Ribo Bobo was a horse trainer Jason Servis just couldn’t let get away, and on Monday the five year old gelding by Louis Quatorze paid back that faith by winning the $75,000 Icecapade Stakes at Monmouth. It was an especially satisfying win for Servis, as twice in the recent past he had lost the horse through a claim, but he saw enough potential in the well-traveled campaigner to immediately claim him back. Although this was Ribo Bobo’s first stakes start in 18 months, he has been money in the bank in the lower ranks, winning all six of his starts this year going into the Icecapade.
With a wet track rated as fast at Monmouth, two of the original field of six starters were scratched, leaving four to battle for the win. Those included the race favorite, Immortal Eyes, winner of three straight, including back-to-back stakes scores in the Teddy Drone and Mr. Prospector at Monmouth; Royal Currier, who had spent some time last year running in graded-stakes company; and He Can Run, who was going into the Icecapade having won four of his previous five. As for Ribo Bobo, his most latest had been a 3 ½ length score in a starter allowance event at Parx Racing.
After an even start that saw a brief head-to-head duel between Immortal Eyes and He Can Run, the former was able to open up a half-length, with Ribo Bobo stalking in third. After a quick 21.52 opening quarter, Gabriel Saez on Ribo Bobo gave him a nudge, and in two quick hops he was on the leader, Immortal Eyes, as He Can Run began to fade. With the second quarter a much slower 22.94, Ribo Bobo seized control turning into the stretch, and pulled away to win the six-furlong race by a widening five lengths.
The field is set for the $1 million Haskell, where Nyquist will be trying to re-stake his claim as the top three-year-old in the country.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $300,000 United Nations Stakes. Scheduled to be run at a mile and three-eighths on the turf, the Grade 1 event has drawn a field of ten colts and geldings.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes, a key prep race for the Haskell Invitational (G1). The Grade 3 event will be contested at a mile and a sixteenth and has drawn a field of seven three-year-olds.
With five grade 1 races and a grade 2, the undercard for the June 11 Belmont stakes could be the best single day of racing on the calendar outside of the Breeders’ Cup.
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