East Avenue, Chunk of Gold Clash Again in Iselin

East Avenue is a grade 1 winner and has won multiple graded stakes, but on three occasions where he's faced grade 3 winner Chunk of Gold, the Godolphin homebred has finished behind him twice. The 4-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro looks to turn the table on this rival Aug. 15 in the $150,000 Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3), going 1 1/16 miles at Monmouth Park. East Avenue comes into the Iselin off a nose victory in the June 13 Salvator Mile Stakes (G3) at Monmouth where he outdueled Bishops Bay at the wire. Bishops Bay is also entered in the Iselin. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione will be aboard East Avenue for the Iselin, as he was for the Salvator Mile and the 2024 Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland, where East Avenue won by 5 1/4 lengths. Since that grade 1 win, the colt's record in graded stakes has been spotty. Following the Breeders' Futurity, he's contested nine graded stakes that yielded five unplaced finishes along with wins in the aforementioned Salvator Mile as well as the 2025 Matt Winn Stakes (G3), with close seconds in the Oaklawn Mile Stakes (G3) and the 2025 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) for trainer Brendan Walsh. Chunk of Gold and East Avenue faced each other first in the 2025 Risen Star Stakes (G2), where Chunk of Gold ran second to Magnitude and East Avenue faded to 10th. Both colts started in the Kentucky Derby (G1), where East Avenue finished eighth and Chunk of Gold was behind him in ninth. The competitors met next in the 2025 West Virginia Derby (G3). Chunk of Gold prevailed by 4 1/4 lengths running gate-to-wire while East Avenue never gained traction and finished fifth. Owned by Terry Stephens and trained by Ethan West, Chunk of Gold has not finished out of the money in four races since the West Virginia Derby. He won a 1 1/8-mile allowance optional claiming race last October at Keeneland by 8 1/4 lengths and ended his 2025 campaign with a close third in the Clark Stakes (G2). He's made one start so far this year, running second in a $137,808 allowance optional claiming race going 1 1/16 miles June 28 at Churchill Downs. KAS Stables' 2025 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2) winner Bishops Bay, the 7-5 morning-line favorite, is a 6-year-old son of Uncle Mo trained by Brad Cox. He has been first or second 14 times out of 16 career starts and earned more than $2.5 million. One horse entered that will not be racing is Frassetto Stables' Stars and Stripes, a 4-year-old son of Not This Time.The Bill Mott-trained colt won the Aug. 13 Birdstone Stakes at Saratoga Race Course.