Horse Racing Monmouth Park crowd tops 20K on Father’s Day by Judythe Ann Michelle June 21, 2016 Oceanport, N.J. – Donegal Racing’s Donegal Moon rallied up behind horses at the top of the lane before getting clear sailing and posting a length and a quarter score in the Grade 3 betfair.com Pegasus Stakes as odds-on favorite Unified faded in the lane to finish fifth. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Donegal Moon sat at the back of the pack as Saratoga Charm carved out fractions of :23 3/5 for the first quarter mile and :47 3/5 for the half. Unified sat a perfect trip in third behind the pacesetter with an in-hand Awesome Slew waiting patiently on the rail. Around the far turn, Awesome Slew moved by the pacesetter as Donegal Moon followed that action. Unified came under pressure but was unable to advance. Inside the eighth pole Donegal Moon drew clear of Awesome Slew and held off the late charge of Extinct Charm, who was closing well. The winner stopped the timer in 1:44 for the mile and a sixteenth over the fast main track. “It’s so fun to ride for team Pletcher,” said winning jockey Joe Bravo. “Todd (trainer Pletcher) text me earlier and the instructions worked out perfectly. There was so much early speed in the race and the race set up great for us. In the stretch, he really came running strongly. This was a fun two days.” In addition to his stakes score in the betair.com Pegasus, Bravo captured a stakes event at Parx yesterday afternoon and last night won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster atop Bradester. Donegal Moon returned $15, $7.20 and $9.60. Extinct Charm completed the $233.60 exacta and paid $18.20 and $22.60. It was another neck back to Awesome Slew, who paid $11 to show. A colt by Malibu Moon from the Giant’s Causeway mare Perfect Cause, Donegal Moon captured the first stakes win in his career in the betfair.com Pegasus. The winner’s share of the $150,000 purse boosted his lifetime earnings to $199,252. The betfair.com Pegasus is one of two Monmouth Park prep races for the $1 million betfair.com Pegasus, to be contested on July 31. The other, the Long Branch Stakes, goes on July 9. Live racing continues at Monmouth Park on Friday, June 24 – gates open 11:30 a.m., first post 12:50 p.m. As always, the racetrack is open seven days a week for simulcasting from across the country and around the globe. Post Views: 1,782 The following two tabs change content below.BioLatest Posts Judythe Ann Michelle Michelle has been a sports writer and analyst for many years. Now, as host of Neutral Court, sponsored by In The Zone, Michelle brings a new sports topic to the debate floor with each episode. Latest posts by Judythe Ann Michelle (see all) Neutral Court, Episode 1: Better holiday sports tradition, Thanksgiving football or Christmas basketball? (VIDEO) - December 18, 2020 Is Rutgers Relevant? Vegas Says Yes. - September 30, 2019 Bets Like A Girl, Episode 1: Looking Toward the NFL Season; NYG Predictions - August 22, 2019 Former Scarlet Knight takes home MVP at WNBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas - July 27, 2019 Related TopicsJersey ShoreMonmouth ParkMonmouth Park Racet Click to comment You must be logged in to post a comment Login Leave a Reply Cancel replyYou must be logged in to post a comment. Newsletter Subscription Can't Miss Posts! Women in Sports: NHL Network Host, Jackie Redmond by Nicholas Durst | posted on March 4, 2019 Women in Sports: Podcast Host, New York Riptide Sideline Reporter, Dani Wexelman by Luke Porco | posted on March 3, 2020 From Paramus High School to CBS Sports, Spero Dedes is making waves in sports broadcasting by Sunil Sunder Raj | posted on October 27, 2020 Lochte, Dressel and Ledecky all Chasing Gold at 2021 Tokyo Olympics by Anthony Paradiso | posted on April 18, 2021 You Know I’m Right, Episode 109: The Athletic’s Marc Carig (Audio/Video) by Nicholas Durst | posted on April 19, 2021 More in Horse Racing Sole Volante, Ete Indien, 8 Others Complete 2020 Kentucky Derby Betting In less than two months, the Kentucky Derby will finally start after it was... Where to Enjoy the Best New York City Horse Races North America was still under British Colonial rule when the very first racetrack was... Haskell Invitational 2019: Excessive Heat and an Exciting Win for Maximum Security Blistering hot temperatures in Monmouth County made for postponed and cancelled races at Monmouth... Grand National Fever Set to Sweep UK in April Before the Kentucky Derby kicks off America’s Triple Crown of racing for thoroughbreds in May,... Races continue at Monmouth Park Exagerrator Fights Through Mud To Capture Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park