Paret Aims for Continued Success in United Nations

Only months after three-time graded winner Glorious Empire was announced as retired, owner Matthew Schera and trainer Chuck Lawrence appear to have another top-level performer to fill the void.

Paret, their latest stakes-winning turf horse that Schera owns with Orangella Racing Stable, aims for his richest victory in the $300,000 United Nations Stakes (G1T) on the undercard of the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) July 18 at Monmouth Park. There, over a three-turn, 1 3/8-mile trip on grass, he is matched against eight rivals, including a couple, Arklow and Standard Deviation, with established grade 1 credentials.

Though Paret has never contended in a race of this magnitude, he has beaten horses of high quality. Racing last month in the Tiller Stakes at Belmont Park, he outran graded winners Dot Matrix and Sadler's Joy in a frontrunning effort, stunning bettors with an upset at odds of 38-1. Unplaced behind him that day were three U.N. competitors: Current (fifth), Standard Deviation (sixth) and Corelli (seventh).

For the Fair Hill Training Center-based Lawrence, Paret has come along at the right time.

"For a small stable, it's like finding a diamond in the rough when you find a horse that looks like he can compete in graded races. After you've been there, that's your goal," he said.

A 6-year-old gelding by Harbor Watch, Paret was a four-time winner in his native Australia before respiratory bleeding issues there halted his effectiveness. But he has found renewed energy in six starts in the U.S., all coming with the treatment of the diuretic Lasix, a medication used in the U.S. to control bleeding.

Besides his victory in the 1 3/8-mile Tiller, he also ran second in the Point of Honor Stakes at Belmont in October, mere weeks after he ran third in the Rainbow Heir Stakes at Monmouth going just 5 1/2 furlongs on grass.

"Mr. Schera, the reason he purchased him was with the idea of making him into a distance horse," Lawrence said. "He had watched his races over in Australia, and they would turn him off at the back and then produce him at the end. He thought if we could turn him off over here, he would relax and possess that speed at the end of the race. It's worked a few times for us."

Glorious Empire, who is set to begin retraining next week to become a show horse, also excelled when racing a marathon distance. He won the Sword Dancer Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course during a memorable campaign in 2018 that resulted in him being a finalist that year for champion male turf horse, a prize that went to Stormy Liberal.

"Of course, we've had a few that we've tried and haven't turned out, but the ones that we have, you get written about," Lawrence said.

Jorge Vargas Jr., aboard for Paret's win in the Tiller Stakes, will return in the saddle Saturday.

The Brad Cox-trained Arklow, winner of last year's Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1T) at Belmont Park for owners Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger, and Peter Coneway, wheels back on less than a week's rest after finishing sixth July 12 in the TVG Elkorn Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland.

"When Brad and I were looking at him Monday morning, he looked like he hadn't done anything," said Donegal president Jerry Crawford. "We did this once before—ran him back on short rest on purpose going into the Breeders' Cup after I think it was the Sycamore at Keeneland—and he responded very favorably to that."

As referenced by Crawford, Arklow ran fourth in the 2018 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Churchill Downs after a little more than a two-week turnaround following a second in the Sycamore Stakes (G3T).

"The horse is so sound all the time, and Brad was very positive about running him back," Crawford said of Saturday's race.

Mike Smith, in town to ride Authentic in the Haskell, will be aboard Arklow.

Multiple grade 1-placed Standard Deviation is likely to improve upon his effort in the Tiller when he was beaten less than three lengths. That had been his first race since an overseas trip to Qatar, where he finished  second in the Feb. 22 HH The Amir's Trophy Presented by Longines, which is a local group 1, but is not internationally recognized as a black-type race.

Trevor McCarthy rides and Graham Motion trains the Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani-owned 4-year-old son of Curlin .

Earlier in his career for Klaravich Stables and Chad Brown, he won the Jersey Derby at Monmouth and also ran third in both the Hollywood Derby (G1T) on grass and Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) on dirt.

Entries: United Nations S. (G1T)

Monmouth Park, Saturday, July 18, 2020, Race 11

• Grade IT
• 1 3/8m
• Turf
• $300,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:10 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Arklow (KY)	Mike E. Smith	118	Brad H. Cox	5/2
2	2Standard Deviation (KY)	Trevor McCarthy	118	H. Graham Motion	7/2
3	3Muggsamatic (FL)	Paco Lopez	122	Michael J. Maker	8/1
4	4Eve's Medal (NY)	Jomar Torres	115	John D. Stephens	30/1
5	5Aquaphobia (KY)	Joe Bravo	122	Michael J. Maker	9/2
6	6Current (KY)	Antonio A. Gallardo	118	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1
7	7O Dionysus (MD)	Victor R. Carrasco	118	Cyril Murphy	20/1
8	8Corelli (KY)	Daniel Centeno	118	Jonathan Thomas	10/1
9	9Paret (AUS)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	122	James L. Lawrence, II	6/1