It was the second graded stakes win for trainer Lindsay Schultz, jockey Jairo Rendon.

In a field scratched down to only four starters, Willow Lane Stable’s Highestdistinction  settled in the back early but eagerly outran the trio of rivals to win the Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup Stakes (G3T) by a widening 3 3/4 lengths Sept. 16 at Pimlico Race Course. The final time over a course rated good was 1:36.63.

The winner bumped with early leader King Vega  near the 3/16 marker before putting that one away. King Vega was easily second best, five lengths ahead of favored Smokin’ T  in third. He’spuregold  was fourth and last.

Highest Distinction paid $7.80 as the third choice. 

Second GSWs for Schultz, Rendon

It was the second graded stakes win for trainer Lindsay Schultz, who got her first less than a month ago with Whelen Springs  in Monmouth Park‘s Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3). The Darley Flying Start grad worked for John Shirreffs, Sir Mark Prescott, Tom Proctor, and Shug McGaughey before going out on her own at the end of 2021. 

The Baltimore/Washington also was the second graded stakes win for jockey Jairo Rendon. The 40-year-old was a leading rider in Panama before spending seven years under contract to the Royal Family in Saudi Arabia until 2014. Now he rides only during the summer months in the United States and spends winters with family while tending to his 210-acre farm near Medellín, Colombia, with its 150 cows. Rendon’s last graded stakes win came in 2018.

Highestdistinction is by five-time grade 1 winner Point of Entry. A son of Dynaformer, Point of Entry stands for CA$7,500 at Adena Springs North in Ontario, Canada. 

Lindsay Schultz didn’t have to wait nearly as long for her second stakes victory as she did her first.

One month after the 35-year-old Schultz notched her first stakes win as a trainer she added a second one when Highestdistinction came from off the pace to score a 1½-length victory in Sunday’s $108,000 Oceanport Stakes at Monmouth Park.

This one happened almost out of necessity, too.

“He worked phenomenal last week and we nominated him because we were having trouble finding a spot for him,” said Schultz, whose first career stakes win came with Alex Joon on July 15 in the Edward P. Evans Stakes at Colonial Downs. “Rather than wait around we thought we’d put him in this spot, especially after he worked so well last week. He beat a nice group of horses today.”

Earlier on the card, trainer Joe Orseno notched career win No. 1,999 when Eamonn rallied under Paco Lopez for a half-length victory over Yes and Yes in the $102,000 Select Stakes at 5½ furlongs on the grass. Orseno then reached the 2,000-win milestone when Lord Eddard Stark won the ninth race at Gulfstream Park later in the day.

Eamonn’s winning time was 1:02.96.

The 5-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile managed to overcome being steadied during the turn to record his seventh win in 21 turf starts for owner Robert Cotran. He paid $13 to win.

“It’s a big accomplishment for me, my barn and my staff,” Orseno said of his milestone victory. “It shows all the hard work that everyone has put in has paid off. We’ve been grinding for years so it’s nice to add this to the list of achievements.”

Highestdistinction, meanwhile, was kept within early striking range of front-running race favorite Big Everest by jockey Jairo Rendon before sweeping three wide coming out of the turn in the mile and a sixteenth grass feature for 3-year-olds and up. Highestdistinction assumed command in midstretch, easily holding off the late charge of There Are No Words, who was another 1½ lengths ahead of He’spuregold in third.

The winning time over a firm grass course was 1:43.05.

Schultz, a graduate of the University Louisville’s Equine Industry Program, took over training of Highestdistincton three races ago. He was second to Cat Nip in a turf race at Monmouth Park on May 27, then won a $50,000 allowance at Delaware Park on July 14.

The gelded son of Point of Entry, owned by Willow Lane Stable, became a first-time stakes winner at the age of 6. He was 0-for-6 last year.

“He seems like he is improving with age, though he showed a lot of promise as a 3-year-old,” said Schultz, who has 25 horses at Monmouth Park. She started training on her own full-time in January of 2022. “Since his break he has done really well.”

