Strong Weekend Fuels Optimism at Monmouth

It's been a rocky spring at Monmouth Park, but this past weekend finally generated some optimistic words from some corners of the New Jersey racetrack.

The June 13 card marked the 10th program of the year, and most of them have been clouded by rainy weather and a bitter controversy over the newly implemented state rule forbidding jockeys from using their riding crop except for safety reasons.

The outlook was far different last weekend.

"We're beyond encouraged by this past weekend," said John Heims, Monmouth's director of racing and racing secretary. "That may have been turning the corner for us. The weather did not help us from the beginning, but it's not fair to just blame it on that. We were stymied from the outset and totals were down but hopefully that's behind us now."

According to track reports submitted to Heims, total handle was $6.5 million for Saturday's card, which was topped by the Salvatore Mile Stakes (G3), and $5.2 million Sunday when Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) runner-up Mandaloun  captured the TVG.com Pegasus Stakes in a prep for the July 17 $1 million TVG.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) at the Jersey Shore.

Removing 2020 totals from the mix, the 2019 weekend for the Pegasus, which saw eventual 3-year-old champion Maximum Security   finish second in a June 16 renewal of the listed stakes, produced Equibase totals of $4,744,905 Saturday and $5,418,631 Sunday that account for an increase of 15% in 2021.

There was some outside help. The $161.60 win price on Salvatore winner Informative  generated carryovers of $90,932 in the Pick 4 and $67,940 in the Pick 5 that attracted total wagering of about $1.1 million on those bets Sunday. There was also more than $100,000 bet to show by bridge jumpers on Mandaloun. Yet after a slow start to the meet, total wagering through 10 days is up to $29.3 million with an on-track handle of $2.27 million. Comparing overall figures are tricky since the pandemic-shortened 2020 meet started in July and the 2019 meet began on Kentucky Derby weekend as opposed to Memorial Day weekend this year.

"Hopefully this was the tip of the iceberg in terms of moving forward," Heims said.

Even with the promising handle figures the weekend could not escape the specter of the new and controversial crop rule, which prompted perennial New Jersey riding champ Joe Bravo to sit out the meet and compete in other states.

The Salvatore caused a Twitter furor when 4-5 favorite Ny Traffic  went wide at the top of stretch, creating a huge opening along the inside for Informative to rally past him and win by a length. There was online speculation that Ny Traffic would have won if jockey Paco Lopez had been allowed to use his crop, but trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. defused that talk, saying it was impossible to judge what the result would have been if every rider had a crop.

"Paco thought (Ny Traffic) lost focus in the lane and he thought he might have won if he could have encouraged the horse with the crop. At the quarter pole, he looked like a winner. Then at the top of the lane it looked everyone would pass him, and then he re-engaged and finished second. The crop can keep a horse's attention. He is a horse who can lose focus and wait on horses, but we're not going to make excuses. It could have been a different result, but you never know," Joseph said. "When I get a clean trip with a horse, I can't complain. He ran as good as we can ask for. He got beat. That's horse racing."

Joseph said the $300,000 Monmouth Cup (G3) at the Oceanport, N.J., track is under consideration for Ny Traffic's next start.

Overall, some trainers have been perplexed by the rule and its impact on racing at the meet.

"It's a total learning curve," said trainer Kelly Breen, who is third with five winners and has sent out a meet-high 32 starters. "It's nice to be at Monmouth Park, and I'm trying to bite my tongue and be as optimistic as I can be, but it's not the same old Monmouth Park that I know and love. We're trying to learn about this racing. The best horse isn't always winning or finishing second or finishing third. That's how I perceive it. Horses who have a tendency to hang, they are really hanging. It's tough to watch when some of your horses are better than how they are performing and they are not being allowed to reach 100% of their potential."

Heims said he has yet to be told by an owner or trainer that they would not run horses at Monmouth because of the rule put into effect this year by a vote of the New Jersey Racing Commission. There also have been no spills or suspensions for illegal use of the crops.

"We spoke out against the whip rule from the beginning. It's not the rule we want but from watching the races, it's been pretty fair," Heims said. "I think some horses would benefit from it and some won't and it's all hypothetical about whether the whip would change the outcome of a particular race."

Jockey Jose Ferrer, who won the Salvatore aboard Informative, leads at the meet with 16 wins and says he's working hard to adjust to the new rule.

"We're doing the best we can as riders. I can compare it to a football game where the coach wants you to push harder in the final minutes. In a race, without the crop, we can't be as aggressive in the stretch and that's what's missing," Ferrer said. "What I've been doing is sit quiet the first part of the race and try to save some energy because you are going to need it in the lane when you're throwing the reins around because there's only so much you can do to urge the horse."

Though some jockeys who refused to ride at the meet and The Jockeys' Guild have painted the situation as dangerous, Ferrer says he has felt "comfortable" riding at the meet.

"I have been running seven to nine races a day and I feel pretty comfortable out there. We're all in the same boat. Some horses will respond, some won't," Ferrer said. "Some people tried to scare the riders by saying that it's dangerous, it's a suicide mission, but it's not. It's like riding in the morning. We know what we have to do to compete for the horsemen and make a living. People here come to see us perform and put on a show and we're going to do the best we can."

Ferrer also argued against claims that the new types of crops hurt horses.

"I think the industry should have educated people on how soft and gentle the crops are," he said. "I have two sons, 5 and 7, and they grab it and hit each other with the crop all the time and it doesn't hurt them. It's just a signal to horses that it's time to go and older horses are used to it."

In the latest development, The Jockeys' Guild has informed its members that anyone riding at Monmouth beginning July 1 will no longer receive life insurance, temporary disability and accident, death, and disability (ADD) coverage from the Guild.

"Our board has not changed its mind," said Terry Meyocks, president and CEO of The Jockeys' Guild. "It still feels it's a dangerous rule that's in effect and we have a lot of risks."

Meyocks stressed the changes apply only to jockeys who ride at Monmouth Park and that those riders will no longer be charged for those policies after July 1.

In response, Ferrer said he would purchase personal policies.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "I'll get my own policy."