Bishops Bay has been the favorite in eight of his nine career starts and he again looks to be the chalk Saturday, when he attempts to win his fourth consecutive race in the Grade 3, $150,000 Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park.
The two-turn race for 3-year-olds and up is part of the Haskell Preview Day card of stakes. The field includes Trademark, a Grade 2 winner of more than $1 million making his first start since October. Tuscan Sky, the winner of last year’s Pegasus at Monmouth, is back on dirt after racing on turf in the Fort Marcy at Aqueduct, finishing fifth to next-out Manhattan winner Deterministic.
Bishops Bay has been favored in his last five starts, winning four of them, and missing by a head in another in a show of both his talent and excellent spotting of the 5-year-old by trainer Brad Cox.
Bishops Bay faces eight others Saturday and will bring the field’s best last-race Beyer Speed Figure into the Salvator. He earned a 102 for his win in the Grade 3 Westchester at a mile May 4 at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet.
Bishops Bay won on a wet track and before that had success over fast surfaces at Oaklawn in the American Pharoah, an overnight stakes in March, and an allowance in January. Flavien Prat was aboard for all three of the wins and again has the mount Saturday from post 9.
Bishops Bay will be making his Monmouth debut for the partnership of Spendthrift Farm, Steve Landers, Martin Schwartz, Michael Dubb, and Ten Strike Racing. He has tactical speed and could show the way or track either Nelson Avenue or the locally based Awesome Ruta, both of whom will start to his inside. Awesome Ruta is picking up more ground off a pair of third-place finishes in quick sprint allowances, one at Oaklawn and the other at Monmouth.
“He’s ready to stretch out now and the last time he ran the distance at Monmouth he won [and] won impressively,” said trainer Dan Ward. “And that’s been our plan, the two sprints and stretch out. He’s ready to run a big race.”
Isaac Castillo, who was aboard Awesome Ruta for his first-level allowance win at a mile last July at Monmouth, has the mount from post 8.
Lady’s Secret
Ward has a chief contender in the $100,000 Lady’s Secret in Majestic Oops. She will be seeking her third straight win in the 1 1/16-mile race for fillies and mares. The field of seven also includes Spinster runner-up Occult.
Gun Song is cross-entered in the Obeah at Delaware Park and will run there, according to trainer Mark Hennig. Into Amore also cross-entered in the same race and a decision on her status had not been made as of Wednesday, according to trainer Todd Pletcher.
Majestic Oops enters off back-to-back wins at Oaklawn. She captured a first-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles April 6, then accounted for the $200,000 Dig a Diamond Stakes in her most recent out April 26. Majestic Oops owns the field’s best last-race Beyer, a 93.
“We’re very optimistic,” Ward said. “Off of those last two races, I think she has a really good chance. She’s real happy, and training good, and getting more confidence with each race.”
Castillo has the mount from post 7.
“I prefer outside because she got a good stalking trip last time,” Ward said of breaking from the widest post in the Dig a Diamond. “She looked like a winner all the way.”
Ward noted Majestic Oops toted seven more pounds than that race’s favorite and runner-up, Hoosier Philly. Majestic Oops won under 124 pounds and will carry the same weight in the Lady’s Secret, spotting each of her rivals between four and six pounds by the conditions of the race.
Majestic Oops is a California-bred who started her career at Golden Gate Fields, then spent time racing at Century Mile in Canada, and after wintering at Oaklawn will be making her first start at Monmouth. She has worked over the local strip for Ward, who is winning at a 19 percent clip with his local division at Monmouth.
Occult enters off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare at Keeneland.
“Terrible trip,” trainer Chad Brown said of the race. “She doesn’t [need] to be banging heads up front – she likes settling off the pace. That was the worse possible trip for a horse like that.”
Occult won the Grade 3 Monmouth Park Oaks in 2023.
– additional reporting by Marcus Hersh and Patrick Moquin
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