Bishops Bay made short work of the field in the June 14 Salvator Mile Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park, winning just as a 1-2 favorite should in collecting his third consecutive stakes victory.
A $450,000 son of the late stallion Uncle Mo, Bishops Bay has steadily been climbing the ranks in the older horse division since returning to the races as a 4-year-old last fall. The Brad Cox trainee turned a corner at Oaklawn Park over the winter, capturing back-to-back races before becoming a graded stakes winner in the May 4 Westchester Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Breaking from the outer 9 hole, Bishops Bay didn't attain the lead as easily as he had in his last two outings, and was forced to use his speed early to secure his favorable front-running position. And even then, the bay was not without company, as Nelson Avenue proved a tough customer to his inside. The pair battled through opening fractions of :22.81, :48.20, and 1:12.35 before Bishops Bay asserted his dominance with a quarter-mile to go.
Clearing his rivals, Bishops Bay powered to a five-length score with scarcely a drop of mud to be seen on jockey Flavien Prat's yellow and pink silks. Bishops Bay ($2.60) stopped the timer in 1:37.16 over a sloppy (sealed) track.
"He's such a professional horse. I think he's getting better race after race," Prat said of Bishops Bay. "He was forwardly placed and very comfortable. He seems to be gaining confidence and he understands what he needs to do when he gets on the track ... He hasn't really run much before this so he has had room to improve. It's not like he is 5 years old and he has run in a ton of races."
Nelson Avenue was second by 3 3/4 lengths over 20-1 shot Surface to Air in third.
Bishops Bay was bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, who retained a percentage of ownership in the horse when he passed through the sales ring. WinStar owns the 5-year-old in partnership with Spendthrift Farm, Steve Landers, Martin Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Ten Strike Racing, Jim Bakke, Titletown Racing, Kueber Racing, Big Easy Racing, Rick Kanter, and Michael Caruso.
Bishops Bay is the older half sibling to stablemate and grade 2 winner Catching Freedom (Constitution ) and is one of four winners from four foals to race produced from the Pioneerof the Nile mare Catch My Drift. A stakes winner and grade 1-placed on the track, Catch My Drift is also the dam of the multiple stakes-placed gelding Strava (Into Mischief ).
With his victory in the Salvator Mile, Bishops Bay received an automatic berth for the $400,000 Monmouth Cup Stakes (G3) on Haskell day July 19. The Monmouth Cup would mark Bishops Bay's first attempt at the 1 1/8-mile distance since his runner-up efforts in the 2023 Ohio Derby (G3) and Peter Pan Stakes (G3) as a 3-year-old.
Video: Salvator Mile S. (G3)
Bracket Buster Romps in Pegasus, Punches Haskell Ticket
Although he failed to pick up his feet over the slop on Derby Day, Bracket Buster was undeterred by Monmouth Park's wet track Saturday, splashing home an eye-catching winner of the $162,000 Pegasus Stakes.
Braxton Lynch, the part-owner and founder of BBN Racing, was confident Bracket Buster would avenge his disappointing seventh-place allowance finish no matter what surface he faced.
"He was doing well coming (into the Pegasus), he'd shown us glimmers of that talent and he just put it all together today," Lynch said.
A game runner-up to Preakness Stakes (G1) second Gosger in Keeneland's Lexington Stakes (G3) April 12, Bracket Buster ran back to that effort and then some in the 1 1/16-mile Pegasus. Breaking sharply from the gate, he needed little encouragement from jockey Axel Concepcion to take the lead, and clung to a narrow advantage over longshot Wildncrazynight through early splits of :24.03 and :48.48. The Vekoma colt shook loose from his rival rounding the far turn and began to distance himself from the rest of the field as he raced unchallenged into the stretch.
Skipping over the slop, Bracket Buster ($9.60) hit the wire seven lengths in front in a final time of 1:44.64.
Wildncrazynight held on for second while Valentinian nosed out National Law in a photo for third. Garamond, the 2-5 favorite from the barn of Chad Brown, finished last of six.
Stabled at trainer Vicki Oliver's year-round Keeneland barn in Kentucky, Bracket Buster earned his return ticket back to the Jersey Shore with his Pegasus victory. The top two finishers of Monmouth's local prep receive free entry and start fees to the $1 million Haskell Stakes (G1) July 19.
