Surface to Air Downs First Mission in Iselin

Call him the underdog of Monmouth Park.

Nearly one month after scoring a shocking upset over heavily favored Just a Touch  in the Monmouth Cup (G3), Premier Stable's Surface to Air  defeated 1-5 favorite First Mission  in the $245,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) Aug. 16.

Coincidentally, First Mission and Just a Touch are both trained by Brad Cox.

Claimed by young trainer Panagiotis Synnefias for $30,000 last spring at Keeneland, Surface to Air has climbed to new heights as a 5-year-old with his second consecutive graded stakes win. In landing the Iselin, a Breeders' Cup Dirt Dozen event, the son of Midshipman   collected $15,000 toward entry fees for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) Nov. 1 at Del Mar. The race also awarded $7,500 to the runner-up and $3,750 to the third-place finisher to apply toward entry fees for the Dirt Mile.

Taken back at the start by rider Samuel Marin in the Iselin, Surface to Air sat cool and collected in a stalking third as flashy last-out Colonial Downs winner Repo Rocks  established the early advantage over First Mission. Making his first effort back since a gallant third-place finish to division heavyweights Mindfame and Sierra Leone  in the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1), First Mission mildly pressed the front-runner from an outside second position. Following mild fractions of :24.46 and :48.33, First Mission began to advance on Repo Rocks approaching the six-furlong marker but was soon met with a furious wide challenge from Surface to Air as the field turned for home. 

Rolling past the favorite, Surface to Air commanded the field down the lane and reasserted his authority late when First Mission found more inside the final sixteenth. 

Surface to Air ($9) prevailed by three-quarters of a length over First Mission and completed the 1 1/16 miles in 1.44.27 over a fast main track.

Repo Rocks rounded out the trifecta. 

Bred in Kentucky by Silverton Hill, Surface to Air is the first foal and sole winner produced from the Congrats mare Shemazon.