Artisanal, Jehan prevail at Monmouth

Artisanal won her third straight in the Little Silver, stamping herself as a turf filly to follow (Bill Denver/Equi-Photo) Starlight Racing’s ARTISANAL (More Than Ready) rallied smartly between horses to capture her stakes debut in Sunday’s $72,000 Little Silver S. at Monmouth Park, while one race later at the Jersey Shore, Farnsworth Stables LLC’s JEHAN (Forest Wildcat) held off entrymate Bronx City Girl in the $75,000 Red Cross S. Artisanal was bet down to 7-5 favoritism in the Little Silver off two straight wins, a turf maiden score at Gulfstream and a convincing entry-level allowance tally on Keeneland’s Polytrack. The Todd Pletcher pupil stalked pacesetter Salary Drive (Mizzen Mast) through fractions of :23 4/5 and :48 2/5, and was still within close range when Skating (Awesome Again) put her head in front through six furlongs in 1:12 4/5. As the field entered the stretch, jockey Chris DeCarlo awaited room aboard Artisanal, and guided the dark bay into the clear. Artisanal did the rest, drawing off by 1 1/2 lengths. Salary Drive came back to best Skating by a head for second. After finishing the mile over firm turf in 1:35 3/5, Artisanal paid $4.80, $3.20 and $2.60. Her record now stands at 5-3-1-0, $107,359.

“We were boxed in around the far turn, but I wasn’t worried,” DeCarlo said.
“She’s the type of horse that you can wait for an opening rather than look for
one. I finally got out at the eighth-pole and it was all her from there.” 

In the Red Cross, Jehan broke through with her first stakes win following
four stakes placings, spearheading a one-two finish for the Farnsworth and
trainer Marty Wolfson entry.

Under Joe Bravo, Jehan broke sharply, fended off pace challenges from Landing
My Way (Southern Image) and Feel That Fire (Lightnin N Thunder), and edged 1 1/2
lengths clear of Bronx City Girl. The winning entry paid $6.40, $6.20 and $3 as
the slight 2-1 second choice.

“I talked with Marty Wolfson this morning,” Bravo said. “He told me that (Jehan)
just got beat by (multiple Grade 1 winner) Life at Ten last out. The
instructions were to get her close to the lead early. That’s what I did and the
Marty Wolfson training took over from there.”

Wolfson was referring to an April 10 optional claimer at Gulfstream, where
Life at Ten wound up a well-beaten second in her comeback, just nosing out Jehan.

The five-year-old Jehan boosted her bankroll to $292,883 from her 25-5-6-5
line. Wolfson is her fourth trainer. Her stakes placings came for Mike Mitchell
— the 2009 Manhattan Beach S., Flawlessly S. and Torrey Pines S. on the
Southern California circuit — and in her lone start for Todd Pletcher, the
Sweet and Sassy S. at Delaware Park last fall.