Race Details
- Event: Friendly Lover Handicap
- Date: Sunday, June 8, 2025
- Time: 3:44 PM ET
- Venue: Monmouth Park, Oceanport, NJ
- Distance: 1 mile (Dirt)
- Purse: $85,000
- Eligible Horses: 3-Year-Olds & Up
Field Overview & Contenders
The Friendly Lover Handicap at Monmouth Park features a competitive lineup of seasoned thoroughbreds, each bringing speed, stamina, and pedigree strength to the track. With a one-mile distance, expect a strategic race where pace control and endurance will be crucial.
Top Horses to Watch
- Last Romance (Tapiture x Fake Romance)
- Trainer: Cathal A. Lynch
- Jockey: Gabriel Maldonado
- Owner: Hope H. Jones
- Key Strengths: Proven miler with strong finishing ability.
- No Cents (Goldencents x Faker)
- Trainer: Cathal A. Lynch
- Jockey: Eliseo Ruiz
- Owner: Isabelle de Tomaso & Hope Jones
- Key Strengths: Elite pedigree with speed-focused genetics.
- Forever Chocolate (Boys At Tosconova x Chocolate Blush)
- Trainer: Rory K. Huston
- Jockey: Paco Lopez
- Owner: Janet A. Laszlo
- Key Strengths: Consistent performer with strong closing ability.
- Max’s Glory (Tonalist x Act of Glory)
- Trainer: Chuck Spina
- Jockey: Samy Camacho
- Owner: Prancing Horse Farm LLC
- Key Strengths: Speedy front-runner with aggressive racing style.
- Great Navigator (Sea Wizard x All Even)
- Trainer: Eddie Owens Jr.
- Jockey: Samuel Marin
- Owner: Holly Crest Farm
- Key Strengths: Proven stakes performer with strong stamina.
- Amatteroftime (Eskendereya x Victory Pool)
- Trainer: Silvino Ramirez
- Jockey: Isaac Castillo
- Owner: Silvino Ramirez
- Key Strengths: Front-runner with endurance.
- Optic Way (Cable Boy x Crafty Coed)
- Trainer: Elliott Soto-Martinez
- Jockey: Abner Adorno
- Owner: Novak Stable, Inc.
- Key Strengths: Veteran stakes runner with dominant sprint record.
- Irish Boolum (Exaggerator x Irish Score)
- Trainer: Joan Milne
- Jockey: Axel Concepcion
- Owner: Miguel Herrera Arellano
- Key Strengths: Strong late closer with New Jersey-bred advantage.
Race Strategy & Betting Insights
- Pace Projection: Expect Max’s Glory and Amatteroftime to set the early pace, while Great Navigator and Forever Chocolate will likely close late.
- Best Bet: Great Navigator to Win – Strong speed figures and elite pedigree.
- Value Bet: No Cents to Place – Consistent top-three finisher.
- Longshot Play: Irish Boolum to Show – New Jersey-bred advantage on home turf.
