Repole Stable’s
Roaring Lion defended his title by once again taking the $75,000 Mr. Prospector
Stakes as Freud’s Honor went wire-to-wire in the $70,000 Choice Stakes on the
Fourth of July holiday card at Monmouth Park.
Trained by Todd
Pletcher, Roaring Lion sat just off the early pace before moving to the lead
around the quarter pole. He covered the
six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:08 4/5 and returned $13.20, $3.40 and
$2.60. It was 2 ¾ lengths back to
odds-on favorite Sean Avery, who paid $2.20 and $2.10 and completed the $30.40
exacta. It was another 3 ¾ lengths back
to Fabulous Strike, who returned $2.80 to show.
“Those were the
instructions, to sit and pounce,” said winning rider Mike Luzzi. “There was plenty of speed in front of me and
it set up perfectly. Down the backside I
had Sean Avery to my inside and I was loaded for bear. I asked him to run in the stretch and he
still had plenty.”
Last year, Roaring
Lion captured the Mr. Prospector in 1:09 flat.
It was the third consecutive year that Repole Stable captured the Mr.
Prospector, having won it in 2009 with Go Go Shoot.
A 7-year-old
gelding by Lion Hearted from the Horatius mare Smartly, Roaring Lion sports a
record of 12-4-6 from 31 starts. He has
earned $538,536 for his connections.
In the Choice
Stakes, Freud’s Honor stepped the mile and an eighth over a “good” turf course
in 1:49 2/5 and paid $38.20, $11.40 and $5.60.
It was a length and a half back to Beachcombing, the 2-1 favorite in the
field of eight 3-year-old colts and geldings, who completed the $131.40 exacta
and paid $3.80 and $2.80. It was another
half-length back to Crossed the Line, who returned $2.80 to show.
“He’s given us
every indication that he’d love the grass,” said winning trainer Gregg
Sacco. “The question mark was the two
turns and he answered that with flying colors.
He’s put together several nice races now. We’ll look to the Jersey Derby (July 31 at
Monmouth) or perhaps a New York-bred stakes.
We’ll be sticking to the grass, that’s for sure.”
A son of Freud
from the Honor and Glory mare Act of Glory, Freud’s Honor boosted his lifetime
bankroll to $135,750 with a record of 3-2-1 from seven starts.