BY MONMOUTH PARK PRESS OFFICE (Edited)
OCEANPORT, NJ—Trainer Kathleen O’Connell says she has been “waiting and waiting and waiting” for the 2-year-old filly Kholulu to finally make her career debut, which the Florida-bred daughter of Ocala Stud stallion Khozan did in the second race at Monmouth Park on Sunday.
A homebred for Marilyn Campbell’s Stonehedge based in Williston, Florida, Kholulu didn’t disappoint, either, coming from off the pace to score a professional-looking three-and-three-quarter-length victory in maiden special weight company. In addition to earning the $24,000 winner’s share of the purse, Kholulu also takes down a $3,000 Export Incentive for Stonehedge as breeder. Capped at $1 million in 2026, the Export Incentive program is administered by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
The only disappointment for O’Connell? She never got to see the race live.
“After all the waiting I did for this filly it just so happens I have some appointments in Tampa tomorrow and the only flight I could get takes off when they’re running,” she said. “And – this is no lie – the streaming stopped at the eighth pole. I had to text my assistant find out what happened.”
For O’Connell, the victory by Kholulu was her second with a 2-year-old first-time starter at the meet after Bettabe Tough was a first-time winner on July 12.
The veteran conditioner hopes Kholulu’s win is a good omen for her other 2-year-olds to begin making an impact. She has 10 2-year-olds at Monmouth Park and five in Florida and is eager to get all of the rest of them going.
“I was cautiously optimistic about Kholulu going in because with babies you never know,” she said. “But she seemed like she had a chance to be special. I had high expectations for her.
“My other 2-year-olds are just starting to bloom now. So we’re hoping to pop a few more before the meet is over. There are two weeks left (in the Monmouth meet) and we hope to be in every baby race they have.”
Even after more than 19,000 starters and 2,664 winners in a career that began in 1981 O’Connell said the thrill of having a promising 2-year-old is as strong as ever.
“They’re the future. They’re why we get up every day to do this,” she said.
Even with her other 2-year-olds still waiting to hit the track, O’Connell is enjoying what is arguably her best season at Monmouth Park, with a 14-14-6 line from just 59 starters. She is just one winner away from tying her best showing at the Jersey Shore track, having won 15 races during the 2022 meet.
“We always hope for a good meet,” O’Connell said. “We have a lot of nice babies and good owners that will let me run them where they belong. That’s the whole key. So it has been a productive meet.”
If O’Connell had high expectations for Kholulu, the wagering public didn’t agree. Ridden by Melissa Iorio, Kholulu paid $21.00 to win.
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