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Sea Streak (EQUI-PHOTO)
117 Horses Entered for 12-Race New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival
Tom Luicci/Monmouth Park
OCEANPORT, N.J. – Trainer Eddie Owens, Jr. is approaching the two stakes races on Sunday’s 12-race New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival card at Monmouth Park with an equal mix of confidence and uncertainty.
The confidence is in Sea Streak, who is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes and looms as the horse to beat in the $125,000 Charles Hesse III Handicap in his first career start against state-breds. Stablemate Great Navigator is in that race as well, having won last year’s edition of the Hesse by 10 lengths.
The uncertainty stems from the 4-year-old filly Riding Pretty, who won the Smart N Classy Stakes at Monmouth Park on June 2 by 7½ lengths two starts ago – but hasn’t raced in a sprint since starting her career at 2. She will be cutting back to six furlongs for the $100,000 Eleven North Handicap.
All three are Holly Crest Farm homebreds.
A total of 117 horses (including two alternates) are entered for the card.
“I don’t know what is going to happen with her,” said Owens. “I could have run her in open company going longer on the grass next week but I think that race will be very tough. So we’re giving this a shot.
“She hasn’t sprinted since she was 2 so it’s a question how she will handle the six furlongs.”
A daughter of Jack Milton, Riding Pretty comes in off two sharp performances. She followed her romp in the one-mile Smart N Classy on the dirt with a near-miss second in the Jersey Girl Handicap at a mile on the grass in her next start.
She did break her maiden first asking going five furlongs at 2 but hasn’t tried anything shorter than 7½ furlongs in her past 17 starts.
“If she was sprinting against open company I’d be more concerned,” said Owens. “But she fits with these Jersey-breds so we’ll see what happens.”
Sea Streak, who won the Long Branch Stakes by 7½ lengths on May 11, should get some class relief against New Jersey-breds in the mile and a sixteenth Hesse. The 3-year-old gelded son of Sea Wizard has banked $234,110 from nine career starts.
“He’s doing well,” said Owens. “You never know how a race will shape up but if he runs his race I don’t think he will get beat. He’s been training well since the Haskell.”
Sea Streak appeared loom as a contender in the Haskell coming out of the final turn but flattened out and finished fifth.
“That’s him. That’s his green-ness that he still races with sometimes,” said Owens. “That worries me a little because they are not going to wait for you, I know that.”
Great Navigator, a 4-year-old son of Sea Wizard, was a dull sixth in his last start, with Owens saying the colt did not care for the track at Parx. He has had three sharp works since that race.
“He really didn’t get anything out of his last race. That’s my concern,” said Owens. “Did he get enough out of it that he will be all right here? I don’t know. But he is going to have to run some to beat his stablemate.”
Great Navigator has three wins, a second and a third from six starts at Monmouth Park. He has banked $334,307 in his 15-race career.
