Romacaca wins Miss Liberty Stakes Paco Lopez Monmouth Park
“Romacaca” wins Miss Liberty Stakes with Paco Lopez(Paco wins four)@ Monmouth Park.
The trio of Zero Rate Policy, Flashpoint and Chipshot battled through quick fractions of :21 3/5 for the quarter and :44 2/5 for the half mile before Peachtree Stable’s Flashpoint assumed command and drew off in the lane to capture the $150,000 Jersey Shore Stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday by seven lengths.
A striking gray colt by Pomeroy, Flashpoint stopped the timer in 1:08 3/5 for six furlongs over the muddy main track. The winner returned $3.60 and $3.20 and topped a $9.80 exacta. C J Russell, who sat off the early pacesetters, rallied to pay $3.20 to place. Chipshot finished third with Zero Rate Policy checking in fourth and last in the field of 3-year-olds that scratched down to a quartet.
“He broke sharp and was moving comfortably,” said winning jockey Cornelio Velasquez, who has been aboard in all five of the colt’s starts. “He had a ton of horse the whole way and was loaded with run when I called on him. He loves these distances, six and seven furlongs. He’s great at them.”
Trained by Wesley Ward, the Grade 3 Jersey Shore was Flashpoint’s first start since running in the Preakness Stakes on May 21. The $90,000 winner’s share of the purse boosted his lifetime bankroll to $255,200.
In the $75,000 Miss Liberty Stakes, Romacaca gained the lead nearing the top of the strait and held off the late charge of Champagnelifestyle to post a half-length win.
Romacaca stepped the mile and a sixteenth over a turf course rated “soft” in 1:42 1/5 and paid $8.60, $4.20 and $3.20. Champagnelifestyle rounded out the $70.40 exacta and returned $6.40 and $3.80. It was nearly another length back to post-time favorite Gypsy’s Warning, who paid $2.80 to show.
“The speed was going pretty quick up front so I just tried to keep her relaxed,” said winning jockey Paco Lopez. “As soon as we got a hole, she was ready to run through and she did it so easily. After that, she just kept rolling.”
Trained by Nick Canani, Romacaca has won her last four and now sports a lifetime mark of 11-4-2- from 22 starts. The 5-year-old mare by Running Stag has earned $478,092.