Oceanport, N.J. – Starlight Racing’s Artisanal employed a powerful stretch run to take the $70,000 Little Silver Stakes while Farnsworth Stables LLC’s Jehan held off stablemate Bronx City Girl to capture the $75,000 Red Cross in front of 13,522 at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Artisanal raced well within range of pacesetter Salary Drive through opening fractions of :23 4/5 and :48 2/5. As the field entered the stretch, jockey Chris DeCarlo awaited room and guided the 3-year-old daughter of More Than Ready into the clear. Artisanal paid $4.80, $3.20 and $2.60 as the 7-5 favorite in the field of eight sophomores.
“We were boxed in around the far turn, but I wasn’t worried,” DeCarlo said. “She’s the type of horse that you can wait for an opening rather than look for one. I finally got out at the eighth pole and it was all her from there.”
Pacesetter Salary Drive finished a length and a half back in second and returned $4.60 and $3.40. It was another head back to Skating in third, good for a $2.80 show mutuel. The final time for the one mile over firm turf was 1:35 3/5.
The Little Silver was the third win a row for Artisanal who increased her record to 3-1-0 from five starts. The winner’s share of the purse bumps her career earnings to $107,359.
In the Red Cross, Jehan broke sharply, fended off pace challenges from Landing My Way and Feel That Fire, and held on to finish 1 ½ lengths in front of Bronx City Girl.
Half of the entry from trainer Marty Wolfson, Jehan paid $6.40, $6.20, $3 as the 2-1 second choice. D’Wild Ride paid $3 to show and completed a $23.20 exacta.
“I talked with Marty Wolfson this morning,” said winning rider Joe Bravo. “He told me that [Jehan] just got beat by [Grade 1 winner] Life at Ten last out. The instructions were to get her close to the lead early. That’s what I did and the Marty Wolfson training took over from there.”
The win was the fifth of Jehan’s career and improved her career record to 5-6-5 from 25 lifetime starts. The 5-year-old by Forest Wildcat has now banked $292,883 in his career.
Live racing continues at Monmouth Park on Monday, May 30. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. with first post set for 12:50 p.m.
