Chalon wins Regret Stakes; Chublicious prevails in Mr. Prospector

Chalon showed she is more than ready to step up in class by easily winning the $75,000 Regret, the first of four stakes at Monmouth Park on Sunday. And she likely will get that chance at Saratoga.

Click here to read article from DRF.

The Regret was Chalon’s third start for trainer Arnaud Delacour and the Lael Stables of Roy and Gretchen Jackson, who purchased her privately from California-based Rockingham Ranch following her 3-year-old season, which she concluded with runner-up finishes in the Thoroughbred Club of America and Raven Run, both Grade 2 stakes at Keeneland.

In the Regret, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, Chalon stalked pacesetting Behrnik’s Bank through an opening quarter in 22.03 seconds. She took the lead while in hand after a half-mile in 44.85, was under a moderate hand ride by Paco Lopez in midstretch, then was taken back in hand for the final sixteenth while winning by four lengths.

Chalon paid $3 in the six-horse field and was timed in 1:10.05. She certainly could have gone faster if asked.

After the race, Delacour said Chalon would be pointed to the Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap at Saratoga on July 25.

“We thought this would be a perfect stepping-stone for the Honorable Miss, which is at six furlongs,” he said. “The grading is appealing because she has done everything except win in a graded stakes, so it’s going to be important for us to try to do that.”

Startwithsilver, the second choice at 5-2, made Chalon’s task easier when she broke tardily and then failed to get involved, finishing last.

Jessica Krupnick, who was forwardly placed along the inside early, finished second, a neck ahead of third-place Liz’s Cable Girl. Behrnik’s Bank tired to finish fifth.

Chalon won the Primonetta Stakes at Laurel Park in her debut for Delacour and was second in the Grade 3 Vagrancy at Belmont Park last time out. The daughter of Dialed In has a 5-3-1 record from 11 starts.

The Regret was the second leg of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships filly and mare sprint division. Chalon is now tied for the lead with Vertical Oak, who won the Skipat at Pimlico. They each have 10 points.

Mr. Prospector: Chublicious outbattles Lewisfield

The New Jersey-bred Chublicious outfought Lewisfield in the stretch of the $75,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes to score by a half-length.

Chublicious, making his first start in the name of trainer David Cannizzo, improved his record at Monmouth to nine wins in 15 starts. He also won the Mr. Prospector in 2016 and has three other New Jersey-bred stakes victories. His biggest win came last fall in the Grade 3 De Francis Dash at Laurel Park.

Delta Bluesman broke sharply in the six-furlong Mr. Prospector and went to the lead. He was joined from the outside by a headstrong Lewisfield on the backstretch as they separated themselves from the rest of the lineup through a quarter in 22.16.

Lewisfield took the lead from Delta Bluesman nearing the stretch but was quickly joined by a three-wide Chublicious. The pair battled to midstretch before Chublicious got the upper hand under jockey Antonio Gallardo.

“We had a pretty good pace in front of us,” Gallardo said. “I had a lot of horse at the three-eighths, and that’s a good sign.”

Chublicious paid $16.80 in the eight-horse field. His final time was 1:09.92 following a half-mile in 45.00.

Laki finished third, two lengths behind Lewisfield.

Chublicious is owned by Brittany Stable, which purchased him last fall after his De Francis win. He raced at Fair Grounds over the winter and finished second in the New Jersey-bred John J. Reilly at Monmouth in his last start for trainer Ron Faucheux. Chublicious won the Reilly in 2016 and 2017.

The Mr. Prospector win tied Chublicious for second with Maryland Sprint winner Switzerland in the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships sprint division with 10 points. Lewisfield, who finished third in the Maryland Sprint, earned seven points in the Mr. Prospector and leads the pack with 12 points.