12-1 OTAGO STORMS HOME TO SCORE A HALF-LENGTH VICTORY IN SATURDAY’S CLIFF HANGER STAKES AT MONMOUTH PARK

Otago #7 (L) with Axel Concepcion riding won the $100,000 Cliff Hanger Stakes at Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport, NJ on Saturday. 2nd was #2 Highestdistinction and Fernando Jara and 3rd was Forever Souper #5 and Antonio Gallardo. Photo By Grace Harney/EQUI-PHOTO

OCEANPORT– If Axel Concepcion had had reservations about moving his tack to Monmouth Park this summer or the first time they were allayed on Saturday.

The 20-year-old jockey from Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, the 2023 Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top apprentice ride, gave a flawless ride to Otago, surging late with the 5-year-old in the stretch to score a half-length victory in the $104,000 Cliff Hanger Stakes at Monmouth Park before a crowd of 9,690.

The winning time for the mile and a sixteenth over a turf course listed as “good” was1:42.45.

“I think this is a good opportunity,” said Concepcion, who notched his first stakes win at the Jersey Shore track. “I want to ride every day and you can do that from here with all of the tracks that are so close. I was doing good in Kentucky but I’m young and hungry.

“It’s important to win my first stakes at Monmouth. I came here to work hard every morning to get the opportunities I want.”

Sent off at 12-1 in the field of eight 3-year-olds and up, Concepcion swung wide entering the final turn after being covered up early and stormed home from fifth, first catching loose leader Forever Souper and then holding off Highestdistinction.

Highestdistinction finished a head better than Forever Souper.

“I thought (Concepcion) gave him great ride,” said winning trainer Kelsey Danner. “He saved ground and then tipped out when they were slowing down on the rail. I thought it was a fantastic ride. Otago has in the past (shown this late kick). He can grind a little bit but he was covered up and it worked out well.

“I kind of thought it was an even group. I was surprised I was that long odds, especially since I thought he got a lot out of his allowance race his last time out (May 3 at Laurel). That should have been a stakes race. He’s rounding off after the layoff, with this being his third start off the layoff.”

In addition to the $60,000 winner’s share for his fifth win from 16 career starts, Otago earned a free entry and start fees to the Grade 2, $600,000 United Nations on the NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes undercard on July 19.

Asked if that race was on Otago’s radar, Danner said “It might be now.”

For Otago, a Florida-bred son of Speightstown, this marked his second career stakes win. He is owned by Crown’s Way Racing LLC, NBS Stable, Edward Delava and Eli Diamant.

Otago paid $26.60 to win.

“I talked with the trainer and she told me he likes to be covered up,” said Concepcion. “He broke good and relaxed very well. He was travelling nice the whole time so I took my time. Going to the quarter pole I had a perfect trip. I went to the outside to get clear. As soon as he changed leads he gave me a really good turn of foot.”