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While Javerre will be taking on older and considerably more experienced horses in the $60,000 New Jersey Breeders Handicap, the 3-year-old gelding certainly seems up to the task in the six-furlong sprint.

      Trained by Cathal Lynch for Stanton Smith, Jr., the son of Outflanker out of the Touch Gold mare Our Fantene has only raced four times. But he won all three of his Monmouth Park starts, which were against New Jersey-breds, in impressive fashion during the meet and finished a strong third in open company at Saratoga on August 3.   

      “He had some problems as a 2-year-old and we gave him the time,” said Lynch. “We decided not to run him at two and bring him back for Monmouth. That was the plan, and it’s not very often it goes to plan in this business.”

      So far, so good. Now Javerre is back at Monmouth trying to notch his first stakes win on Saturday, when 10 races restricted to state-breds will be presented as part of the New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival. The $75,000 Charles Hesse III Handicap and the $60,000 Jersey Girl Handicap are the other two stakes races on the card.

      “This horse is just a natural athlete,” said Lynch, who won the $100,000 Sorority Stakes with Doubled here on Labor Day weekend. “He was very effective (in his Saratoga race). It was a trial to see if we wanted to keep him in training over the winter as an open horse, or if he was strictly state-bred. He ran really well and was really competitive, and Saratoga can be a tough place to go.”

      The 6-year-old Arctic Air and 7-year-old Hop Skip and Away, who finished second and third, respectively, in the 2011 edition of this race are back for another crack at the trophy.