Skeptic Puts Doubts to Rest with Monmouth Oaks Win
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Photo: Ryan Denver/EQUI-PHOTO
Skeptic scores her first graded win in the Monmouth Oaks at Monmouth Park
Any doubts about Skeptic's ability to make the step up to graded company were put to rest Aug. 18 when she sailed to victory in the $100,000 Monmouth Oaks (G3) at Monmouth Park.
Breaking well from the gate in the 1 1/16-mile test for 3-year-old fillies, Skeptic shifted just outside of early leader Starcloud and settled in for a textbook stalking trip. The frontrunner led the field of eight through fractions of :23.67 and :47.58, while Skeptic bided her time two wide as the pack entered the far turn.
With jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. sending her on, Skeptic took command at the top of the stretch just as grade 3 winner Sassy Sienna dug in to make up ground with a late challenge on the far outside.
But the last-ditch effort was not enough to overtake Skeptic who crossed the wire three-quarters of a length ahead in a final time of 1:43.84.
"She traveled so well the first part," said Hernandez Jr. "She kind of got herself in a good position going around the first turn and gave me every indication that I was going to have enough horse when I needed her."
Sassy Sienna finished second followed by Gio Game another 3 1/2 lengths back in third. Blue Union Rags, Starcloud, Vente to Go, Chauncey, Mo Shopping, and Stakes On a Plane completed the order of finish.
Trained by Rusty Arnold, Skeptic entered the Monmouth Oaks off a fourth-place finish in the Indiana Oaks (G3)—her first graded test. The Tiznow filly broke her maiden in April over the same 1 1/16-mile distance at Keeneland and followed that win with an impressive 4 1/14-length victory May 13 over older fillies and mares at Churchill Downs.
"We've always had great expectations for this filly," Hernandez Jr. said. "After she beat older fillies at Churchill that day in the allowance race. We really were high on her going into the Indiana race and that night in Indiana she just wasn't quite herself.
"She ran a decent race but she did chase a really good filly in Talk Veuve to Me around there. For her to be fourth in that race in her first graded race, it was a nice move. Then for her to come forward and move forward like she did today that just shows she's on the improve and she's a good filly to look forward to for the rest of the year."
Bred in Kentucky by owner G. Watts Humphrey Jr. and St George Farm out of the Awesome Again mare Clear Thinking, Skeptic is a full sister to I'm Your Father, a grade 3 winner in the Republic of Korea. She improved her record to 3-1-1 from seven starts with $166,139 in earnings.