Monition Puts Undefeated Status on Line in Gio Ponti

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Monition Puts Undefeated Status on Line in Gio Ponti
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Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography
Monition wins an allowance race at Keeneland

Hinkle Farms' homebred Monition  will bring a perfect record into the Nov. 26 $150,000 Gio Ponti Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile inner turf test for sophomores at Aqueduct Racetrack, as he steps up to stakes company for the first time.

Trained by Cherie DeVaux, Monition hasn't put a foot wrong in two career starts under Brian Hernandez Jr. The English Channel  gelding rallied to a professional three-quarter-length debut win, advancing inside rivals on the turn and splitting the leaders in the final furlong to capture a one-mile maiden special weight over firm Ellis Park turf in September.

"He broke mid-pack and had a nice turn of foot at the end," DeVaux said. "He ran really well. You never know going long first time if they're going to need a race or not, so I was really pleased with him. He had always trained well, so it wasn't a huge surprise."

Monition followed by demonstrating a new dimension, posting a gate-to-wire score when stretched out to nine furlongs over good going against older allowance company Oct. 9 at Keeneland.

DeVaux credited Hernandez for the prominent trip.

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"Brian made the decision. He saw there wasn't a lot of speed on paper and knew the horse could break sharp," DeVaux said. "When he made the lead, he made the right decision and let the horse stay comfortable there. It was quite impressive."

Monition has breezed back five times at Keeneland, including a half-mile in :48 3/5 Nov. 16. He will make his Big A debut under jockey Luis Saez from the outermost post 8.

DeVaux said Saez will have plenty of options with the versatile Monition.

"It's going to be up to Luis to play the break and see. If no one is going to go, it's definitely in his wheelhouse to do so," DeVaux said.

The Gio Ponti also includes Queen's Plate winner Safe Conduct  and multiple graded stakes-placed stakes winner Never Surprised .

Speaktomeofsummer Returns

Fresh off a nearly four-month layoff, Waterford Stable's Speaktomeofsummer  will look to return to her stakes-winning ways as part of a six-horse field of fillies and mares 3 years old and up competing in Friday's $150,000 Forever Together Stakes contested at 1 1/16 miles on Aqueduct's inner turf course. 

It was an intense head to head finish as #1 Speaktomeofsummer with jockey Joel Rosario edged out #6 Stunning Sky with Iran Ortiz Jr. aboard to win the 37th running of the Lake Placid at Saratoga Race Course July 19, 2020 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.  Photo by Skip Dickstein
Photo: Skip Dickstein
Speaktomeofsummer takes the 2020 Lake Placid Stakes at Saratoga Race Course

The Christophe Clement-trained Speaktomeofsummer will be competing for the first time since running sixth against allowance optional claimers July 28 over firm Saratoga Race Course turf. The 4-year-old Summer Front   filly won a stakes at both 2 and 3, capturing the 2019 Chelsey Flower at the Big A before winning the 2020 Lake Placid (G2T) at the Spa.

After running off the board in each of her three starts in the current campaign, Speaktomeofsummer will have another chance to become a stakes winner at 4, with her conditioner saying she has been training forwardly at Belmont Park, including a four-furlong breeze in :50.22 over the training track Nov. 16.

"She's been doing very well since we got her back and she's been training forwardly," Clement said.

Jockey Manny Franco will pick up the mount for the first time, drawing the inside post.

Also in the Forever Together is Flower Point, a last-out third in the Oct. 23 Noble Damsel Stakes (G3T) at Belmont.


Entries: Gio Ponti S.

Aqueduct Racetrack, Friday, November 26, 2021, Race 8

  • STK
  • 1 1/16m
  • Turf
  • $150,000
  • 3 yo
  • 3:14 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Kygo (GER) Manuel Franco 118 Michael J. Maker 12/1
2 2Gussy Mac (IRE) Jorge A. Vargas, Jr. 120 Niall Saville 30/1
3 3Original (KY) Javier Castellano 123 John P. Terranova II 8/1
4 4Boldish (KY) Eric Cancel 118 Linda Rice 3/5
5 5Ocala Dream (NY) Dylan Davis 123 Thomas Morley 6/1
6 6Never Surprised (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Kendrick Carmouche 120 Todd A. Pletcher 4/5
7 7Safe Conduct (ON)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose Lezcano 123 Philip M. Serpe 5/1
8 8Monition (KY) Luis Saez 118 Cherie DeVaux 9/2


Entries: Forever Together S.

Aqueduct Racetrack, Friday, November 26, 2021, Race 4

  • STK
  • 1 1/16m
  • Turf
  • $150,000
  • 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
  • 1:18 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Speaktomeofsummer (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Manuel Franco 125 Christophe Clement 5/2
2 2Mucha Mezquina (KY) Eric Cancel 121 Mark V. Salvaggio 15/1
3 3Giacosa (NY) Luis Saez 123 H. James Bond 7/2
4 4Flower Point (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose Lezcano 123 Claude R. McGaughey III 7/5
5 5Sailingintothewind (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Kendrick Carmouche 121 Brittany T. Russell 8/1
6 6Platinum Paynter (KY) Dylan Davis 121 Juan C. Vazquez 9/2