George and Lori Hall’s Nacho Friend dug in gamely to repel
the challenge of Toboggan Slide, capturing the $54,000 allowance/optional
claiming feature at Monmouth
Park on Sunday.
Trained by Kelly John Breen and ridden by Angel Serpa, Nacho
Friend covered the mile over a sloppy main track in 1:36 1/5 and returned
$4.80, $3.20 and $2.20 as the favorite in the field of six colts and
geldings. It was a neck back to Toboggan
Slide, who completed the $34 exacta and paid $5.80 and $3.40. At the Disco was another 2 ½ lengths back in
third and returned $4.40 to show. The
Sunday feature was originally carded for the turf, but was transferred to the
main track after heavy rains.
Sunday’s win was the second this year and fourth lifetime
for Nacho Friend, a 4-year-old colt by Friends Lake
from the Kennedy Road
mare You’renotlistening.