The last time Occult was favored in a Grade 3 race around two turns she finished fifth at odds of 9-5 in the Gazelle Stakes on April 9 at Aqueduct. That’s something bettors should keep in mind when Occult starts as the likely favorite Saturday at Monmouth Park in the Grade 3, $250,000 Monmouth Oaks. Occult is one of two entrants trained by Chad Brown. The other is Shidhabuti, one of four horses coming out of an extremely messy renewal of the Boiling Springs on July 2 at Monmouth. Feargal Lynch, who doesn’t regularly ride at Monmouth, has a call on Occult. Jairo Rendon takes over on Shidhabuti, whose jockey in the Boiling Springs, Jorge Vargas Jr., rides Promiseher America. It was Promiseher America who won the Gazelle, where Shidhabuti was a staying-on third and Occult came tamely home more than five lengths behind the winner. Occult didn’t start again until June 9, when she finished third in the Grade 1 Acorn, earning an 89 Beyer Speed Figure that marks her as a potential standout in the 1 1/16-mile Monmouth Oaks. The Acorn, however, is a one-turn race, and it was dominated by victorious Pretty Mischievous and runner-up Dorth Vader. Occult raced far behind the early leaders, got into a contending position by running her third quarter-mile in a field-best 24 seconds, but then went slightly flat through the final furlong while drifting out a bit. Occult edged fading pacesetter Munnys Gold by a half-length for third before galloping out tepidly. :: Bet the races with a $250 First Deposit Match + $10 Free Bet and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. The only data point suggesting Occult is a cut above her rivals is that outlier 89 Beyer; it could be worth looking for better value. Promiseher America, 26-1 in the Gazelle, went on to the Kentucky Oaks, where she finished last of 14, all but eased. In her defense, the filly’s race went awry on the first turn, where Promiseher America took a solid bump that forced her wide and threw her out of rhythm. The filly thereafter failed to settle and was finished before the far turn. Freshened since by New York-based trainer Ray Handal, Promiseher America does have a gap in her work pattern between June 24 and July 8. Miss New York won the Boiling Springs by nearly three lengths but is the only one among the quartet who returns for the Monmouth Oaks that had a clean trip in the race. Stalking outside, she loomed in upper stretch and drew steadily clear, running her dirt record to 2-0-1 from three starts. Campaigned in England during 2022, Miss New York, by Good Magic, has shown a decided preference for dirt racing, and to her credit she was third two starts ago facing older horses in a Monmouth stakes won by Shotgun Hottie, heroine of the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher last weekend. Shidhabuti improbably wound up second in the Boiling Springs after completely coming off the bridle past the half-mile pole and dropping back to last place by several lengths. But at the quarter pole, under heavy urging, she found stride again and was finishing fastest through the final half-furlong. Atthecrossroads, third in the Boiling Springs, had a poor start, while fourth-place Seduction had trouble at the quarter pole and nowhere to run in upper stretch. Shidhabuti might be the right horse out of the Boiling Springs. Also entered is Delaware Oaks winner Foggy Night, who turned a perfect stalking trip into a 14-1 upset in that Grade 3 stakes earlier this month. Colleen Stakes The Colleen, a five-furlong turf sprint for 2-year-old fillies, failed to fill when originally carded last weekend, but made it onto Saturday’s program with an interesting field of nine. There’s a 50-50 chance of heavy rain Saturday at Monmouth, but if the Colleen stays on turf, it’s playable. :: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures The betting public is sure to gravitate toward two Belmont Park turf-sprint maiden winners, Amidst Waves and She’s Fire. Amidst Waves went dirt to turf and closed doggedly from midpack to win a five-furlong contest by nearly three lengths on June 11. The performance was more visually taking than the pace figures it produced, and She’s Fire might have come home better than Amidst Waves after racing on the lead in her six-furlong maiden tally July 7. Locally based Lady d’Oro was privately purchased and turned over to trainer Michael Pino after an eye-catching turf-sprint maiden win July 3, albeit in a spill-marred race. Rail-drawn Moretastic ran better than her modest 44 Beyer capturing a Belterra Park turf-sprint maiden on July 6. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.