Two Big Money Races and a Beach Mat Giveaway at Monmouth Park Saturday

Beach mats and high stakes will be for the taking at Monmouth Park Saturday, as the track will be giving away mats to anyone who pays admission (while supplies last) and awarding big purses to the fastest horses in the Salvator Mile and United Nations Stakes.

United Nations Stakes

The 58th running of the United Nations Stakes offers a $750,000 purse, the second-highest of the 2011 season at Monmouth Park, bested only by the $1 Million Haskell Invitational.

A field of 10 horses three years or older will go a mile and three-eighths on the track's inner turf in the eleventh race, and the winner will take home 60 percent of $750,000, or $450,000. The rest will be divvied up among the pack, according to finish position.

Irish-bred five-year-old Chinchon (morning line 5-2) has arrived back in the states ready defend his title, and will likely be challenged by Bourbon Bay (ML 3-1), Monmouth Stakes winner Teaks North (ML  5-1), Breeder's Cup Grade III marathon winner Eldaafer (ML 10-1) and Monmouth trainer Kelly Breen's Sleepless Knight (6-1).

"My United Nations pick is 10-1 shot Eldaafer, who comes from an underated barn and owns tactical speed," said Monmouth Park handicapper . "There are only a few Grade 1 winners in here, so I think the race is wide open and he's certainly worth a shot at a square price."

The United Nations Stakes was first run in 1953 at the Atlantic City Race Course in Mays Landing. The race's distance was originally one mile and three-sixteenths, until 1999, when the race moved to Monmouth and changed its distance to the current one mile and three-eighths. Until 2007, it was known as the United Nations Handicap. It has also been run as the Caesars International (while in Atlantic City).

The first winner of the United Nations Stakes was Chilean-bred Iceberg II, who was trained by future U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Horatio Luro and ridden by Jorge Contreras.

The United Nations Stakes is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” series of races. Saturday’s U.N. winner will receive an automatic berth into the $3 million Emirates Airlines Breeders’ Cup turf race on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

For more in-depth information on this year's United Nations Stakes, see this article on Bloodhorse.com

Salvator Mile Stakes

The $200,000 Grade 3 primer to the United Nations Stakes will be the 64th running of the mile (8 furlongs) race which was inaugurated in 1948, two years after the current version of Monmouth Park opened its gates. It is named after Salvator, a champion stallion of the latter 19th century.

Seven horses are entered in the race, which will be the tenth of the day. Friesan Fire (ML 8-1) may be a familiar name to some, as the five-year-old ridgling is a grandson of Seattle Slew and raced in the 2008 Kentucky Derby.Three four-year-old colts Soaring EmpireMorning Line (ML 9-5) and Rule (ML 5-2) look to challenge.

For more in-depth information on this year's Salvator Mile Stakes, see this article on Bloodhorse.com