track record of 1:33 4/5. As fourth choice in the field of eight older horses, Coal Play paid $14.40, $5.40 and $4 across the board and topped a $45.80 exacta. Smooth Air paid $2.80 and $2.10, and Solar Flare returned $3.40 to show.

"When this horse gets things his way, he's real tough," Bravo said. "They gave me the first quarter (:23 2/5), and after that they tried him several times, but he just kept giving me more. The fractions were pretty honest. He's a really cool horse to ride and kept digging through the stretch."

This was the third victory in five starts at Monmouth for Coal Play, who last year won the Majestic Prince Stakes and an allowance race here, and finished a strong second to Big Brown in the Haskell.

The $150,000 winner's share of the Salvator Mile raised his lifetime bankroll to $506,708.

In Sunday's action at Monmouth Park, Custom For Carlos broke on top and never looked back, scoring an impressive 6 1.4- length victory in the Grade 3 $200,000 Jersey Shore Stakes, as Laureate Conductor came home on top in the $65,000 Choice Stakes.

After setting fractions of :22 1/5 for the quarter and :44 2/5 for the half mile, Custom For Carlos ran up the score, finishing the six furlongs over a fast main track in the nice time of 1:08 flat.

"I could tell turning for home, looking at the jockey, that he had plenty left," said Eddie Kenneally, who conditions the colt for Homewrecker Racing and Avalon Farm. "He's been running against some very good competition.

"There's a couple of races at Saratoga for him, so that's where we'll go next," Kenneally added. "The Breeders' Cup [Nov. 7 at Santa Anita] would be a nice goal; 3- year-olds have won it before."

Custom For Carlos, by More Than Ready from the Meadowlake mare Meadow Oaks, returned $5.40 and $2.60 and topped an $8.40 exacta. Odds-on favorite Snapshot ran second, good for a $2.40 place mutuel. Happy Bull was another length back in third with Wildcat Brief rounding out the field of 3-year-old colts.

"My horse broke well and landed right on the lead," said winning rider Eddie Castro. "There was no specific game plan designed, we were just going to go with the flow and react to what happens. This horse was going fast and doing it well. Turning for home, he really kicked it in and drew off."

The Jersey Shore win was the third in six starts for Custom For Carlos, who has now earned $196,090.

In the Choice, Laureate Conductor made a big middle move before passing pacesetter Ghost Five in the stretch to post a 3.4- length victory.

Trained by Christophe Clement, Laureate Conductor covered the mile and an eighth over firm turf in 1:47 flat and returned $5.20, $3.20 and $2.20 in the field of five 3-year-old colts and geldings. Ghost Five completed the $41 exacta and paid $8 to place and $3.40 to show. Swining Bernie rallied up the inside, finishing another neck back, good for a $2.60 show mutuel.

"This horse is really coming into himself," said winning jockey Joe Bravo. "It took him a couple of races to figure it all out, but he's got it. The pace was so slow up front, I decided to give him his head, and that was when we made that move. He's a real nice colt."

Go Go Shoot scored a swift victory in the $75,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes, and American Border captured the $70,000 Miss Liberty Stakes before a holiday crowd of 10,656 at Monmouth Park on Friday.

Go Go Shoot, trained by Bruce Levine and ridden by Eddie Castro, assumed command in mid-stretch and then was all out to hold off Timely Advice by a half-length in the six-furlong Mr. Prospector, run in 1:08 3/5. Unwritten, who briefly got to the lead at the top of the stretch, settled for third, two and a quarter lengths farther back.

This was the second straight stakes score for Go Go Shoot, who went off the 6-5 favorite in the field of six older horses and paid $4.60, $2.60 and $2.40 across the board. Timely Advice, the 8-5 second choice, paid $3 and $2.20 and completed the $10.40 exacta. Unwritten paid $3 to show.

Go Go Shoot, a 4-year-old son of Songandaprayer who won the Longfellow Stakes here by nine and a half lengths on June 6, broke near the lead and dueled with Secretintelligence through a quarter in :21 2/5 and a half in :44 1/5. He gained command nearing the eighth pole and then had to run all-out to the wire to hold off the charge of Timely Advice, who was away slowly and had to try to rally from far back.

"I was on a very fast horse and went right to the lead out of the gate," Castro said. "The horse from the inside [Secretintelligence] ran on with me, and it seemed like we were going pretty quick.

"This horse really kicked in for me when I called on him," Castro added, "and dug in to hold off the horse coming up to me [Timely Advice]. This is just a very fast and game gelding."

In the Miss Liberty, Mr. Amore Stable's American Border rallied off a slow early pace and then was all-out at the wire to hold off Quiet Meadow by a head.

The winner, trained by Jason Servis and ridden by Elvis Trujillo, stopped the timer in 1:45 1/5 for the mile and a sixteenth over a "good" turf course and paid $16.20, $7.80 and $3.40 across the board.

Quiet Meadow, second choice at 2-1 in the field of eight fillies and mares, completed the $106.60 exacta and paid $4.60 to place and $3.60 to show. Captain's Lover finished third and returned $3.20 to show. All Is Vanity, the favorite, finished fifth.

American Border, a 5-year-old mare by Boundary, scored her second win of the year in four starts, and her first stakes victory since she took the Grade 3 Violet at the Meadowlands last October. This was her third victory at Monmouth in six career starts here.

The winner tracked a slow early pace set by Royalties (half in :52 3/5 and three-quarters in 1:17 1/5) before making her move in the stretch. She got the jump on Quiet Meadow and held that one safe to the wire in a driving finish.

"We sat right up on the pace, and it was a very slow pace," Trujillo said. "I knew my horse was fresh and felt good turning into the lane. As soon as I asked her, she kicked in well for me and dug in gamely all the way to the wire."

"I didn't tell Elvis anything," Servis said. "The pace was the deciding factor. She was real game to the wire. The Matchmaker [Aug. 2] is a real possibility for her."

This coming Monday, the 18th annual Backstretch Appreciation Day Picnic will be held at Monmouth Park, rain or shine, from noon to 3 p.m. The picnic celebrates all backstretch workers and their families and features a full afternoon of food, games and raffles.

Danny Perlsweig and Kevin Weldon, cochairmen of the event, say they expect more than 2,000 adults and children to attend the picnic to feast on chicken, hot dogs, corn, salads and watermelon.