Royal Urn goes for third John J. Reilly

One of these years, Monmouth Park will host the $85,000 John J. Reilly Handicap, a six-furlong dirt sprint for New Jersey-breds, and Royal Urn won’t be part of the race. This is not that year.

Fourth in the 2019 Reilly, victorious in 2020, fifth in 2021, and a winner again last summer, Royal Urn is all set for the fifth John J. Reilly of his career on Sunday at Monmouth – and win No. 3 looks well within range.

Royal Urn isn’t as fast as he was a couple years ago, but he’s still fast enough to contend under a very manageable 119 pounds, including jockey Jose

Gomez. Trained by Kelly Breen, Royal Urn won the 2022 Reilly while making his first start in nearly 10 months, and this year he comes into the race with the benefit of a prep, an even fifth last month at Gulfstream Park against allowance horses and higher-end claimers tougher than most of the competition Sunday. The 7-year-old Kantharos gelding, owned by Roseland Farm Stable, figures to stalk the pace like he usually does and at least turn in a contending performance.

Breen’s second runner, Pickin’ Time, a half-brother to Royal Urn, can’t entirely be discounted, but he hasn’t looked like the same horse in four starts since he won the City of Laurel Stakes in October 2021.

The two horses among 10 that passed the entry box standing firmest against another Reilly trophy for Royal Urn appear to be Speaking and Last Romance, both 4-year-olds with a touch of upside to their form.

Speaking, a Holly Crest Farm homebred son of Mr Speaker who is trained by Eddie Owens Jr., was fifth behind Royal Urn in the 2022 Reilly before coming into much better form over the summer. After a commendable third in the Jersey Shore, an open sprint for 3-year-olds, he won a race like the Reilly, the New Jersey Breeders’ Handicap, before getting in too deep in the Grade 2 Gallant Bob at Parx last September and the Grade 3 Mr. Prospector at Gulfstream in December.

Speaking has kept to a steady work pattern since a modest showing March 23 while making his turf debut at Gulfstream, and an outside post Sunday will help jockey Jairo Rendon ration Speaking’s speed.

Last Romance, open stakesplaced in 2021, improved steadily through 2022, and while the last start of his campaign, perhaps his best race, came over a route trip, the Tapiture gelding has sprinted effectively, too. He’s been posting fast workout times at Fair Hill for trainer Cal Lynch and might come back a stronger horse in 2023 than he was in 2022.