English Channel wins United Nations once again Bravo gets win No. 4,000 on July 4 OCEANPORT - Jim Scatuorchio's English Channel broke his own course record at Monmouth Park Saturday as he powered his way to a one-length victory in the 54th running of the $750,000 United Nations Stakes Presented by TVG (G1). Sent off the 3-5 favorite in the field of five, English Channel tracked the pace-setting Fri Guy for most of the mile and three-eighths on firm turf. When jockey John Velazquez gave the signal, the favorite cruised to the lead in the stretch, and had no trouble holding Honey Ryder safe. The 5-year-old son of Smart Strike stopped the timer in 2:12.89 to better his record of 2:13.24 in winning last year's United Nations. Todd Pletcher, the nation's leading trainer, conditions both English Channel and Honey Ryder, a 6-year-old mare who went off third choice at 3-1. Better Talk Now, the 2005 U.N. winner and second choice at 5-2, closed belatedly, but had to settle for third, two lengths behind Honey Ryder. English Channel, who won his fourth Grade 1 stakes Saturday, was a bit uncomfortable right after the break, but settled down nicely for Velazquez and was content to sit off the pace set by Joe Bravo aboard Fri Guy. "It wasn't so much that he was rank, he just threw his head up when he jumped from the gate," Velazquez said. "He was a little uncomfortable after that, so I was trying to get him to see that other horse (Fri Guy) in front of him so that he'd settle down, and once he saw him he was fine. Once he relaxed, he was fine the whole way." English Channel maintained his forward position around the far turn and moved briskly to take the lead when the rider asked. Honey Ryder made a threatening move in midstretch, but never got closer than a length to her stablemate. English Channel became the first back-to-back winner of the United Nations since Sandpit at Atlantic City Racecourse in 1995 and 1996. Pletcher, watching on television, said, "The way they showed the break it was head-on, and it looked like he veered out a bit after the break. But Johnny (Velazquez) knows this horse well and once he got him to relax, it was fine. "I thought he got a little off track in Dubai," Pletcher said, referring to English Channel's poor run in the Dubai Duty Free in March. "Other than that, he's never really run a bad one. He ran a good race in the Manhattan, but it was good to get him back to three turns, and he's shown that he likes the Monmouth Park turf course. "He's run two monster races back-to-back since returning from Dubai," added Velazquez. "From here, we'll go to the Sword Dancer (Aug. 11 at Saratoga) and then either the Man O' War (Sept. 8) or the Turf Classic (Sept. 30) at Belmont, with the idea of bringing him back to Monmouth for the Breeders' Cup (Oct. 27)," Pletcher said. "His two wins have been over firm turf in the summer, so hopefully he'll get a firm turf in the fall." Bravo, Idiot Proof enjoy big days on Fourth of July Jockey Joe Bravo, of Long Branch, and 3-year-old speedster Idiot Proof provided the fireworks at Monmouth Park on July 4 as they thrilled an Independence Day crowd of 15,791 with their exploits. Bravo recorded career win No. 4,000 in the eighth race, and in the next event, Idiot Proof smashed Monmouth's six-furlong track record as he rolled to victory in the $150,000 Jersey Shore Breeders' Cup Stakes (G3). In the race before the feature, jockey Bravo scored No. 4,000 when he guided Alotofappeal to a one-length victory in the allowance event. The race before that, Bravo won the Colts Neck Handicap aboard Joey P. Idiot Proof, a California shipper trained by Clifford Sise Jr. and ridden by Rajiv Maragh, blistered the fast main track in the Jersey Shore, stopping the timer in 1:07.47 to shatter the track record of 1:07.84 set by Gilded Time in 1992. Sent off third choice in the field of seven 3-year-old sprinters, Idiot Proof scored by seven-and-a-quarter lengths over Spin Master, who had nearly two lengths on Principle Secret. Idiot proof dueled with Southwestern Heat early, as they set fractions of :21 1/5 for the quarter and :43 1/5 for the half. After five furlongs in :55, Idiot Proof asserted himself the last furlong when he put on a tremendous burst of speed to draw off to the track record. The 3-year-old son of Benchmark, bred by owners Pam and Martin Wygod, has now won four of six lifetime starts. The $90,000 winner's prize brought his career earnings to $237,272. "We blew him out over the track a few days ago, and he was awfully fast," Sise said. "After that, we knew he liked the track, and he really showed that today. We might have to bring him back for the Breeders' Cup. He's just a really cool horse." "He was going so fast so early and doing it so easily, I knew he'd be real tough," Maragh said. "Every time I asked him for a little more, he gave me a lot. He started looking around a little in the stretch, so I just kept on him all the way to the wire. I knew he was really moving. When we hit the wire, I thought he had to have broken the track record." Bravo, who is heading for a 13th riding title at Monmouth, appropriately enough recorded the milestone 4,000th win aboard a horse trained by Monmouth's leading conditioner, Pletcher. "I just want to thank all the agents I've had throughout the years and all the trainers and owners who put me on such great horses," Bravo said. "I'm just thankful for it all." In the $60,000 Colts Neck Handicap, John Petrini's Joey P. charged into the lead heading into the far turn, and then held off all challengers to the wire, scoring by three-quarters of a length over Hey Chub. It was the 10th career win for Joey P. at Monmouth, and gave Bravo the 3,999th victory of his career. Joey P., trained by Ben Perkins Jr., stepped the six furlongs in a lively 1:08 1/5 and paid $4.40, $2.60 and $2.10 across the board as the 6-5 favorite in the field of five New Jersey-breds. Joey P., a 5-year-old by Close Up, has now won 10 of 14 dirt starts at Monmouth, all at distances of six furlongs or less. His only other lifetime win came at the Meadowlands. "Before the race, I told Joe [Bravo] that if he breaks well, to just use his own judgment," Perkins said. "I was happy with the trip he got today. He's a big, honest horse that tries every time. I was telling Joe in the paddock that if I ever think of putting this horse in a van again, to hit me in the head." Dabrowski wins handicapping tourney first time out of the box It took Henry Dabrowski until the 10th and final race to reach the top of the June 30 $50 Handicapping Contest. With only one race to go, Dabrowski found himself in second place and facing a dilemma: to sit on his money and play for the runner-up spot, or go for the win. It was a tough call to make for the amateur handicapper who came Saturday to play in his first-ever Monmouth Park contest. But Dabrowski decided to go for it and bet $100 to win on Rough Road Ahead, the 3-1 co-second choice in the finale. Luckily for Dabrowski, his plan paid off and he finished the day with a contest-winning $728.50 in his bankroll that started at $30. With his successful gamble came the rewards of victory - the first prize of $4,110, two Breeders' Cup tickets and a spot in the 2008 Horseplayers World Series in Las Vegas. It was the first handicapping contest win of Dabrowski's career. "It was a lot of fun," Dabrowski said. "I've been going to the races for 25 years as a casual fan. Being realistic, I didn't think I had a good chance to win. I thought I could do better than most, but I wasn't expecting to win." The $50 Handicapping Contest was the second of the live Monmouth season. Players were given a $30 bankroll from a $50 entry fee and could only play Monmouth Park races. A minimum of six races had to be played, and a minimum of $5 could be wagered on each race. Only win and/or place bets were allowed. The next Handicapping Contest at Monmouth Park will be Saturday, July 28. The entry fee is $100.