Two MATCH contests highlight undercard

In addition to the Pegasus Stakes for 3-year-olds, the Father’s Day card at Monmouth Park includes three other stakes, the Mr. Prospector and Regret at six furlongs, and the Dan Horn, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for New Jersey-breds.

The Mr. Prospector and Regret are the second of five legs in their respective divisions of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships. Both have competitive fields of eight.

The betting in the $60,000 Dan Horn, on the other hand, figures to be lopsided with Irish Strait, an older half-brother to Irish War Cry, dipping into the statebred ranks for the first time in his career.

A 6-year-old owned and bred by Isabelle de Tomaso and trained by Graham Motion, Irish Strait will be making his second start of the year. In his May 5 seasonal debut, he dropped a nose decision after a stretch-long battle with millionaire Force the Pass in the Cliff Hanger Stakes.

Last season at Monmouth, Irish Strait won the Grade 3 Red Bank and finished second to Money Multiplier in the Grade 2 Monmouth Stakes.

Irish Strait will be a single on many late pick five tickets at Monmouth on Sunday. The sequence includes the Mr. Prospector (race 9), the Dan Horn, the Pegasus, a $12,500 claiming turf sprint, and a conditioned $5,000 claimer at six furlongs on the main track.

Startwithsilver is the horse to beat in the $75,000 Regret. Trained by Linda Rice, she finished second on Black-Eyed Susan Day at Pimlico to Vertical Oak in the Skipat, the first leg of the filly and mare sprint

division of the MATCH series. Startwithsilver will move to the top of the standings with a third-place finish or better in the Regret, which seems likely.

Vertical Oak was razor sharp in the Skipat, and Startwithsilver ran well in the slop that day when beaten 1 1/2 lengths. She won a second-level optionalclaiming race at Aqueduct in her prior start.

Chalon has performed well in two starts since being purchased by Lael Stables from the California-based Rockingham Ranch. She won the Primonetta Stakes at Laurel in her debut for trainer Arnaud Delacour and most recently finished second in the Grade 3 Vagrancy at Belmont Park.

Jessica Krupnick and Yorkiepoo Princess also are contenders.

At age 5, Jessica Krupnick is in the best form of her career for trainer Tres Abbott and the Sycamore Racing partnership. She won a second-level optional claimer at Parx Racing in January, but was disqualified to second. She came back to win at that level at Laurel Park and then returned to Parx to win a third-level sprint.

Jessica Krupnick comes into the Regret off a close fourthplace finish over Tapeta in the Grade 3 Whimsical at Woodbine.

Yorkiepoo Princess, trained by Ed Barker, will make her 4-year-old debut following a near nine-month layoff. A twotime stakes winner at 3, she finished second in the Grade 3 Charles Town Oaks in her final start last year.

The $75,000 Mr. Prospector goes through Grade 3 Tom Fool winner Skyler’s Scramjet, who is based at Belmont Park with Michelle Nevin. The 4-year-old earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure by finishing second to Westwood in the Runhappy Stakes at Belmont on May 12.

Trainer Jorge Navarro has given 8-year-old Delta Bluesman plenty of time to recover from his seven-length victory on the April 21 Charles Town Classic undercard. Even at his advanced age, Delta Bluesman still has speed to spare.

The field also includes the third-, fourth-, and sixth-place finishers from the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint, the first leg of the MATCH sprint division.

Lewisfield ran well over the sloppy footing on Preakness Day to finish third in the Maryland Sprint, but may be capable of better Sunday for trainer Jeff Runco and should be fair price in the Mr. Prospector. He dropped considerably farther off the pace than usual in the Maryland Sprint and should be more forwardly placed Sunday.

Irish Colonel (fourth) and Laki (sixth) also come out of the Maryland Sprint, which was won by the vastly improved Switzerland.

It’s the Journey will be making his first start since mid-March, but has a steady work tab since the third week of April and should fire fresh for Mike Trombetta. It’s the Journey was beaten threequarters of a length in the Grade 3 General George in February and finished second by a length to Lewisfield in the Maryland-bred Not for Love in March.