Bradester Towers Over Monmouth Cup Field

Bradester has a lot of factors in his corner coming into the July 31 Monmouth Cup Stakes (gr. II) going 1 1/16 miles. A field of six older horses signed on for the event.

Millionaire Bradester not only won the Monmouth Cup a year ago, he loves Monmouth Park, with three wins and three seconds from his six starts there. He is also the lone grade I winner in the field, and that came in his last outing, a wire-to-wire job in the Stephen Foster Handicap. In May he took the Majestic Light Stakes at Monmouth. Bradester should be on or just off the lead, and towers over this field.

Adirondack King finished second in the Majestic Light, 2 ¼ lengths in back of Bradester. He’s banked more than a half-million in his 40-race career and won the Challenge Stakes earlier this year. He’s versatile enough to be close up or in mid-pack. Encryption enters off a win in the Turning Home Stakes, and won the Bayern Stakes last season. He’s a classy type but was third in the Majestic Light and has to make up the 8 ¾ lengths he finished behind Bradester.

Blofeld won the Futurity and Nashua stakes (both gr. II) at 2 but hasn’t maintained those winning ways. He did take the Gulfstream Park Handicap (gr. II) this season and ran an even fourth in the Oaklawn Park Handicap (gr. II). But he was seventh in the Met Mile (gr. I) and needs for his back class to kick in here.

Scuba comes in off a third in the Dominion Day Stakes (Can-III) and has been just missing by noses and a neck in third-level allowance contests this year. Mr. Jordan strung three victories together to start his career and then won the Pegasus (gr. III) at Monmouth last year. He checked in third most recently in the Salvator Mile (gr. III) there as the odds-on favorite.