Burning Roma and Megantic to Square Off in Oceanport Handicap

Burning Roma and Megantic are expected to highlight Sunday's $100,000 Oceanport Handicap (gr. IIIT), on the Haskell Invitational (gr. I) undercard at Monmouth Park.

Burning Roma, owned by Harold Queen and trained by Heather Giglio, is a multiple stakes winner on dirt and turf. The 6-year-old son of Rubiano too the mile Red Bank Handicap (gr. III) at Monmouth on May 29, then shipped to Belmont Park where he ran sixth in the Poker Handicap (gr. IIIT).

"The course was very hard and he didn't like it at all," Giglio said in a release from Monmouth Park. "He's got tender feet and they must have been stinging him. He didn't look like himself running, and he pretty much pulled himself up. He only got beat four lengths and we he came back he wasn't even blowing."

Burning Roma woked five furlongs in 1:01 and came out of it really well, said Giglio.

Eibar Coa will return to the saddle aboard Burning Roma on Sunday.

Runnin Horse Farm's Megantic, trained b y Norman Pointer, jumped into the deep end last out when he followed his Battlefield victory with a try in the United Nations Handicap (gr. IT). The 6-year-old son of Theatrical, who was claimed by Pointer for $62,500 in March 2003, finished fourth, beaten just 2 1/4 lengths.

"He ran the race of his life in the U.N.," Pointer said in the track release. "He got the highest speed figure of his career. I don't think he'll bounce off that. He's had enough time between races and has been training well."

Julian Pimentel, who has been aboard the last two trips, gets the call again.