Coal Front Returns to Two Turns in Monmouth Cup

No disrespect to anyone else in the Monmouth Cup Stakes (G3), but Coal Front will be getting some class relief July 20 in the $200,000 race at Monmouth Park.

That's hardly an outlandish statement after the grade/group 2 winner was part of the all-star crew that contested the Runhappy Metropolitan Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park, a mile test that stands as the leader in the clubhouse for "Race of the Year" honors.

Coming off an impressive victory in the $1.5 million Godolphin Mile Sponsored by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum City—District One (G2), Coal Front added to the glitz and glamour of the June 8 Met Mile, but the draw did not help his cause. He landed the rail, and when the son of Stay Thirsty  broke quickly, jockey Jose Ortiz found himself mired on the rail with eventual winner Mitole hounding him.

After batting for the lead through fractions of :22.17 and :44.38, Coal Front wound up finishing seventh.

Since then, trainer Todd Pletcher has been pleased with Coal Front's training, and he's hoping for a bounce-back effort in the two-turn, 1 1/8-mile test against six rivals.

"When you're on the rail, your options are limited, and that was a day when you would have preferred to break a tad slow, but he came out flying. You can't take him back after that, and Mitole was right on top of him the whole way," Pletcher said. "It was his first (race) back from Dubai, and maybe he was a touch flat. The Met Mile was probably the toughest race this year.

"It seems like he's getting back in a good groove, and we're optimistic that he'll run a good race. He had a winning race in the (Feb. 18) Razorback (G3) around two turns, and as he's gotten older and more mature, he's relaxed more and he's given us the impression he'll stretch out."

Owned by Robert LaPenta and Sol Kumin's Head of Plains Partners, Coal Front had a three-race winning streak snapped in the Met Mile. He won the Razorback at 1 1/16 miles and the seven-furlong Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) prior to his trip to Dubai.

He has seven wins in 10 starts, and with career earnings of $1,705,280, he has well exceeded the $575,000 LaPenta paid for him, with Steven W. Young acting as agent, from the Kirkwood Stables consignment at the 2016 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Pletcher is also sending out Red Oak Stable's Bal Harbour, who has already run in two graded stakes at the meet. The homebred son of First Samurai  was second in the Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) June 22 and third in the Salvator Mile Stakes (G3) prior to that.

Trainer Jason Servis, who will saddle probable favorite Maximum Security in Saturday's featured TVG.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), will bring back Iselin winner Monongahela in the Monmouth Cup.

A 5-year-old horse owned by Michael Dubb, Bethlehem Stables, and Gary Aisquith, the Pennsylvania-bred son of K One King pressed the early pace of Diamond King in the Iselin and then drew clear in the stretch to post a four-length score for his first graded stakes victory.

The Monmouth Cup will be the 10th of 14 races, with post time slated for 4:31 p.m. ET.

Entries: Monmouth Cup S. (G3)

Monmouth Park, Saturday, July 20, 2019, Race 10

• Grade III
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:29 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Zanotti (KY)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	116	Juan Carlos Guerrero	15/1
2	2Lemonade Thursday (KY)	Paco Lopez	116	Arnaud Delacour	9/2
3	3Coal Front (KY)	John R. Velazquez	123	Todd A. Pletcher	8/5
4	4Monongahela (PA)	Jose Lezcano	123	Jason Servis	3/1
5	5Moon Gate Warrior (KY)	Emmanuel Esquivel	116	Louis C. Linder, Jr.	20/1
6	6War Story (KY)	Luis Saez	116	Jorge Navarro	9/2
7	7Bal Harbour (KY)	Mike E. Smith	116	Todd A. Pletcher	7/2