Highestdistinction returned $23.20 to win.

“The other time I rode him two races ago he was a good second to Cat Nip, who I think is a very good horse,” said Rendon. “That horse beat us that day but I got my horse in trouble on the turn. But my horse still ran good. That’s why I liked him a lot today. He ran big again for me. I knew the favorite (Big Everest) is a speed horse and you get worried sometimes that they will get away on the lead. I didn’t want to be too far from him when I made my move.

“The horse helped me a lot because he was ready to go when I asked him. I tried to keep my position because I thought going in that Big Everest was the best horse in the race. I didn’t want to be too far away from him.”

Sweet Cherry Pie was set to make his turf debut in the $100,000 My Frenchman Stakes on Sunday at Monmouth Park, but a rain-off onto the main track suited him just fine.  

Pressing the pace under Jairo Rendon, Sweet Cherry Pie ($4.80) opened a big lead in upper stretch and splashed to a 4 1/4-length victory in the My Frenchman.  

Super Chow, the race’s lone main-track-only entrant, finished a soundly defeated second. Freedom Road rallied mildly for third, followed by Sir Lancelot and Extendo, who raced detached from the rest of the field the entire trip and was all but eased.

Chiringo, Crispy Cat, Playground Legend, and Smooth Flyin Mike were scratched from this 3-year-old sprint stakes.

Sweet Cherry Pie was timed in 1:04.29 for 5 1/2 furlongs over the sloppy, sealed surface. 

Trained for BBN Racing by Rusty Arnold, who shipped his charge from Keeneland to Monmouth earlier this week, Sweet Cherry Pie debuted March 4 at Gulfstream Park with a long-odds fourth in a strong maiden race. His talent showed bright second time out, when he won a Keeneland maiden splrint with a 95 Beyer Speed Figure, and even losing allowance races at Churchill and Ellis Park, Sweet Cherry Pie had run very well in defeat.  

Bettors made the colt the 7-5 favorite over multiple dirt-stakes winner Super Chow, and Sweet Cherry Pie did not let his supporters down. Sir Lancelot set out to lead through a quarter-mile in 21.70, Sweet Cherry Pie tracking intently before Rendon let his mount engage the leader going into the turn. Sweet Cherry Pie cruised past Sir Lancelot and ran just in front of Super Chow around much of the bend before easily putting that rival away. The race was over at the head of the stretch, though Rendon stayed busy on his mount. 

Bred in Kentucky by Theta Holding 1, Sweet Cherry Pie is by Twirling Candy out of Sweet Cat, by Kitten’s Joy. He’s bred for turf, and while the grass debut is on hold, Sweet Cherry Pie became a stakes winner nonetheless. 

OCEANPORT, N.J. – Speaking is making stakes wins at Monmouth Park a habit.

The 4-year-old gelding was able to sit off the early speed, finally wresting control of the race in mid-stretch, before holding on for a half-length victory in Sunday’s $85,000 John J. Reilly Handicap at Monmouth Park.

Trained by Eddie Owens and ridden by Jairo Rendon, Speaking followed his 2021 victory in the Smoke Glacken Stakes at Monmouth Park and a win in the New Jersey Breeders’ Handicap last year at the Shore track by adding the 40^th edition of the John J. Reilly Handicap his list of stakes triumphs.

The son of Mr Speaker, owned by Holly Crest Farm, sped the six furlongs in 1:10.41. He went off as the even-money favorite in the field of nine Jersey-breds, 3 and up.

“We tried him on the grass his last race (March 10 at Gulfstream Park) because I always wanted to try him on the grass,” said Owens. “He ran better than it looks on paper that race. He had a tough trip against a lot of nice horses. So, I think he got something out of that race.

“He has been a good, consistent horse and Monmouth Park is home to him. You can see by his numbers that he loves Monmouth”

Speaking now sports a 5-1-1 line from eight career starts at Monmouth Park and is 4-for-6 at the six-furlong distance.

