Cal Lynch is hoping that No Cents finally has things go his way in Sunday’s Friendly Lover Handicap for Jersey-breds at Monmouth Park. Not only is that long overdue, the veteran trainer said, but the horse deserves a chance to take down a state-restricted race after so many near-misses.

The 7-year-old gelding heads into the one-mile Friendly Lover off a third-place finish in the May 18 John J. Reilly Handicap. But it was no ordinary third-place finish. Races never seem to be ordinary for No Cents.

He was left at the gate in that race, spotting the field several lengths at the start, before rallying for third, just 2½ lengths behind race winner Speaking.

That gave him three seconds and a third in that race over his career.

Overall from nine Jersey-bred stakes races he has four seconds and three thirds.

“It was just one of those timing things,” Lynch said of the start of the John J. Reilly. “It could not have been any worse timing for him. He was just very unlucky.

“He ran such a good race. We had been pointing to that race. I feel like I have not won the Reilly in 20 years.”

Bred and owned by Isabelle de Tomaso and Hope Jones, the daughters of Amory Haskell, one of Monmouth Park’s founders, No Cents seems to have been snake bit since an impressive 2-year-old campaign.

Last year he was caught at the wire by 25-1 Amatteroftime in the Friendly Lover Handicap.

“I feel bad for Isabelle de Tomaso and Hope Jones because we’re trying to win one of these Jersey-bred stakes races with him. It’s their home track,” said Lynch, who has more than 1,000 winners in a U.S. training career that began in 1997. “We’ve won them with other horses, just not him. I feel bad for the horse, too.

“If he had won the Reilly that would have put him over $500,000 for his career and would have made him my leading earner. He’s that good of a horse.”

Lynch could never have seen the trail of hard luck following No Cents around after he made such an impact at 2, winning four races (including two stakes races at Laurel) with a second from five starts. But it didn’t take long for that to change.

No Cents, a son of Goldencents, missed his entire 3-year-old campaign due to an injury.

“I wasn’t sure if we would get him back,” said Lynch.

For his career, No Cents has seven wins from 29 starts with earnings of $480,780. That’s second all-time on Lynch’s list of money earners, behind only Grade 3 winner Javerre ($490,081).

Though No Cents has generally been sprinting, Lynch isn’t concerned about the two-turn test on Sunday. He did nearly win this race a year ago,

“He has run well going two turns,” said Lynch. “We haven’t done it very often. We’ve kept him sprinting. To me it’s not an issue. He only got beat three-quarters of a length in this race last year.”

The Friendly Lover has drawn a field of eight, including Amatteroftime and Great Navigator, who is coming off a second-place finish in the John J. Reilly.

“One of these days it’s going to be No Cents’ turn,” said Lynch. “Hopefully, that is Sunday – finally.”