Proxy a Towering Presence in Monmouth Cup

After taking his show on the road in his last four starts this year, trainer Michael Stidham opted to keep grade 1 winner Proxy  closer to home as he lines up against six rivals in the July 22 Monmouth Cup (G3). The Monmouth Cup, a race formerly known as the Meadowlands Cup when captured by greats such as Alysheba and Spectacular Bid, boasts a $400,000 purse for the second year in a row, the race's largest purse since being reissued as the Monmouth Cup in 2010.

Godolphin's homebred Proxy has been training through the summer at Stidham's private barn in Fair Hill Thoroughbred Center in Elkton, Md., about a 2 1/2-hour van drive south from Monmouth Park. The short trip pales in comparison to Proxy's cross-country trek to California, where the son of Tapit   fell a neck short of victory in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) in March. After that effort, he again packed his bags and shipped to Arkansas, topping his foes in a thrilling battle to the wire in the Oaklawn Park Handicap (G2). In his latest installment, Proxy made the trip out to Kentucky's Ellis Park for the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1). Steadied at the mile pole down the backstretch, he was never able to find his rhythm, finishing last of eight.

A consistent performer for years on the graded stakes circuit, Proxy scored his first top-level victory last fall in the Clark Stakes (G1) at Churchill Downs. Typically a late-running horse, Proxy sat rather close to the pace in the Clark, a tactic he may employ against the shorter field at Monmouth on Saturday.

Jockey Joel Rosario, in from New York to ride the undercard for the $1 million Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), will be back aboard Proxy for the third straight time. He partnered with the bay for his Clark and Oaklawn Handicap wins.

The other Monmouth Cup contenders, none of which can claim a graded stakes win to their résumé, will need to bring their 'A' game to topple Proxy, who enters off a string of bullet works at Fair Hill.

An intriguing pair to watch are Whelen Springs  and Antigravity , both of whom exit a 1-2 finish in a mile allowance optional claimer at Monmouth June 17.

Shortleaf Stable's Whelen Springs, previously a multiple stakes winner when sprinting one turn last year for trainer John Ortiz, appears to be rounding back into form with his game tally last time out. Moved to the barn of Lindsay Schultz, the Street Sense   colt earned a 100 Equibase Speed Figure in his first time stretching out to two turns since February 2022.

Antigravity, a three-time victor over the Monmouth strip, rallied to finish second only a half-length behind Whelen Springs in his previous start. Formerly trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, who recently moved his East Coast-based horses to the care of longtime assistant Dan Ward, Antigravity will be taking a second shot at the Monmouth Cup. The First Samurai   gelding was fourth behind Highly Motivated   in last year's edition.

Stakes winner and millionaire Forewarned , second in the Battery Park Stakes at Delaware Park July 8, figures to be part of the running late.