Grooms All Bizness scores in the Get Serious… again! (Melissa Torres/EQUI-PHOTO)
Tom Luicci/Monmouth Park
OCEANPORT, N.J.— Put Grooms All Bizness in a grass sprint at Monmouth Park and give the 5-year-old gelding a target to run at late and the result is fairly predictable.
The Colts Neck Farm homebred closed stoutly on the way to a 1¼-length victory in Sunday’s $100,000 Get Serious Stakes at Monmouth Park before a crowd of 28,976 – the second highest Father’s Day attendance in track history. The record Father’s Day crowd of 29,262 at the Jersey Shore track was set in 2014.
Gelded at the end of last year, Grooms All Bizness, trained by Jorge Duarte and ridden by Fernando Jara, won the Get Serious Stakes for the second straight year and posted his fifth win in nine career starts at Monmouth Park. He is also 6-for-10 lifetime in turf sprints.
The winning time for the five furlongs over a turf course listed as firm was :55.76.
“You look at the race on paper and it didn’t seem like there was a lot of pace besides the horse that was in front (runner-up Souper Quest),” said Duarte. “He never really sits crazy far back. If there is some pace like last year when they went :20.4 for the first quarter in this race he was not that far off. He’s pretty tactical.
“It seemed like the trip worked out perfect. Fernando Jara saved the ground throughout and it seemed like he had a lot horse.”
With Souper Quest and jockey Antonio Gallardo racing to a quick lead in :21.61 in the 10-horse field of 3-year-olds and up, Jara and Grooms All Bizness stayed well within striking distance just off the leader, with the opening half going in :44.04. Wheeling out of the final turn, Jara set down Gooms All Bizness, who collared Souper Quest late.
It was another 1¼ lengths back in third to Eamonn.
Grooms All Bizness paid $9.60 to win.
“I wanted to be in a good position and pretty close to the lead with the way the turf was playing today,” said Jara. “I didn’t want to be in mid-pack and maybe get caught in traffic. I mapped that out before the race and when I got to the paddock (Duarte) told me he is going to be a little more sharp today.
“He broke well and got in good position right away and I was able to follow that speed horse (Souper Quest). It gave him a target, which he likes. When I put him in the clear he just took off.”
The Kentucky-bred son of Fed Biz now has a 6-3-2 line from 14 career starts. He is 2-for-2 this year after winning the Turf Sprint at Pimlico on May 18.
“He has been much better since we gelded him at the end of last year,” said Duarte, who won a 5½-furlong turf sprint earlier on the card with longshot Attached. “He’s consistent. The mare (Bride to Be) was consistent. I trained her. He is like her – very consistent, very solid. And he loves Monmouth Park.”
