This followed a 1:04 3/5 breeze on the grass Aug. 28. The son of Boundary has not started on grass since his career debut at Saratoga last year.

"He went great," said IEAH Stables co-president Mike Iavarone. "The cones were way out, and he rattled off several :11 eighths and then came home his last quarter in :24 2/5. It looks like they're going to get about eight horses, including Shakis and Proudinsky. I want to have good horses in there. He's back to Big Brown. His coat looks super and his demeanor is great, and he's getting rough in the barn. That's always a sign he's going to run big. And I really believe he's a better horse on the grass."

The Monmouth Stakes, which would be run for a $200,000 purse if Big Brown does not run, is designed to serve as a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, to be run on a synthetic surface at Santa Anita Oct. 25.

Nominations for the Monmouth Stakes were scheduled to close Wednesday (Sept. 3). Trainer Bobby Frankel has indicated he plans on running Proudinsky, a dual stakes winner on grass. The German-bred son of Silvano is coming off a sixth-place finish, beaten 1 3/4 lengths, in the Bernard Baurch Handicap (gr. IIT) Aug. 23. Shakis is coming off a second straight victory in the Bernard Baruch.

Big Brown has not run since winning the Haskell Invitational (gr. I) Aug. 3, his fourth grade I score of the year.