An evenly matched field of 10 will take the gate for Sunday's $250,000 Phillip H. Iselin Handicap (gr. III) at Monmouth Park. The field is led by co-highweights Cherokee's Boy and Purge, both carrying 118 pounds.
Cherokee's Boy enters the race off three straight stakes wins, including a 1 1/4-length score in the July 24 Salvator Mile Handicap (gr. III). Before that, he racked up black-type wins in the July 2 Skip Away and the June 11 Brandywine Handicap.
Gary Capuano conditions the 5-year-old gelded son of
Citidancer for ZWP Stables.
Jockey Aaron Gryder gets the mount aboard Cherokee's Boy, who has a career record of 13-7-7 from 34 career starts. He had earned $827,096.
Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle grade II winner Purge for the partnership of Starlight Stables, Paul Saylor, and Johns Martin.
Purge, a 4-year-old son of
Pulpit, enters the Iselin off an impressive 12-length win in an Aug. 7 allowance optional claiming contest at Monmouth Park.
Before dropping into allowance company, Purge had not been out since finishing 10th in the Razorback Breeders' Cup Handicap (gr. II) at Oaklawn Park.
At three, Purge won both the grade II Jim Dandy and Peter Pan Stakes.
Pletcher will also saddle the stakes winner West Virginia. The son of Tomorrows Cat enters the race after finishing second in the July 24 Evan Shipman Handicap at Belmont Park.
The field for Sunday's $250,000 Phillip H. Iselin Handicap (gr. III) includes:
1-- Cherokee's Boy (Aaron Gryder, 118)
2-- Go Now (Charles Lopez, 114)
3-- One Nice Cat (Steve Hamilton, 114)
4-- Presidentialaffair (Todd Glasser, 116)
5-- Zoffinger (Edwin King, 111)
6-- Cuba (Stewart Elliott, 115)
7-- West Virginia (Jose Velez, Jr., 115)
8-- Cointreau (Julian Pimental, 113)
9-- Billy Allen (Robby Albarado, 116)
10-- Purge (Chris DeCarlo, 118)
