2016 Pegasus Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds

OffTrackBetting.com – The Grade 3 Pegasus Stakes will be contested this Sunday, June 18 at Monmouth Park on the Jersey Shore. Horses three years old will chase the winner’s share of the $150,000 purse when they take to Monmouth Park’s dirt track and race 1 1/16 miles.

Seven three year olds will take to the track in the Pegasus Stakes – race 10 on Monmouth Park’s Sunday schedule. Post time is 5:24 PM. Let’s take a glance into the past performances of all seven combatants for this Grade 3 stakes – a local prep for the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational.

2016 Pegasus Stakes Race Preview at Monmouth Park

Unified – James Jerkens trained colt has just three career starts and three impressive wins. Last time out was a very nice victory in the Grade 2 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park May 14 after another with an impressive 107 Beyer Speed Figure in the Grade 3 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct April 9 – over a pretty good field and a dominant three length win as favorite at first asking at Gulfstream in February – a race he posted a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. Unified looks to build on three terrific efforts and hopes to remain unbeaten in his two turn debut from gate 4 with Jose Ortiz aboard the obvious favorite.

Awesome Slew – Edward Plesa trained colt has three career starts with two nice wins. Last time out was one of those wins – an Allowance Optional Claiming on this track May 21. Before that was an OK fourth in his only stakes action – the Grade 3 Sanford Stakes at Saratoga last July and a maiden score at first asking – on this track in June, 2015. Awesome Slew has won both of his starts on this track and will be after his first stakes win from the rail. Paco Lopez rides.

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Abiding Star – Edward Allard trained colt has 12 career starts with five wins, a second and a third place finish. He made his graded stakes debut last time out and finished a disappointing eleventh in the Preakness Stakes. Before that he was on fire – five straight wins including the minor Parx Derby May 7, an Allowance Optional Claiming April 12 and the minor Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park March 12. Abiding Star looked untouchable before his step up on the biggest stage and hopes for a strong rebound Sunday. JD Acosta will be in the reins from post 7 hoping to accomplish that goal.

Donegal Moon – has two wins, a second and a third place finish in 10 career starts for trainer Todd Pletcher. He hasn’t been great lately – a fourth last time out in the minor LARC Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico May 21 followed an eighth in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland April 9. Before that was an Allowance score by an incredible 13 1/2 lengths at Parx March 5 in which he recorded a 102 Beyer Speed Figure, a fifth in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct January 30, a DNF after he lost his rider on that track in the Grade 3 Jerome Stakes January 2 and a rather disappointing stakes debut – a fifth after setting the pace and fading in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes here November 28. He has placed in just one of his last six starts overall – that result being an impressive one but for the most part has been underwhelming. Jockey Joe Bravo hopes to change all of that from gate 6 Sunday from gate 6.

Saratoga Jack – has placed in four of five career starts for trainer Miguel Vera – two wins, a second and a third place finish. He makes his stakes debut off an Allowance Optional Claiming score May 22, a second in an Allowance May 1 and a third in an Allowance April 17. He has improved every time out and hopes to keep that trend going from post 3 Sunday. Jose Luis Flores gets the call.

Extinct Charm – has 12 career starts for trainer Bruce Brown with three wins, two seconds and a third place finish. He makes his graded stakes debut Sunday having failed to place in two of his last three starts. Last time out was a fourth in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Belmont Park May 26 which followed a win in a similar race on that track and a sixth in the minor OBS Championship Stakes at Ocala Training Center January 26. He did have a two race win streak before that – the best coming in the minor Damon Runyon Stakes at Aqueduct December 26. Extinct Charm has been OK so far and hopes to make a statement Sunday from gate 2. Dylan Davis will be in the saddle.

Memories of Winter – Anthony Margotta trained colt won his first two career starts including his debut on this track in September. He hasn’t looked great lately however – failing to place in his last three starts. Last time out was a sixth in the minor Select Stakes here June 12 after an eighth in the minor Tom Ridge Stakes at Presque Isle Downs May 23 and an eighth in the $1,000,000 Delta Downs Jackpot in November. Memories of Winter searches for his first stakes win and enters in less-than-spectacular form. Jose Ferrer gets the call form post 5.

2016 Pegasus Stakes Entries & Odds

Race 10 on Monmouth Park’s Sunday card with a Post Time of 5:24 PM.