BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Trainer Jose D’Angelo has shipped Sugar Boy to Monmouth Park for Saturday’s $100,000 Long Branch where the Florida-bred colt will face seven other 3-year-olds at a mile-and-70-yards.
It will be the second career start on the mainland for the son of Khozan, who was undefeated in four starts in Puerto Rico last year including a four-and-a-half-length victory in the Classico Agustin Mercado Reveron (G1-PR) going a mile-and-a-sixteenth in December. He also won the Clasico Angel T. Cordero Jr. (G2-PR) going seven furlongs there in November.
In one start this year, Sugar Boy led briefly in the stretch but finished second to Pure Class in the $110,000 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sophomore against Florida-breds at Tampa Bay Downs on March 24.
Out of E B Ryder, by Bluegrass Cat, Sugar Boy was bred in Florida by Champion Equine LLC. He has earned $103,636 in his five starts.
Sugar Boy twice passed through the auction ring at Ocala Breeders’ Sales, selling as a yearling for $25,000 to Grassroots Training and Sales out of the Abbie Road Farm consignment at the 2022 October Yearling Sale. Grassroots then sold him for $20,000 to C.H.P.R. at the 2023 OBS Spring Sale.
Sugar Boy will be ridden by Samy Camacho and has post two.
Evening News comes into the Long Branch off the Triple Crown trail after finishing ninth in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino won by Resilience at Aqueduct on April 6.
The son of Nyquist is trained by Michael Pino for Travin Stables and looks to return to the form shown when winning a one-mile allowance race over the synthetic main track at Turfway Park on March 8.
Evening News has won two with a second and a third in seven starts while earning $84,600.
No rider has yet been named on Evening News, who has drawn post eight.
Trainer Todd Pletcher is sending Heartened to Monmouth for the Long Branch after the bay colt finished second to Native Land in a first level, $100,000 optional claiming going a mile-and-a-sixteenth on a sloppy track at Keeneland on April 10. Heartened also tried Triple Crown hopefuls in March when fifth in the Grade 3 Lambholm South Tampa Derby won by Domestic Product at Tampa Bay Downs on March 9.
Heartened has one win with two seconds and two thirds while banking $86,525.
By Street Boss, Heartened will break from post one with jockey Paco Lopez.
Rounding out the Long Branch field are Rapture Bay with jockey Daniel Centeno, Mission Ready and rider Nik Juarez, Crazy Mason will have Isaac Castillo aboard, Jairo Rendon rides Sea Streak and Adam Bowman has the mount on Lonesome Bay.
