Laughing enjoys success in Taylor Made Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth Park
Alan E. Goldberg’s 3-year-old bay filly, Laughing, lived up to the expectations on Sunday, when finishing on top of the table in the Grade 3 Taylor Made Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth Park.
The 6-5 favourite did not faced any difficulty whatsoever in blitzing Shimmering Moment and the rest of the crew in the $150,000 event.
She raced close up early, and managed to take a decent lead in the middle stages. The filly responded well to her jockey’s call, and held well under urging. Despite being in command, she did not relax, and put in an all out effort to retain the advantage.
Shimmering Moment played her cards wisely in the final moments, but despite a fine finish, the mare could not make things problematic for the leading filly. Bred in Ireland by Floors Farming & The Duke Of Devonshire, the filly clocked the distance of 1 1/8
miles in 1:48.93.
Owned by Richard Santulli, the filly came to Monmouth Park after suffering a terrible defeat at Pimlico. The Grade 3 Gallorette Handicap saw her finishing third behind Zagora.
Despite facing plenty of embarrassment in her previous appearance, she looked full of confidence on Sunday.
“She never had a real chance in the Gallorette, with the heat and the shipping. She’s been doing great since then, and I thought she would run well today,” Goldberg said after the race.
It was Laughing’s first graded success. The filly has been showing a lot of good work since the start of this season. She started off this season with a classy act at Aqueduct.
The filly made her graded debut in October last year, when ending up seventh in the Grade 1 E. P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine last season.
In another big meeting at Monmouth Park, Royal Currier cruised to a close victory. The 4-year-old gelding succeeded in holding off Travelin Man in the Teddy Drone Stakes.
He tracked the leaders early on, lodging a two patch bid on the turn. Patricia Farro’s charge reached the front row in the stretch, and retained his advantage till the wire. Following an outstanding effort, he captured the first place by a nose in the $100,000
contest.
After riding the 4-year-old to a close win, the rider Joe Bravo stated: “He doesn’t care who he’s running against. He’s a battler.”
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