OCEANPORT, N.J. -- A special Labor Day card of racing at Monmouth Park saw Fleet Valid take the $75,000 Icecapade Stakes and Redreamit go wire-to-wire in the $65,000 Twin Lights Stakes before a crowd of 7,130.
Trained by Scott Volk, Fleet Valid put away millionaire Idiot Proof turning for home and was clear to the wire, posting a 2 ¾ length win after covering the six furlongs over a fast main track in 1:09 1/5. Sent off the 9-10 favorite in the field of eight colts and geldings, Fleet Valid paid $3.80, $2.80 and $2.40 across the board and topped a $48.60 exacta. On the Vineyard rallied for the place and paid $14.40 and $7.60. It was a length and a quarter back to Make Me Zach, who paid $8 to show.
“This horse always shows up with a big race,” said winning jockey Pablo Morales. “He broke okay, not all that well, but he recovered pretty quickly and wanted to go to the front. Instead of fighting him, I let him do his own thing. I dropped my hands and just kept him out of trouble – he did the rest.”
The Icecapade win was the fourth in a row for Fleet Valid, who is unbeaten since being claimed for $14,000 on April 2 at Aqueduct. Last out he won the Teddy Drone Stakes at Monmouth on Haskell Day.
A 3-year-old filly by Tapit from the Relaunch mare Dreamsport, Redreamit grabbed the turf right out of the gate and never looked back in the Twin Lights Stakes, scoring by 2 ¾ lengths. After stepping the mile and an eighth over firm turf in 1:47 3/5 Redreamit returned $7, $5 and $3.60 and topped a $105.80 exacta. Longshot Unbridled Essence rallied along the inside for second and paid $20.40 and $6.60. It was a neck farther back to Miss Blakely in third, who paid $2.40 to show.
“We got to the early lead pretty easily and she rated nicely for me,” said winning jockey Daniel Centeno. “The main thing with her was getting her to relax. Once we hit the stretch, she just kicked in and kept on going.”
Monday’s win was the second in five starts for Redreamit. The Ken McPeek trainee has now banked $76,216 for owner Carl Gessler Jr.
Live racing continues at Monmouth Park on Thursday, Sept. 10 – gates open at 11:30am with first post set for 12:50pm. As always the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe.
