BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Fourth in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup won by Tapit Trice last out, My Purple Haze Stables’ homebred Khozeiress returns Saturday to face five other 3-year-olds and older in the Grade 3 Philip H. Iselin Handicap at Monmouth Park. The 4-year-old Florida-bred colt has been assigned 118 pounds for the mile-and-a-sixteenth test, receiving six pounds from highweight and 2-1 morning line favorite Il Miracolo.
Khozeiress was in tight quarters around the clubhouse turn and four-wide on the second turn in the Monmouth Cup so better racing luck could prove beneficial for the son of Journeyman Stud’s leading Florida sire Khozan.
The Terri Pompay trainee won the $60,000 Awesome Banner overnight handicap at Gulfstream Park in November but was unsuccessful in three starts against stakes horses at Tampa Bay Downs, Gulfstream and Monmouth in December through May. Khozeiress then ran perhaps the best race of his career at Monmouth on June 23 when defeating third condition, $50,000 optional claimers by a length-and-a-quarter but was unable to duplicate that performance in the Monmouth Cup.
Out of the Wildcat Heir mare Bridled Heiress, Khozeiress has won five with two seconds and two thirds in 14 career starts while earning $226,740.
He is 8-1 on the morning line and Jairo Rendon will ride from post one.
Trainer Antonio Sano scratched Il Miracolo out of the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 3, opting to run against apparent easier competition in the Iselin.
Il Miracolo started the year finishing sixth in National Treasure’s Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup in January before improving to come in third behind winner Steal Sunshine in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Mile on March 2. He won the Grade 3 Ghostzapper at Gulfstream on March 30 before shipping to Churchill Downs in May to finish third in the Grade 2 Alysheba won by First Mission in his most recent start.
Purchased by Eduardo Soto for $70,000 at the 2022 Ocala Breeders’ Sales June Sale out of the de Meric Sales consignment, Il Miracolo has won four with five seconds and four thirds while banking $726,635.
The well-bred son of Gun Runner out of the Tapit mare Tapit’s World has post five and jockey Paco Lopez rides for the first time.
The second highweight with a 120-pound assignment is Everso Mischievous for trainer Brad Cox.
Everso Mischievous exits a fourth-place finish behind winner Mullikin the Grade 2 John A. Nerud going seven furlongs during the Belmont at Big A meet on July 6.
The 4-year-old son of Into Mischief is 3-1 in the program and Florent Geroux will be aboard from post four.
Completing the field are Instant Coffee with jockey Katie Davis, Antigravity will be ridden by Joe Bravo and Mike Smith has the mount on Subsanador (Arg).
