Speaking Scores Three-Peat in John J. Reilly Handicap; 16-1 Summer’s Comin Storms Home

Speaking #2 with Jorge A. Vargas, Jr. riding won the John J. Reilly Handicap at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ on Sunday May 18, 2025. Photo By Grace Harney/EQUI-PHOTO

OCEANPORT. – With Speaking’s three-peat in the John J. Reilly Handicap complete, trainer Eddie Owens had a suggestion for the Monmouth Park racing office for the years to come.

“They may have to call this the Speaking Stakes in the future,” Owens said.

Speaking, a gelded son of Mr Speaker, made a strong case for that, springing to the lead out of the gate and going on to an easy two-length victory over stable mate Great Navigator in Sunday’s $85,000 John J. Reilly Handicap for Jersey-breds.

It’s the third straight year that Speaking has won the John J. Reilly Handicap and marked his fifth win in New Jersey-restricted stakes company. He also won the Smoke Glacken Stakes as a 2-year-old.

“He’s been good a horse for me, but I thought he was capable of being even better,” said Owens. “But he has a bleeding issue and you have to manage that. If not for that issue I think he would have been one of the best sprinters in the country, I really do.”

The expected showdown with race favorite No Cents never materialized when the Cal Lynch runner – second to Speaking in this race the past two years – was left at the gate. He eventually rallied to be third, just a half-length behind Great Navigator.

“I don’t want to take anything away from (No Cents) but we got a pretty easy lead and it worked out for us,” said winning rider Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.

          With the win, the 6-year-old Speaking, a Holly Crest Farm homebred, posted his eighth win from 21 career starts. He is 8-for-12 overall at Monmouth Park and 7-for-12 at six furlongs.

          The winning time was 1:10.97.

          Speaking made short work of his five rivals, bolting to the lead through a :22.83 opening quarter and reaching the half in :46.55.

          There was never a serious challenge to him.

          “My instructions were to come out of there running,” said Owens. “I know No Cents is fast but he couldn’t catch us and beat us last year or the year before. I’m not taking anything away from No Cents but the only way you are going to beat him is to be ahead of him, not behind him.

“If No Cents would have gone with us and not gotten left I think we would have a learned a little more about how Speaking has come back this year. He had it all his own way today. He ran the way I expected to him to run.

“We’ll look next at the Friendly Lover (on June 8 for Jersey-breds) going a mile.”

Speaking returned $7.40 to win as the third choice in the wagering.

“It feels good, more so because of Eddie,” said Vargas. “I’m a huge fan of Eddie. I like how he works with his horses, and I always try to team up with him. Luckily, we did for this race and it worked out.

“My horse, he breaks. Great Navigator is a great horse, but they were both feeling great. They had the same training schedule, so they were 100 percent ready for this race. I’m just happy I was the winner.”

16-1 SUMMER’S COMIN STORMS HOME TO SCORE BY 4¼ LENGTHSIN SATURDAY’S SPRUCE FIR HANDICAP AT MONMOUTH PARK

Summer’s Comin #3 ridden by Jockey Sonny Leon won the $85,000 Spruce Fir Handicap on Saturday May 17, 2025 at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ. Photo By Ryan Denver/EQUI-PHOTO

OCEANPORT – Trainer Mike Dini isn’t sure what Summer’s Comin got out of her seasonal debut at Tampa Bay Downs on April 12 because of an awkward start, but he is certain that the nearly four months off she had prior to that race were a huge benefit to the 4-year-old filly.

Able to sit a stalking three-wide trip, and closer to the early pace than she usually is, Summer’s Comin roared past dueling leaders Bel Pensiero and Bingo’s Birkin coming out of the final turn and cruised to a 4¼-length victory in Saturday’s $90,100 Spruce Fir Handicap for Jersey-breds at Monmouth Park.

It marked the first stakes win in 20 career starts for the daughter of Summer Front.

“At Tampa in her last start she got eliminated early,” said Dini, who also owns Summer’s Comin. “I have to be honest, I did not expect her to be as close as she was. Since I turned her out (from December to early April) she has gotten bigger and stronger. She was only a 3-year-old last year and she was very green and sometimes got intimidated. So she had a lot of room to grow and mature.

“My filly just needed that vacation to get freshened up and mature a little bit.”

The winning time for the six furlongs was 1:10.34.

Sent off at 16-1 in the field of nine fillies and mares, 3 and up, Summer’s Comin and jockey Sonny Leon were able to bide their time as race favorite Bel Pensiero and Bingo’s Birkin dueled through early fractions of :22.14 and :45.16 to the half. Leon had Summer’s Comin just off their flanks wide and in third.

Both Bel Pensiero (fifth) and Bingo’s Birkin (seventh) faded as Summer’s Comin staged her rally through the stretch.

“I think I had a perfect trip,” said Leon, who is riding full-time at Monmouth Park for the first time. “I got her clear early, I got her to settled down and I stayed patient. I made my move on the turn to win the race. She broke sharp and was right there. She was right behind them at the perfect time.”

Long shot Kate’s Cuban Kiss rallied for second, three-quarters of a length behind Mia’s Crusade.

The $2 exacta returned $331.00.

Summer’s Comin tried Jersey-bred company twice last year, both times in grass races, but failed to hit the board. The victory was the fifth of her career.