Right One, winner of the Jaipur Stakes (gr. IIIT) in July, returns as the one to beat in the $100,000 Cliff Hanger (gr. IIIT) Sept. 4 at Monmouth Park.
The 5-year-old gelding by Anabaa came from fifth at the top of the stretch to get up by a nose in the seven-furlong Jaipur July 16 at Belmont Park. The Christophe Clement trainee will go an extra furlong in the Cliff Hanger and face seven rivals.
Bred in France by M. Alec Head and his owner Ghislaine Head, Right One has won three of four starts this year since being shipped from Europe. He also scored in a 7 1/2-furlong optional claimer at Gulfstream Park in April and by two lengths in an overnight stakes at Belmont in May. Joe Bravo will have the mount on the bay gelding for the first time.
Right One has produced a 5-4-3 record from 20 starts in his career.
The other top contenders are Sayif and Yummy With Butter, who ran one-two in their last two meetings at Monmouth. Sayif went wire-to-wire to prevail by a length in the July 9 Battlefield Stakes over the good turf course, but three weeks later Yummy With Butter returned the favor in the July 31 Oceanport (gr. IIIT) by passing him late for a 1 1/2-length victory on the firm course. The Battlefield was at one mile, while the Oceanport was at 1 1/6 miles.
Sayif, bred in Ireland, is a group II winner in England, while 7-year-old Yummy With Butter is a veteran of 31 starts, with 21 in-the-money finishes.
Also in the field is the locally-based Get Serious, a four-time graded stakes winner over the Monmouth turf. The John Forbes trainee has been off the board in all three starts this season after tallying four times in 2010.
The Cliff Hanger, the feature on Monmouth’s 12-race Sunday program, will go to post at 5:55 p.m. EDT.
$100,000 Cliff Hanger (gr. IIIT, Race 11, 5:55 p.m.), 3Yo and Up, One Mile (Turf)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer
1 J Isle (FL), C H Marquez Jr. 111, K D Schwartz
2 Yummy With Butter (ON), P Lopez, 118, Y Belsoeur
3 Sleepless Knight (KY), A Serpa, 116, K J Breen
4 Sayif (IRE), C Hill, 119, P L Biancone
5 Cherokee Lord (KY), J E Felix, 116, C Livesay
6 Right One (FR), J Bravo, 118, C Clement
7 Get Serious (NY), P Fragoso, 116, J H Forbes
8 Mata Keranjang (KY), E Trujillo, 116, K P McLaughlin