Redistricting, Randomized strike for Brown at Monmouth

Trainer Chad Brown had a glorious day at Monmouth Park on Saturday, saddling three of the four graded stakes winners on the Haskell Day undercard. The most lucrative of these was the $612,000 United Nations (G2), in which Redistricting recorded a belated first win at graded level.

A close second in the Knickerbocker (G3) and Seabiscuit H. (G2) last fall, Redistricting underwhelmed in his first two starts of the season at Fair Grounds and Churchill Downs. But the five-year-old Kingman gelding has stepped up his game on the Jersey Shore this summer.

Exiting a five-length, wire-to-wire victory in the nine-furlong Monmouth S., Redistricting found the extra quarter mile of the United Nations more than suitable. Sitting a pocket trip in behind the leaders, Redistricting tipped out into the two path at the top of the stretch and surged past pacesetter Major Dude en route to a 1 1/2-length triumph under Flavien Prat. Grand Sonata finished second, a half-length in front of Major Dude.

Owned by Seth Klarman, Redistricting covered 1 3/8-mile on firm turf in 2:13.75. He returned $4.60 as the 13-10 favorite.

Redistricting, who has now won four of nine starts, is finally realizing the potential graded stakes form he displayed late last season. Opportunities at bigger prizes now await.

Brown and Prat teamed up one race earlier to snare the $495,000 Molly Pitcher (G3) with the front-running Randomized, who extended her early narrow advantage to a decisive three lengths approaching the wire of the 1 1/16-mile fixture for fillies and mares.

Sent off as the narrow 2-1 favorite over five rivals, Randomized finished up the fast-track test in 1:42.75 and paid $6. Majestic Oops nosed out Candied for second.

Randomized, whose previous triumphs include the 2023 Alabama (G1) and Beldame (G2) and the 2024 edition of the Ogden Phipps (G1), finished third to stablemate Raging Sea in the May 2 La Troienne (G1) in what was her first start since last August. However, she fared poorly in her Ogden Phipps title defense last month, albeit over sloppy conditions she had not previously tried.

The five-year-old Nyquist mare, also owned by Klarman, has now won six of 13 starts and more than $1.7 million.

Segesta gave Brown a sixth consecutive win in the $300,000 Matchmaker (G3) and his ninth in the past 11 runnings of the nine-furlong grass test for fillies and mares.

The second choice in a field of seven, Segesta rated in behind pacesetter No Mo Candy, poked her head in front with a furlong to go, and then staved off a late surge from 11-10 favorite Sacred Wish and Grayosh to win by a neck.

A Juddmonte homebred ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Segesta prevailed in a time of 1:49.17 and paid $7.60.

A four-year-old by Ghostzapper, Segesta has now won three of eight starts. Victorious in the Wonder Again (G3) and a narrowly beaten second in the Belmont Oaks (G1) at three, Segesta went unplaced in the Modesty (G3) and Just a Game (G1) prior to the Matchmaker.

"Her last race (the Just a Game), the turf was yielding and she probably didn't like that," assistant trainer Luis Cabrera said. "We like winning this race. We want to keep it going as long as we can."

In what was arguably the upset of the day, Surface to Air edged 1-10 favorite Just a Touch to land the $396,000 Monmouth Cup (G3) by a half-length under Samuel Marin.

A multiple allowance winner who finished a distant seventh of eight in last year's Monmouth Cup, Surface to Air ran the race of his life to beat the multiple Grade 1-placed Just a Touch, who set the pace but came under a ride approaching the quarter pole.

Owned by Premier Stable and trained by Panagiotis Synnefias, Surface to Air returned $41.40 after completing 1 1/8 miles over the main track in 1:49.29.

A Kentucky-bred son of Midshipman, Surface to Air has now won five of 21 starts. His only prior stakes placing was a third in the June 14 Salvator Mile (G3).