Oceanport, NJ-St Elias Stable’s Pleasant Mine made a very nice impression in her debut Friday at Monmouth Park, taking the day’s $36,000 maiden special weight opener by open lengths under leading rider Paco Lopez. 

Trained by Anthony Margotta Jr., Pleasant Mine stopped the clock at 1:37.72 for the mile and seventy yards on the fast main track and paid $9.60, $3.60 and $2.60. Delay of Game, the 4-5 favorite, was three lengths back, completing the $20.40 exacta and paying $2.40 and $2.10. It was just a nose back to Preppy, who paid $3.40 to show.

Anthony Margotta Jr. is now 5-for-6 on the year with first-time starters. 

The winner, a 3-year-old filly by Mineshaft out of the Pleasant Tap mare Pleasant Lyrics , was a $440,000 yearling purchase.

Live racing continues at Monmouth Park on Saturday, July 9, headlined by the $100,000 Long Branch Stakes, Monmouth Park’s final prep race for the Grade 1, $1 million betfair.com Haskell Invitational on July 31.Gates open 11:30 a.m., first post 12:50 p.m.