Mr. Jordan, a 4-year-old Kantharos colt bred by Philip and Karen Matthews, and Green Gratto, a 6-year-old by Here's Zealous, are the most accomplished runners entered in the July 2 Salvator Mile (gr. III) at Monmouth Park.
Mr. Jordan won the Juvenile Sprint Stakes and the Smooth Air Stakes in 2014, and earned his first graded victory in the Pegasus Stakes (gr. III) at Monmouth last year. The colt is trained by Edward Plesa Jr. and owned by David Melin, Leon Ellman, and Laurie Plesa. The Salvator Mile will be his first start since he finished third in a handicap at Tampa Bay Downs in February.
Green Gratto, from the barn of trainer Gaston Grant—who also owns him along with Anthony Grant—is sending out his charge in an attempt to find his way to the winners' circle for the first time in 2016. Five of Green Gratto's six victories have come at Aqueduct Racetrack, including his grade III win in the Fall Highweight Handicap last November, the highest class level he's been victorious in. Last year, he did place second in the Carter Handicap (gr. I), also at Aqueduct. He also went on to win the Gravesend Stakes at the same track a month after his victory in the Fall Highweight.
Out of four starts at Monmouth, his best finish was a second in the John J. Reilly Handicap in May. He comes into the Salvator Mile seeking to move forward from that effort and an 11th-place finish in his last race, the Jaipur Invitational Stakes at Belmont Park, which was his only off-the-board finish out of three starts this year.
Nonna's Boy and Res Judicata are the other stakes winners in the field of six.
Nonna's Boy, owned and bred by Repole Stable and trained by Todd Pletcher, won the Lamplighter Stakes at Monmouth last July and has been winless since then. He has tried grade III company twice, both times finishing fourth. He comes into the Salvator off of two allowance optional claiming races, and finished fifth in his last start in early June at Belmont.
Res Judicata, bred by Patricia Chapman and owned by Someday Farm, is a two-time stakes winner going postward for trainer John Servis.
Allowance winners Allied Air Raid, owned by Ten Strike Racing, and Comfort, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and also from the barn of Todd Pletcher, round out the field.
Monmouth Park, Saturday, July 02, 2016, Race 11Entries: Salvator Mile S. (G3)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Nonna's Boy (KY) Christopher P. DeCarlo 117 Todd A. Pletcher 4/1 2 2Green Gratto (NJ) Dalton Brown 117 Gaston Grant 20/1 3 3Mr. Jordan (FL) Paco Lopez 117 Edward Plesa, Jr. 8/5 4 4Allied Air Raid (KY) Joe Bravo 117 Brad H. Cox 5/1 5 5Comfort (KY) Joe Bravo 117 Todd A. Pletcher 2/1 6 6Res Judicata (PA) Nik Juarez 117 John C. Servis 6/1