The 4-year-old gelding was positioned just off the early speed, with No Cents setting the early fractions of :22.25 for the opening quarter and :45.11 to the first half. Coming out of the turn those two separated themselves from the field, with Speaking surging past No Cents in deep stretch. Amatteroftime rallied from far back to get third, a half-length behind No Cents.

“I was a little nervous being in post 10 with all of the speed inside of us and then all the speed on the outside with us,” said Owens. “We were a little wide, but he was the best horse.  I’m very pleased with the way he ran. We’ll probably keep him with Jersey-breds for now.” 

This marked the first time Rendon had ridden Speaking, who has now won five of 13 career starts – with all of the wins coming at Monmouth Park. Three of his career defeats have come in graded stakes.

“This was the first time I’ve ridden him, but I looked at a few of his races to get an idea of what he likes to do,” said Rendon. “He’s an easy horse to ride. He pushes right out of there. He has some tactical early speed that put him in position to be right outside the speed. That’s where I wanted to be. Then when he needed to go in the stretch, he still had enough left.”

Speaking returned $4.00 to win.

John Guarnere always had high expectations for Howgreatisnate , even though the gelding had never won going two turns.

“I thought he was a Kentucky Derby horse,” said Guarnere, whose horses race under the Nom de Course of Imaginary Stables.

Jairo Rendon has been a member of the jockey colony at tracks on four different continents, was the leading rider in Panama multiple times, and even won a Grade 1 event for King Abdullah bin Al Saud of Saudi Arabia while under contract to the late ruler for five years. On Sunday, he competes in his first betfair.com Haskell Invitational, the $1 million Grade 1 race that is Monmouth Park’s signature event. 

“I’m very excited,” said the 34-year-old native of Medellin, Colombia, who relocated his tack to Monmouth Park for the current meet and has been turning heads since. “This will be the first Grade 1 race I’ve ridden in America.”  

Rendon will be aboard the locally-based Golden Brown, who steps up in class and returns to racing on dirt after becoming a first-time stakes winner in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes on the Delaware Park lawn in his last start. Golden Brown may be the longest shot at 15-1 in the morning line for the seven-horse Haskell field, but his rider is undeterred. 

“I have a lot of confidence in my horse and I am very grateful for the opportunity to ride him,” said Rendon, who was in the irons for Golden Brown’s last two races. “I think he’ll handle the dirt well.” 

Trainer Pat McBurney decided to stick with Rendon, who rode for a Saudi Arabian prince for another three years following the King’s death in 2015. Rendon has also been a member of jockey colonies in Morocco, his native Colombia and at Gulfstream Park.  

“I saw him ride in Florida and I was impressed,” said McBurney. “He’s got a lot of skills and a great attitude, and he’s a good, aggressive rider. He’s also mature and a very head’s-up, experienced rider. He fits this horse well.” 

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 Jockey Albin Jimenez, who is also Monmouth-based, has competed in Grade 1 affairs but has yet to win a race of this magnitude. He will have the chance when he partners with Roaming Union in his first Haskell Invitational appearance. 

“I’ve never won a Grade 1 but I’ve ridden in them for Wesley Ward and a couple of other trainers in Kentucky,” said Jimenez, who won six leading rider titles at Turfway Park and another at Indiana Grand. “This is a big opportunity for me, especially with the race being shown on national TV (NBC). There are some very good riders in this race.” 

They include reigning Eclipse Award winner Jose Ortiz, who will be aboard the 2017 2-Year-Old Male champion and 6-5 morning line favorite Good Magic for defending Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown.  

This is the first Haskell appearance for Ortiz, who currently ranks first in North America in number of graded stakes wins (21) and has two 2018 Grade 1 victories. He ranks second nationally in earnings ($13.8 million) and sits in sixth place in overall wins (150), according to Equibase.  

Jimenez will be signaling “go” to Roaming Union, who is trained by Kelly Breen, right out of the gate.  

“There is a lot of pace in the race and my horse has speed. I’m sure he’ll be fighting for the lead. I think he’ll be right there,” said Jimenez, who said the track was in great shape after he worked horses Friday morning. “I’m so excited about the Haskell. I can’t wait. I’m counting down the hours.” 

