Winless in six starts this year, the $100,000 Monmouth Oaks (gr. III) offers grade II winner Seaneen Girl a good chance chance to get back to the winner's circle Aug. 10 at Monmouth Park.
Trained by Bernie Flint for owner Naveed Chowhan, Seaneen Girl came up empty in the stretch of the Arlington Park Oaks (gr. III) July 20 after making a brief bid and finished last of six on the Polytrack. The daughter of Spring At Last ran second in the Iowa Oaks (gr. III) on dirt at Prairie Meadows prior to that. But the chestnut filly has not won since taking the Golden Rod Stakes (gr. II) at 31-1 odds last Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs.
Paco Lopez will take over on Saneen Girl, who will be making her Monmouth Park debut while breaking from post 7.
Seaneen Girl will be the only stakes winner in the field when she faces seven other 3-year-old fillies in the 1 1/16-mile main track event. They were all assigned 116 pounds. The Monmouth Oaks is the 11th race on the Saturday card with a scheduled post time of 5:59 p.m. EDT.
Lucky Rag Doll tops the local entrants. She has made all four of her career starts at Monmouth this year and won her most recent two for trainer Patrick McBurney. The Silver Train filly comes off a three-quarter-length victory over an allowance/optional claiming group going one mile and 70 yards July 19 for owners BDL Stable, Donnely and Phantom House. Joe Bravo has the return call from post 2.
Debby Oxley's Makayla's Angel was fourth in the Delaware Oaks (gr. II) July 13 in her stakes debut for trainer Graham Motion. The Sky Mesa miss had won her preceding two starts over the Delaware Park main track, including a one-mile allowance victory. Kendrick Carmouche picks up the mount.
Also coming out of the Delaware Oaks is sixth-place finisher Alli Leigh, a daughter of Student Council racing for Millennium Farms and trainer Steve Asmussen. The bay filly was third in Delaware's listed Go For Wand a month earlier. Elvis Trujillo rides her for the first time and they will leave from the far outside gate.
Michael Rainier's Zenzara switches from the turf for trainer John Servis following a troubled last-place showing as the slight favorite in the Revidere Stakes at Monmouth June 23. The Medaglia d'Oro filly has been working well at Philadelphia's Parx Racing following a brief refresher, including a bullet half-mile breeze in :48.13 July 24.
C C Gold comes off an off-the-turf optional claiming win over three opponents July 1 at Delaware, while Mary Bernice was a maiden winner over the synthetic track at Presque Isle Downs in her 10th start July 2. Completing the field is supplemental entrant Mr Hall's Opus, who was fourth in her only start this year, an optional claiming race at Delaware July 25.
$100,000 Monmouth Park Oaks (gr. III, Race 1, 5:59 p.m.), 3YO Fillies, 1 1/16 Miles
PP. Horse, Jockey, Trainer
1. C C Gold (MD), L Garcia, L E Murray
2. Lucky Rag Doll (KY), J Bravo, P B McBurney
3. Zenzara (KY), A Serpa, J C Servis
4. Makayla's Angel (KY), K Carmouche, H G Motion
5. Mr Hall's Opus (KY), S Elliott, K J Breen
6. Mary Bernice (KY), G Saez, T Hooper
7. Seaneen Girl (KY), P Lopez, B S Flint
8. Alli Leigh (KY), E Trujillo, S M Asmussen
All assigned 116 pounds.