NAVARRO BRINGS DUO INTO NEW JERSEY BREEDERS HANDICAP

Leading trainer at the meet Jorge Navarro sends a pair, Visionary Ruler and Chublicious, to the gate for the $60,000 New Jersey Breeders Handicap going six furlongs at Monmouth Park.

Chublicious is exiting a run in the Grade 1 Vanderbilt Stakes at Saratoga on July 30 behind multiple graded stakes winner AP Indian. His last two starts prior to his first attempt in graded stakes company resulted in stakes wins over the Monmouth main track in the John J. Reilly and the Mr. Prospector Stakes.

“He didn’t really travel well to Saratoga, but now he has a short walk to the paddock and he loves the track,” said Navarro. “He has been training really well coming into the race.”

Owned by David Gruskos, the 5-year-old gelding by Hey Chub out of the Arch mare Sassy Broad has made nine career starts at Monmouth Park, hitting the board in each of them including six wins.

Chublicious has worked twice over the track since his latest start with the most recent coming on Aug. 21 when he went four furlongs in:48 2/5, seventh fastest of the 91 who went the distance on that day.

Antonio Gallardo, who has been aboard in his last three starts, get the mount on Sunday.

Navarro’s other entry in the field, also owned by Gruskos, Visionary Ruler, is coming out of a length and a half score in a $30,000 allowance optional claiming event over a sloppy Monmouth main track on Haskell Day.

“My plan with him is to go right from the gate,” said Navarro. ‘We gave him some time leading up to his last race and he really didn’t like the slop too much. He had a nice work from the gate the other day and will be tough.”

The 6-year-old horse by Pollard’s Vision out of the Langfuhr mare Empress Gracie has worked once since that Haskell Day start, going four furlongs from the gate in :48 1/5 on Aug.14, sixth fastest horse out of 53 to go the distance on that day.

For either of the Navarro starters to grab the New Jersey Breeders title, they will have to beat Green Gratto, for Grant Gaston, who is looking for back-to-back stakes wins after taking the Hockessin Stakes at Delaware Park on July 16.

The New Jersey Breeders Handicap will be one of three stakes for New Jersey breds on Sunday’s 11-race card and is set as race 4. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. with first post scheduled for 12:50 p.m.