Lochte, who broke into the graded stakes ranks earlier in the year, will head a full field of 14 entered in the $200,000 Monmouth Stakes (gr. IIT) June 8 at Monmouth Park.
The 4-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro —Lemon Kiss, by Lemon Drop Kid , will be making his fourth start in a graded stakes since winning the Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (gr. IT) at a shocking 39-1 back on Feb. 9. At Gulfstream Park, Lochte defeated graded stakes winners Imagining , Amira's Prince, Boisterous , and Nikki's Sandcastle. Imagining would go on to win the Man o'War Stakes (gr. IT) at Belmont Park and Boisterous would place in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (gr. IT). Both are entered in the June 7 Knob Hill Manhattan Stakes (gr. IT) on the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) undercard.
Owned by Crossed Sabres Farm and trained by Marcus Vitali, Lochte has not been out of the money this year in five starts. The gelding placed second in the Frank E. Kilroe Mile Stakes (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Park in March and third in the Maker's 46 Mile Stakes (gr. IT) behind two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan since the Gulfstream Park Handicap. He will be ridden by Orlando Bocachica, who has been aboard for every start this year.
While the Monmouth Stakes may be a softer spot than the Manhattan, Lochte will have plenty of competition including Hard Enough, Winning Cause, and Slim Shadey, who ran 1-2-3, respectively, May 17 in the Red Bank Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Monmouth.
Hard Enough has won four of his last seven starts going back to July 2013. Two of them were Monmouth's Jersey Derby and Restoration Stakes, which were both run at the Monmouth Stakes distance of 1 1/8 miles. The colt by Hard Spun will be ridden by Eddie Castro for owners Peace Sign Stable. Hard Enough is trained by Bobby Dibona.
Also in the field is Tetradrachm, who finished fourth in the Gulfstream Park Handicap. Wachtel Stable's son of Badge of Silver comes into the race off a third place finish in the Fort Marcy Stakes (gr. IIIT). He is trained by Bill Mott and will be ridden by Junior Alvarado.
$200,000 Monmouth Stakes, (gr. IIT, race 11, 5:43 p.m. EDT, 3-year-olds and up, 1 1/8 miles, turf)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1. Speaking of Which (IRE), J. Bravo, 116, C. Clement
2. Guys Reward (KY), P. Lopez, 123, D. L. Romans
3. Tricky Hat (CHI), J. R. Velazquez, 116, C. R. McGaughey III
4. Winning Cause (KY), C. P. DeCarlo, 116, T. A. Pletcher
5. Dannhauser (VA), H. Karamanos, 116, K. O'Connell
6. Admiral Kitten (KY), R. Napravnik, 123, M. J. Maker
7. Finnegans Wake (KY), J. Pimentel, 116, D. L. Romans
8. Slim Shadey (GB), T. McCarthy, 116, D. Jacobson
9. Lochte (KY), O. Bocachica, 123 M. J. Vitali
10. Tannery (IRE), V. R. Carrasco, 113, A. E. Goldberg
11. Hard Enough (VA), E. Castro, 123, B. S. Dibona
12. Bad Debt (FL), A. Serpa, 116, M. J. Trombetta
13. a-Hangover Kid (NY), G. Saez, 116, J. Servis
14. b-Tetradrachm (KY), J. Alvarado , 116, W. I. Mott
15. a-Screenplay (KY) (AE), T. McCarthy, 116, J. Servis
16. b-Unbridled Ocean (KY) (AE), J. Alvarado, 116, W. I. Mott
a - Coupled Entries - Hangover Kid, Screenplay
b - Coupled Entries - Tetradrachm, Unbridled Ocean