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Roaming Union and Golden Brown were out on the Monmouth Park racing strip Friday morning continuing their Haskell preparations, as was Core Beliefs, who arrived Tuesday afternoon from Southern California for trainer Peter Eurton and has settled nicely into the environs.  

“He’s a little antsy and can be tough to deal with and can be a bit nervous in his stall, so he goes out as the first horse in the first set every day,” trainer Kelly Breen said of Roaming Union, who went through a routine gallop. “We’re going to keep him calm and cool until Sunday.” 

The activity and atmosphere in the Breen barn are markedly different than 2015, when Triple Crown winner American Pharoah was bedded there during his Haskell week stay and attracted constant attention from the media, racetrackers and fans. 

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who holds the record with eight Haskell winners (2015, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2005, 2002, 2001), likes to have his horses in the Breen barn when he sends them to Monmouth. 

“This is the lucky barn,” said Breen. “Five of Bob’s Haskell winners were in my barn. I might have to move Roaming Union into American Pharoah’s stall for good luck.” 

Golden Brown, meanwhile, jogged one mile, galloped one-half mile to the gate for a schooling lesson, and then galloped another half-mile before heading back to the barn. He’ll also go to the paddock for some extra lessons leading up to the race. 

“He is a sweetheart in the barn, but when he gets out onto the track he’s different. The exercise rider really needs to take a good hold,” said McBurney. “Sometimes he’s good in the paddock and sometimes not. The first time he ran here, he was the worst I’d ever seen him.”  

But Golden Brown was perfectly behaved before his win in the Grade 3 Kent Stakes at Delaware Park in his last race. McBurney hopes for the same come Haskell day. 

“There was a big crowd and a lot of noise and activity that day and he handled it. There will be another big crowd here Sunday and I expect he’ll do the same,” he said. 

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Core Beliefs, who is coming off a hard-fought win the Grade 3 Ohio Derby in his last start, went through a routine morning gallop and was slated to visit the paddock in the afternoon. Luis Martinez, who is looking after the son of Quality Road until Eurton arrives via the red eye on Sunday morning to saddle the colt, reported that all is good with the colt. 

Speaking of the Ohio Derby when Gary Broad’s Core Beliefs came from far off the pace and sustained a long drive to nip fellow Haskell combatant Lone Sailor at the wire and prevail by a nose, Eurton said that he thought it was an “amazing effort” on the part of his horse. 

“His last two races were his best races, and he’s done nothing wrong since,” Eurton said by phone from California. “That’s why we’re running here. We discussed it a lot. He’s doing so well and how many opportunities do you have to win a Grade 1?” 

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Lone Sailor, Good Magic, and Bravazo, who are all currently stabled and training at Saratoga, are scheduled to van to Monmouth Saturday morning.  

Trainer Chad Brown reported via text that Good Magic, who is coming off a 10-week layoff following two grueling races in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness and is looking to get back into the win column, went through his final routine gallop at The Spa this morning and all signs are go for the e Five racing and Stonestreet Stables champion colt. 

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas is preparing to load Bravazo on a van for the ride south to Oceanport. 

“Everything is fine with Bravazo. He had a great morning and we’ll load up tomorrow morning and be there by mid-morning to late morning,” Lukas said of the Calumet Farm’s homebred. “We’re bringing him on our own van and looking forward to the race.” 

Trainer Tom Amoss, who tightened the final screws on Lone Sailor, said that the G M B color bearer also had an uneventful routine gallop at Saratoga today and remains on schedule for the Haskell. 

Navy Commander, the dominant winner of the Long Branch Stakes here in his last outing, won’t return to Monmouth Park until the morning of the race from his home at Parx. 

“It’s only an hour away and he likes to ride on the van,” said trainer Robert “Butch” Reid, Jr. “He’s happy at home in his own stall so we’ll continue to gallop there and jog Saturday morning and then we’ll ship in Sunday morning.”