Real Talk takes early lead all the way in Jersey Shore Stakes
Real talk – you can’t break much faster than Real Talk did Sunday at Monmouth Park.
Doing his best Quarter Horse impression, Real Talk rocketed out of the starting gate to open a clear early lead in a race with several other pace players, and, after fending off a midrace challenge from Fire Sword, went on to a sharp 4 1/2-length score in the $100,000 Jersey Shore Stakes.
Real Talk ran six furlongs on a fast track in 1:10.02 and paid $6.40 to win this race restricted to 3-year-olds. Paco Lopez rode the winner for trainer David Carlos and owner Bell Racing.
If any horse in the Jersey Shore looked like the speed of the speed it was Mighty Mischief, but he was a couple lengths behind after Real Talk’s perfect beginning.
“He just broke out of the gate so fast,” Lopez said. “He was right on top after the gate opened. It reminded me of when I rode Quarter Horses.”
Fire Sword threw in the towel past the three-furlong marker and three-wide Mighty Mischief tried to take up the chase, but he was left reeling by the winner in upper stretch while holding on for second. Then came Moonlite Strike, Fire Sword, Upstriker, and American Gentleman. Indian Lake was scratched.
Second last out in the Carry Back Stakes at Gulfstream, Real Talk now is a four-time winner from 10 stars, with this his first stakes tally. The Florida-bred is by Gemologist out of Woodland Walk, by Bernardini.
*** On Saturday, Introduced won her second race in a row this summer at Monmouth, pushing past pacesetting Running Memories in deep stretch to win the $102,000 Incredible Revenge Stakes by three quarters of a length. Introduced, trained by Jorge Duarte Jr. for Richard Santulli’s Colts Neck Stable, ran 5 1/2 furlongs over firm turf in 1:02.50 and paid $10.60 to win.