Supreme Aura Takes Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth

Monmouth Park celebrated Father's Day with a 13-race card that featured four stakes June 17, headlined by the $100,000 Pegasus Stakes for 3-year-olds.

Stallionaire Enterprises' Supreme Aura took the 1 1/16-mile event by a neck over Roaming Union to earn his first stakes victory for trainer Michael Stidham.

Hydraulic, the 7-5 favorite, led the seven-horse field through a first quarter in :23.60, but with some shuffling on the backstretch, Justaholic took over to run a half-mile in :47.28 and six furlongs in 1:11.67. Supreme Aura settled under Joe Bravo near the back of the pack.

As the field moved into the stretch, Roaming Union pulled clear, but Supreme Aura gave chase and was able to catch the son of Union Rags  in the final strides and stopped the clock in 1:46.48. The pair finished 12 1/4 lengths in front of Justaholic, who held for third.

Supreme Aura, a son of Candy Ride , broke his maiden on debut as a 2-year-old in August 2017 but did not race again until his Jan. 5 season debut at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, which he also won.

In his only off-the-board effort, Supreme Aura finished ninth in the Risen Star Stakes presented by Lamarque Ford (G2). He finished third in both the Bachelor Stakes at Oaklawn Park and the Woodstock Stakes at Woodbine in his two starts prior to the Pegasus.

Stidham said he took blinkers off Supreme Aura for the Pegasus "because we decided the blinkers didn't change anything" and admitted to being concerned about Supreme Aura going two turns for just the second time in his six-race career. 

"To be honest, we were worried if he would get this distance," Stidham said. "We didn't know what he wanted to do, because he did so well sprinting in his first two races. Then when we ran him long, even though it was in a tough race, he didn't run at all. But he has been a horse that has really developed. He's changed over the last few months, and he's finally putting it together." 

Supreme Aura's next start, Stidham suggested, could be in the $1 million betfair.com Haskell Invitational (G1) July 29, Monmouth's showcase event. 

"This horse has so much talent, but he's been slow learning—trying to figure it out," Stidham said. "Obviously, we were hoping he would run well in the Risen Star and lead us in the right direction in February. It just took a little more time, and today he showed what he can do. It's been a process trying to figure out what is going to help him reach his ability." 

Bred by St George Farm in Kentucky, Supreme Aura is the second foal out of the Mr. Greeley mare Groton Circle.

Three stakes preceded the Sunday feature at Monmouth, led by the $75,000 Regret Stakes for fillies and mares, 3 and older. Lael Stables' Chalon raced off the pace through the early going, but coming off the turn the 4-year-old daughter of Dialed In  outran the field to draw away by four lengths. Trained by Arnaud Delacour and ridden to victory in the six-furlong race by jockey Paco Lopez, the multiple stakes-winning sprinter went off as the odds-on favorite.

Next up in the $75,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes, the males got their shot over six furlongs. Brittlyn Stable's Chublicious outran Lewisfield and battled through the final furlong to score by a half-length. The New Jersey-bred, 7-year-old son of Hey Chub is trained by David Cannizzo. He finished second in his last three starts, all in stakes, and won the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes (G3) in September at Laurel Park.

Moving to the turf, the $60,000 Dan Horn Handicap for 3-year-olds and older went 1 1/16 miles one race prior to the Pegasus. Heavy favorite Irish Strait preformed as expected and took the race by a half-length for trainer Graham Motion and owner Isabelle de Tomaso.