Horologist Wins Monmouth Oaks, Adds to Owner's Joy
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(L-R): Jockey Angel Suarez celebrates with owner Cameron Beatty after Horologist upset the Monmouth Oaks at Monmouth Park
It wasn't getting to the winner's circle after the $162,500 Monmouth Oaks (G3) that mattered most to 27-year-old Cameron Beatty.
What made it such an emotional journey was who he brought with him.
As special as it was for Beatty, who races as There's A Chance Stable, and trainer John Mazza to beat 2-year-old champion Jaywalk with the New Jersey-bred Horologist, it was the presence of Beatty's 4-month-old daughter, Harper, in the Monmouth Park winner's circle Aug. 17 after the stakes for 3-year-old fillies that meant the most to the winning connections.
"The last two months have been difficult," Beatty said. "But moments like this truly help you."
For Beatty, much of the past two months were occupied by his concern for Harper, who was battling a gastric disease at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. After a difficult healing process, Harper was finally cleared to return home Aug. 11, and though she may need a feeding tube for the next few years, she was able to be on hand at Monmouth and be part of the celebration for her father's first graded stakes win.
"Having her here with us made this so very special," Beatty said.
Horologist, a daughter of Gemologist , earned her fourth consecutive victory and first graded stakes win, confirming the faith Mazza had in her during the winter when he sent her out to finish fifth in the Forward Gal Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park in February.
Horologist made a strong move along the rail to draw even on the final turn with the pace-setting Jaywalk, who carved out an opening half-mile in :46.82, and outdueled the 2018 Tito's Handmade Vodka Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner by three-quarters of a length.
"When she went through on the inside, they usually don't do that, the fillies," said Mazza, who raised and helped deliver the filly and picked up his first graded stakes win since Great Navigator in the 1992 Hopeful Stakes (G1). "The colts will, but the fillies kind of hesitate. She doesn't care."
There was surely no hesitation in Mazza's filly as Horologist had a lead of a head over Jaywalk at the eighth pole and edged away in the final yards, covering the 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.44.
"This filly, she's a fighter," said Beatty, who started racing under his stable name in 2015 and has 24 starts with seven wins. "Just like my daughter."
The win was the fifth in 10 starts for Horologist, who paid $12.80 to win. Horologist was bred by Holly Crest Farm out of the Stephen Got Even mare Cinderella Time.
"I didn't know if my filly could fight off Jaywalk, but she was just so game," jockey Angel Suarez said.
D.J. Stable and Cash is King's multiple grade 1-winning Jaywalk—the 1-5 favorite coming off her initial win of 2019, a nine-length score in the Delaware Oaks (G3)—settled for second in her fifth start of the year, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Sweet Sami D, who was third.