News & Barn notes

A Pair of Turf Stakes Races, Food Truck Festival Highlight Monmouth’s Three-Day Memorial Day Weekend Schedule

May 24, 2023

A pair of $100,000 turf stakes and the popular Food Truck Festival highlight three days of live racing at Monmouth Park over the Memorial Day weekend, starting on Saturday.

Post time all three days is 12:40 p.m.

The 43rd running of the Cliffhanger Stakes, a listed stakes race at a mile and a sixteenth on the grass for 3 year olds and up, headlines the Saturday card.

On Sunday, the feature is the 13th edition of the Miss Liberty Stakes, also a listed stakes race, at a mile and a sixteenth on the grass for fillies and mares 3 and up.

Participating food trucks over the three-day holiday include Ann’s Catering, Chimney Cake Factory, Cold Stone Creamery, Cousins Maine Lobster, Dellano’s Food Service, El Lechon de Negron, Empanada Beast, Empanada Guy, Enzo’s, Five Sisters Food Co., Four Boys Concessions, Highway 2 Ohana, House of Cupcakes, Joe Smoke Bar-B-Que, Johnny’s Pork Roll, Kutz Q BBQ, L’Acquario Seafood Italiano, Ma & Pa’s Tex-Mex BBQ, Magic Mike’s Smoked Meats, Monticello on the Go, Mozzarepas, Nip N Truck, Point Lobster, Star of the Sea Seafood, Sweetpeppers Empanadas, Tacoholics, The Baked Bear, The Little Sicilian Riceballs, The Mexiboys, Tony’s Italian Sausage, Twelve, Twisted Steaks, and Sherri’s Crab Cakes.

The food trucks will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. all three days.

General admission is $6, though there is a 15 percent discount if tickets are purchased in advance at seatgeek.com/Monmouth, using the promo code FoodTrucks23.

Parking is free.

The live music schedule on Stage 1 will feature Kickin’ Nash on Saturday, Garden State Groove on Sunday and Chris Morrisy on Monday.

Bands of Lakehouse Music Academy will perform on Stage 2 all three days.

In addition, Family Fun Days for kids will feature several attractions on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

The following week, Monmouth Park starts its three-day live racing schedule that extends through the end of August with the addition of Friday racing. Post times for the Friday cards will be 2 p.m.

Through the first two weekends of live racing, jockey Paco Lopez, seeking a 10th Monmouth Park riding title, tops the standings with nine winners, followed by Samy Camacho (six) and Jairo Rendon (five).

Chad Brown leads all trainers with five wins from just eight starters. No other trainer has more than two wins.