Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association of New Jersey
The Garden State will be well represented, and the New Jersey Thoroughbred breeding program will have a strong rooting interest in the July 20 Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park with longshots Jasper's Pride and Sea Streak part of the top-class field. The two Jersey-breds will bid to become the first state-bred to win the Haskell in 44 years since Thanks to Tony accomplished the feat in 1980.
This also presents a unique opportunity for Monmouth Park mainstays Eddie Owens Jr. and Chuck Spina. Not only are the trainers competing in their initial Haskell, but they will each be running a horse in a grade 1 for the first time in their long careers.
"It will be a normal day for me. I feel like it'll be just another race. The emotions are the same until they gate, and then I get a little nervous. Other than that, I keep a pretty low and even keel," said Owens, 63, who grew up in the shadow of the track and honed his trade working here under Ben Perkins, Sr., Joe Orseno, and John Mazza.
Spina, 76, has been based at Monmouth Park since 1972. Not only is this his first grade 1 appearance, it's just his second graded stakes race start. In 2013, his Winiliscious ran fourth in the Molly Pitcher Stakes (G2) at Monmouth.
"It's exciting to be part of the big race on the big day," said Spina, who trains Jasper's Pride for Gayle and Joe Ioia's Prancing Horse Stable, among Monmouth's perennial leading owners.
"I come every year and sit in my box because I usually have one in the Jersey-bred first-level allowance race, but this will be different. I'm just happy to still be here doing this at my age and still getting up at 4 o'clock every day and enjoying what I do at Monmouth Park," said Spina. "It's my home and my favorite track."
Owens conditions Sea Streak for owner/breeder Holly Crest Stable. After the gelding won the Long Branch Stakes at Monmouth in May, he said, "Don't let that Jersey-bred (origin) fool you because his horse can really run."
"Everybody thinks that we Jersey-breds don't belong sometimes, but none of (the horses) know where they're from," he added. "If I worry about him running against these Kentucky-breds and Florida-breds and any other breds, we'll have a long, long day.
"If you want to be in these big races, you have to run against these horses. We don't listen to other people's opinions. They aren't mine."
Owens has known Spina since he first came on the track when he was a kid.
"I was planning for us to be here in this race together," he laughed. "It's kind of cool for us Jersey trainers. We've got longshots on the board but somebody's got to win. I wish him the best of luck. If I don't win, I hope he does."
Nonetheless, Owens has full intentions of raising the Haskell trophy by himself. Sea Streak will break from the outside post under Jairo Rendon.
Owens hasn't been engaging in any creative visualization practices.
"Oh, I plan on being in the winner's circle. I'm not envisioning it. I plan on being there," he said. "I'm not going over there just to be a part of this field. I'm going over with the intention of winning. That's what we plan on doing."