One For The Team: Green Up Goes Wire To Wire For First Stakes Win In Boiling Springs at Monmouth Park

With Paco Lopez riding the lone speed horse in a short field the outcome is fairly predictable.

That was the case in Sunday’s $100,000 Boiling Springs Stakes at Monmouth Park, when Team Valor International’s Green Up was able to coast on the front end through soft fractions and then spurted away when asked for a 5¾-length victory.

Sent off as the 3-2 second choice in the four-horse field, Green Up was able to easily rebuff any challenge from 2-5 favorite Radio Days because of the easy fractions in the one-mile and 70-yard feature.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Green Up earned a free entry and startinng fees to the Monmouth Oaks (G3) on July 31 as a result of the victory. It marked the first stakes win in the four-race career for the 3-year-old Virginia-bred daughter of Upstart out of Green Punch, by Two Punch.

“My thought was just to go to the lead since she looked like the only speed in the race,” said Lopez, seeking his ninth Monmouth Park riding title. “Todd Pletcher told me to do whatever I felt comfortable doing. She jumped a little at the break and didn’t break well but I was able to get to the rail and make the lead pretty easily.

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“I saw Joe Bravo (aboard Radio Days) pressing us at the three-eighths but my filly had too much left. She was very strong after we were able to get away with a slow opening half and she just took off when (Radio Days) came to us.”

Despite an awkward start, Green Up was able to make the lead without a challenge, with Lopez putting her on the rail. She carved out fractions of :24.77, :49.26, and 1:12.53 for six furlongs and was well in hand despite a compact field and mild pressure. The mile went in 1:37.79.

Green Up’s winning time was 1:40.93 on a fast track. She returned $5.

“She just shipped in this morning from Saratoga,” said Anthony Sciametta, who oversees Pletcher’s division at Monmouth Park. “That’s where she has been working. Todd said when they scratched out a couple of horses if Paco Lopez wants the lead he should take it because there’s no other speed in the race.

“She broke badly, seemed to stumble a little, but she still made the lead easily. She’s a nice filly. Even if the field had stayed intact she would have been very tough to beat. Todd will make the decision on whether she goes to the Monmouth Oaks or not.”

Radio Days finished three lengths ahead of Capotainsdaughter in third.

Since being moved to the Pletcher barn (from Chris Melton) after finishing second in her career debut at Gulfstream Park on May 13, 2021, Green Up has won all three subsequent starts by a combined 16½ lengths, including a 6 3/4-length wire-to-wire romp in March at the Hallandale Beach, Florida, track to break her maiden. Stepping up to allowance/optional claiming company there, she won by four lengths April 21.

“Both of her Florida (wins) were impressive,” said Sciametta. “I’m sure Todd will look at the Monmouth Oaks, but he is the one who will make the decision.”