OCEANPORT, N.J. – A pair of $100,000 sprints headline the Sunday card at Monmouth Park: the Colts Neck Handicap for New Jersey-breds and the Trenton Stakes for fillies and mares.
Unbeaten in two starts in 2010, Evenings End tries to stretch that streak in the Colt’s Neck from the rail against six rivals.
There have been ups and downs for Evenings End along the way, from a foot injury at 2 to an ongoing problem with failing to sweat properly.
Trainer Tim Kelly has patiently nursed the 5-year-old through those issues. The reward has come this season, with Evenings End developing into one of the leaders among the statebreds.
It all started with a winter vacation in Florida.
“We gave him the proper time off,” Kelly said. “Coming back this year, he’s just been training lights out.”
And running the same way.
His season debut was a sharp second-level allowance win at Penn National. Evenings End stretched out for his next start, the Bernie Dowd Handicap for New Jersey-breds at one mile, 70 yards.
Now, he cuts back to a sprint, following a bullet workout Aug. 13, five furlongs in 59.80 seconds.
And the sweating issue, more accurately the lack of, has been cured with a regular regimen of Guinness Stout.
“The Guinness got him sweating,” Kelly said. “It was a major issue last year, but this year he is sweating good. Everything is going good.”
Unwritten is always a factor in these statebred sprint stakes. The winner of the John J. Reilly Handicap in May, Unwritten ran third most recently against open company in the Mr Prospector Stakes.
Like Evenings End, Arctic Air has won two in a row. His wins came here in a maiden and a first-level allowance race, both against New Jersey-breds.
Trenton: Softer spot for Lady Alexander
Trainer Bruce Alexander thought long and hard about running Lady Alexander next weekend in the Grade 2, $300,000 Molly Pitcher Stakes for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles.
After sizing up the likely competition, Alexander decided the Trenton was a better option, even though he badly wants to add a graded stakes win to the 4-year-old’s r é sum é .
“Too tough,” Alexander said. “I could have run my best race and could only be fourth. I want a graded race, but not this time.”
Lady Alexander will bid for her third sprint stakes win of the meet, having already captured the Red Cross and the Regret.
After sharpening Lady Alexander with strong workouts earlier in the meet, Alexander has backed off the filly. She did not breeze prior to the Regret win on Aug. 1, and she will not work before the Trenton.
“Too close,” Alexander said. “Just like last time. I did even less training coming into this one. It’s an adjustment. The beginning of the year, you train hard. As the season goes on, you’re running more. It makes more sense to just keep them happy. The horse is training me, as usual.”
Way With Words is always tough at Monmouth. The New Jersey-bred is 8 for 16 here, including stakes wins this year in the Open Mind Handicap for statebreds and the open Blue Sparkler.
Double Espresso will add blinkers after running fourth in the Windward Stakes on the synthetic track at Presque Isle Downs.
