The horse racing gods taketh away, the horse racing gods giveth. Monmouth Park-based trainer Eddie Owens Jr. had a potential star on his hands with Little Ni, a speedy sprinter who won his first three starts by a combined 17 lengths heading into the Jersey Shore Stakes, where he took on Book'em Danno, off a win in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens at Saratoga on Belmont Stakes Day. Little Ni came within a head bob of pulling off a major upset.

After that race, an ownership share in Little Ni was sold and the horse was transferred to Mark Casse, who sent him out for the first time in the H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga Aug. 24. Little Ni was never a factor, finishing last (Book'em Danno was third).

"It was a little disappointing, but I know that's part of the game," said Owens. "There's nothing I can do. They sold half and wanted to be with their trainer. You've got to respect that."

Horse racing is very much a turn-the-page business and Owens did that and then some the day after the Jerkens, on New Jersey-bred day at Monmouth. The former longtime Joe Orseno assistant, who took over in 2020 for the legendary John Mazza, Holly Crest Farms' private trainer for almost 60 years, won three races on the card, including both stakes.

Trainer Eddie Owens won three races on the Monmouth Park card Aug. 25. Rock the Rainbow (top) started the triple by galloping home by 18 lengths in her debut.

 

"Everyone with a Jersey-bred looks forward to that day," Owens said.

Two of Owens' winners were among the five progeny of Sea Wizard, the top-ranked New Jersey sire in 2023 and '24, to visit the winner's circle, a banner day for the stallion, who stands at Pegasus Stud, formerly Colonial Farms. Rock the Rainbow got Owens started in a big way, winning a 2-year-old filly maiden special weight by 18 lengths in her debut. By Sea Wizard out of the Flatter mare Holy Rainbow, Rock the Rainbow is a Roron Stables homebred.

"I knew she was going to run good, I didn't know she was going to do that," Owens said. "She's going to be a nice filly."

Breaking from the rail, never ideal for a first-time starter, Rock the Rainbow was hard ridden by Samuel Marin to get to the lead, opening 2 lengths early in the race. Marin was already looking around for threats as he extended the lead on the turn and there were none. The lead was 10 lengths by the stretch call and it grew from there, as Rock the Rainbow covered the 5½ furlongs in 1:05.57.

"I don't know how good she is. To go 5½ and win by 18, she wasn't asked to do anything other than come out of the gate," said Owens, who said the filly would not run again until late in the year or next year. "I'm not going to rush her."

Owens didn't want to run Riding Pretty in the Eleven North Handicap, the Holly Crest Farms homebred not having sprinted on dirt since her career debut in June 2022 at Gulfstream Park. But the combination of some friendly persuasion by the racing office and there not being a route on dirt for fillies that day prompted him to take a shot.
Good decision, but she had to earn it.

The 4-year-old daughter of Jack Milton out of Girolamo mare High Renaissance was fifth of seven after a quarter-mile, but Jairo Rendon followed instructions and made an early, emphatic move on the turn, drawing even with Bel Pensiero before they straightened for home. The pair dueled for the length of the stretch, Bel Pensiero regaining the lead at the eighth pole before Riding Pretty wore her down to win by a length going 6 furlongs.

"I thought he needed to hook that filly by the top of the stretch," Owens said. "If he didn't, I don't think we were going by her. I didn't want to have to make up 5 lengths in the stretch."

Once he decided to enter the sprint, Owens gave Riding Pretty a 3-furlong blowout three days before the race "to get some speed in her," he said. "Sprinting is not her game."

It was the fifth win in 20 starts for Riding Pretty, who increased her career earnings to $369,365.
Owens had two Holly Crest homebreds, both by Sea Wizard, in the Charles Hesse III Handicap: Sea Streak, coming off a fifth in the Grade 1 Haskell, and Great Navigator, stakes-placed in open company in 2022 and 2023 and defending Hesse champ. Sea Streak was on the Kentucky Derby-G1 trail early in the year, before running seventh in the Holy Bull Stakes-G3 at Gulfstream. He won the Long Branch and was fifth in the Pegasus at Monmouth before the Haskell, while Great Navigator had lost three in a row after winning a Gulfstream allowance in March.

Sea Streak was fourth after a quarter-mile of the 11⁄16-mile stakes, and still sitting behind a line of three horses heading into the far turn. Rendon made a wide move, took the lead in upper stretch, put away No Cents at the eighth pole and held off a fast-closing 9-year-old Amatteroftime to win by a diminishing 11⁄2 lengths. Great Navigator was in contention early, but fell back to sixth on the backstretch and finished a distant fourth.

"Jairo had to navigate his way to the outside and get him to relax," said Owens, who noted that Sea Streak, out of the Silver Deputy mare High Noon Nellie, lost a shoe early in the race. "That's a long way to run with three shoes. He was the best horse in the race."

It was the 10th career race and third win for the 3-year-old Sea Streak, who debuted in a stakes but still has some growing up to do, according to his trainer.
"He trains like a good horse, but he's still got a lot to learn," Owens said. "From his first race, he ran against some nice horses. Some days he puts it all together and gives you his best, some days he gets lost."

The first career race was the Smoke Glacken Stakes in September 2023, when he ran second to Book'em Danno and beat Owens' Ship to Shore, who won the Limehouse Stakes at Gulfstream in January.

"I really think he's a nice horse," Owens said. "It's all mental. We threw him to the wolves early in his career."