Forever Chocolate #3 with Paco Lopez riding won the Friendly Lover. (Julia Sebastianelli/EQUI-PHOTO)
Tom Luicci/Monmouth Park
OCEANPORT, N.J. – After two straight failed attempts in New Jersey-bred stakes company, Forever Chocolate finally found his sweet spot among state-breds.
The 6-year-old gelding, who entered Sunday’s Friendly Lover Handicap at Monmouth Park with just two wins from 20 career starts, stalked early pace-setter Optic Way and then took control at the quarter-pole on the way to a 1¼-length victory.
Trained by Rory Huston and ridden by Paco Lopez, Forever Chocolate was subtly moved off the rail midway through the backstretch as Lopez tipped out his charge to take aim at Optic Way. Forever Chocolate then had to fend off longshot Last Romance on the inside and Great Navigator on the outside in deep stretch. Last Romance took the place spot by a neck.
“He’s getting better as he gets older, that’s the big thing with him,” said Huston. “It’s hard to get the Jersey-bred races for `two other than’ to go so we tried him in a Jersey-bred stakes race (the Charles Hesse III) for his last start last year. A mile and a sixteenth, which that race was, is a little too far for him (he finished last in an eight-horse field). A mile is his best distance. This turned out to be a good spot.”
Bred and owned by Janet Laszlo, Forever Chocolate returned $18.40 in the field of eight 3-year-olds and up.
The winning time for the mile was 1:38.81.
Amatteroftime, who won the Friendly Lover Handicap a year ago at odds of 25-1, got off to an awkward start and was never involved. Race favorite No Cents was never a factor.
When Forever Chocolate made his season debut in the John J. Reilly Handicap three weeks ago, finishing fourth and beaten six lengths, Lopez told Huston he was encouraged by the performance.
“Paco Lopez said not to get disappointed, that the race would set him up for this race,” said Huston. “He was actually happy with that race. We saw this in him.”
Lopez, the perennial Monmouth Park riding champion, had Forever Chocolate in just the right stalking position.
“He ran very good,” said Lopez. “You know, I rode him in his final race last year and then in his first start this year. Rory told me to put him in the race early, because he’s a much better horse going two turns. He finished very well today going the mile.”
All of Forever Chocolate’s 21 career starts have come at Monmouth Park. The son of Boys at Tosconova now has three career wins.
