Decathlon highlights Monmouth opening day

Monmouth Park in Oceanport, New Jersey, opens on Saturday with an 11-race

program attracting a total of 102 entries. The 94-day meeting will run through

September 27.

Topping Saturday's card is the $70,000 Decathlon S. for three-year-olds and

up, which attracted eight starters, including WHO'S THE COWBOY (Intensity),

winner of stakes races at Monmouth in 2005, 2006 and 2008. Who's the Cowboy, a

seven-year-old gelding who has not run since finishing second in the October 3

Eillo S. at the Meadowlands, was third in the 2007 edition of the Decathlon.

Last season, he won the Icecapade S. and Colts Neck H., both at Monmouth.

Others entered in the Decathlon include ACTING ZIPPY (City Zip), a

four-length winner of the Vincent A. Moscarelli Memorial S. and third in the

Fifth Season S. in his past two starts, and recent Florida Cup Sprint S. victor

ON THE VINEYARD (Lite the Fuse).

The six-furlong Decathlon is the first of 83 stakes races to be run at the

meeting, including 13 graded events. Centerpiece of Monmouth's summer as always

will be the $1 million Haskell Invitational, which has its 42nd running on

August 2. Monmouth's Grade 1 turf race, the $750,000 United Nations S., will

highlight the Fourth of July weekend when it is renewed for the 56th time on

July 4.

Monmouth will offer racing on Saturday and Sunday for the first two weekends

in May before running on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday of Memorial Day

weekend. The track comes back with live racing on May 29 through May 31, before

picking up the regular schedule of racing Wednesday through Sunday, beginning on

June 3.

Gates will open at 11:30 a.m. (EDT) and first post is set for 12:50 p.m.

every day except Haskell Day, when the gates open at 10 a.m. and first post will

be noon.