Monmouth Park Race 5
With the fact that I oversee this portion of the Bleacher Brothers site and write these articles daily, I can choose the races I want to select, if I want to select one race or more, and what wagers I would make. I can even choose to let you behind the curtain and let you know what I am thinking, how I pick the races, whatever.
I made the executive decision of not going with the race of the day where I usually pick from, which would have been a five-horse stakes race, and like yesterday where I chose to add the final five races of the day at Parx for their mandatory Philly Big 5 distribution, I chose the fifth race at Monmouth Park, which may not be the sexiest of races, but at least there are more horses entered in this race.
The race that I chose today is the fifth at Monmouth Park, which has a field of eight maidens going five furlongs on the trip. The rail for today at Monmouth is set at 36 feet, which means smaller fields but it will protect the inner portions of the track for the upcoming bigger races at the Jersey Shore.
The 5 Horsepower is the 5/2 morning line favorite and this gelding is making his 2024 debut after last being seen at the Jersey Shore in September. He ran well on the turf twice last year, and there’s nothing that doesn’t say that couldn’t happen today, other than the fact that this is the first race in almost 10 months. I expect him close to the pace and closing if he is ready.
The 6 Sebastianthe First (3/1 ML) was along the rail last time out at Aqueduct against New York breds, tipped out near the top of the stretch and finished evenly. He will shorten a furlong for this and this might be considered some class relief going from New York to New Jersey here. His sire Demarchelier is a turf sire, so it’s only a matter of time before he graduates, so why not today?
The 2 Big Z Og (4/1 ML) gets a second chance to make his turf debut after that race was rained off the turf. He will be second race off of a layoff and should like the surface change today. With the fact that the breeding suggests he will like the grass and got that first race off of the layoff under his belt, he should he ready to break the maiden today.
The 8 Be There (9/2 ML) had his last two races off the turf but it does appear that he has run his best races in turf sprints, especially that race in November at Churchill Downs. He is a bit of a professional maiden here with an 0 for 15 record so far, but he could finally graduate today.
I like the fact that Sebastianthe First ran well at Aqueduct last time out and I think he is going to get that job done. Horsepower has the speed to go wire to wire, but I am trying to beat the morning line favorite here and take the six here in the fifth race. Let’s call today’s Quills Picks Winners race here at Monmouth Park as 6-5-2-8, and my play is $20 to win on the 6. Good luck everyone, and I’ll catch you tomorrow with another race that I will handicap.
Check out my show “Also Eligible” on Saturday mornings at 10 am Eastern/7 am Pacific on the Bleacher Brothers’ Facebook, X, Twitch and YouTube accounts as AJ Johnson and I discuss the big races, the latest news in horse racing and much more! This week, we will look at the Indiana Derby from Horseshoe Indianapolis as well as additional races to be announced.