Ice Princess Gives Gargan Strong Chance In Violet

OCEANPORT, NJ – Invading trainer Danny Gargan’s potentially-lucrative Monmouth Park weekend starts on Saturday when he sends out Ice Princess in the $100,000 Violet Stakes, the feature race on a 14-race card.

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Scheduled for a mile and 1/16 on the turf, the Violet Stakes may fall victim to rain that is expected to hit the area on Friday. That’s fine with Gargan, since Ice Princess cruised to a 4-length win in the slop at Saratoga in allowance company in her last start on August 19.

“If it comes off she is going to run,” said Gargan. “I think she will turf but we’re trying to handicap and taking an edge. If it comes off she would be a big favorite.”

A 4-year-old daughter of Palace Malice-Happy Clapper by Awesome Again, Ice Princess was a respectable fourth in her only career turf try on June 17 at Belmont Park. She shows a 4-4-1 line from 13 career starts with lifetime earnings of $308,019 that includes winning the 2020 Maddie May Stakes at Aqueduct.

Six other fillies and mares, three and up, are scheduled to oppose her.

“She’s a lightly-raced filly. We don’t run her a lot,” said Gargan. “She is actually super sound. It’s not about soundness. It’s more about her body weight and it getting a little too low sometimes.

“She’s a pretty cool filly. I think next year will be her best year because she is starting to grow into herself.”

First race post time for Friday, Saturday and Sunday – the final 3 days of the Monmouth Park meet – is 12:15 PM.