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Oceanport, N.J. – Becky Winemiller’s Wine Princess took command out of the gate, opened up a daylight lead in the stretch and held her rivals safe at bay through the lane to capture the $100,000 Monmouth Oaks at Monmouth Park on Saturday by 2 ¼ lengths.

            A daughter of 2004 Horse of the Year Ghostzapper out of the 2002 Horse of the Year Azeri, Wine Princess stepped the mile and a sixteenth over the fast main track in 1:44.11 and paid $5.60, $3.60 and $2.80 as the second choice in the field of six 3-year-old fillies.  Proud Pearl, a full sister to 2008 Champion 3-year-old Proud Spell, completed the $61.60 exacta and returned $12.40 and $5.40.  It was another nose back to Jemima’s Pearl, who paid $2.60 to show.  Morrow Cove, the 17-10 favorite, checked in fifth.

            “No matter where she is in the race she always comes with a nice kick so there wasn’t really any game plan going into the race,” said winning rider Shaun Bridgmohan, after riding Wine Princess to her first graded stakes win.  “She’s a very smart filly and she knows what’s going on.  When the field came to her at the top of the stretch, I had to get her attention a little bit, but after that she just spurted away.”

            Bred by the Allen E. Paulson Living Trust, who campaigned multiple champion Azeri, Wine Princess earned her third victory in five tries by taking the Monmouth Oaks.  The $60,000 winner’s share of the purse boosted her lifetime bankroll to $138,238.

            “We couldn’t be more proud of her,” said winning trainer Steve Margolis.  “She was a little slow to come around, but with her pedigree we always knew that if she stayed healthy she had tons of potential.”

            First contested in 1871, the Monmouth Oaks is the oldest Oaks contested in North America.

            Live racing continues at Monmouth Park on Sunday, Aug. 12 – gates open 11:30 a.m., first post 12:45 p.m.