Strangles Outbreak at Saratoga Triggers Weekend Scratches at Monmouth Park
The unfortunate news of another strangles outbreak at Saratoga, this time in Barn 66 with the George Weaver-trained filly Tenacious Child, has affected racing procedures at the Jersey Shore. According to a tweet from trainer Mark Hennig, any horse coming from a NYRA track is now prohibited from entering the Monmouth Park backside.
(Monmouth Park Racetrack) Until further notice NO HORSE from any NYRA TRACK WILL BE PERMITTED ON MONMOUTH PARK BACKSIDE. Also, any horse's from Monmouth Park running or shipping to a NYRA TRACK will NOT BE ALLOWED BACK.
— Hennigracing (@Hennigracing) June 26, 2025
This marks the second outbreak at Saratoga in recent months and has already led to a wave of scratches at Monmouth Park. Track announcer Matt Dinnerman noted there will be scratches in multiple races throughout the weekend.
With this news, here are two New York shippers who will be inevitably scratched tomorrow:
— Matt Dinerman (@3coltshandicap) June 26, 2025
Race 1: #3 Peony
Race 5: #3 Richy
Saturday:
#2 Golden Channel, #4 Uncatalyzed, and #8 Mythical Man will all be scratched from the Tale of the Cat Stakes.
Sunday:
#1 Pookie and #9 Midway… https://t.co/n0Qjvsbb1X
Saturday’s featured race, the Tale of the Cat Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile turf event for 3-year-olds, is among the most impacted. Morning-line favorite Uncatalyzed, trained by Chad Brown, will be scratched due to quarantine and safety protocols. He was listed at 5/2 and figured to take a lot of money in the betting. Other notable scratches include the George Weaver-trained Golden Channel and Danny Gargan’s Mythical Man, both set at 6/1, who are also unable to run under the current restrictions.
With those horses out, favoritism will likely shift to Soleil Volant, trained by H. Graham Motion and ridden by Monmouth’s leading jockey, Paco Lopez. The Karakontie 3-year-old gelding has been working at Fair Hill and is cross-entered in Saturday’s American Derby Stakes at Churchill Downs. If connections decide to send him to Louisville, favoritism may land on Outrunner, trained by Jorge Duarte Jr. and ridden by Sonny Leon.
Other notable scratches over the weekend include the Tom Morley-trained Pookie and the Chad Brown filly Midnight Memories. Both were originally slated to run on Sunday in the Boiling Springs Stakes, a $100,000 turf event for 3-year-old fillies at the same 1 1/16-mile distance. More money is now likely to be poured in on Brown’s other trainee, Growth Trajectory, set at a morning line of 5/2.
It is unclear how long it will take for restrictions to be lifted, but with the highly contagious illness continuing to spread, things may remain on hold. Continue to check for updates throughout racing over the weekend for additional scratches at multiple tracks.
Monmouth Park’s marquee race, the Grade 1 Haskell on July 19, is fast approaching. As the situation continues to unfold, hopes are that the outbreak is contained in time to avoid any disruption to one of the summer’s biggest racing days.
Dom Polcino is a contributing writer for Sports Illustrated’s On SI, where he covers all things horse racing. A 2021 graduate of Temple University’s Klein College of Media and Communication, Dom has been betting on sports and horses since 2017. When he’s not glued to the TV and rooting home the final leg of a Pick-5, you can find him cheering on his beloved Philadelphia Phillies or soaking up the sun and fishing in his hometown of Seaside Park, NJ.
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