OCEANPORT, N.J. – After a series of near misses in middle-distance turf events, Webslinger finally got it done when trainer Mark Casse stretched him out to 11 furlongs in last month’s Chorleywood Stakes at Churchill Downs. Casse hopes Webslinger has found his niche at these longer trips, and the 4-year-old gelding looms a strong contender Saturday at Monmouth Park in the Grade 2, $600,000 United Nations going 1 3/8 miles on turf. The United Nations is race 11 and immediately precedes the Haskell Stakes on the biggest day of the Monmouth season. “Maybe the distance is the key,” Casse said. “He just doesn’t keep up early [going shorter]. With the longer distance, he didn’t get as far out of it. [Jockey Jose Ortiz] said he won easy. When he asked him to go, he took off.” A stakes winner at Monmouth as a 2-year-old, Webslinger grabbed two stakes last year, including the Grade 2 American Turf. After winning the listed Audubon in June 2023, Webslinger hit the board in 5 of 7 starts in Grade 1 or Grade 2 competition without a win, enduring several tough trips. “He’s been very unlucky,” Casse said. “It’s frustrating, but I was also very proud of his performances and his consistency.” Luis Saez picks up the mount. Webslinger has post 10 in the 12-horse field. :: Subscribe to the DRF Post Time Email Newsletter: Get the news you need to play today's races!  Casse also entered Get Smokin, who finished fourth in his first start of 2024, the Grade 2 Eclipse over the Tapeta on June 1 at Woodbine. Get Smokin earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure two back last September when wiring the field in the Grade 2 Kentucky Turf Cup at 1 1/2 miles on turf. “I thought [the Eclipse] was just what he needed,” Casse said. “As these horses get older, it’s tougher coming back.” Get Smokin will likely show speed along with longshot So High. Christophe Clement counters with Far Bridge and Tawny Port. Far Bridge won his first two starts for Clement before being transferred to Todd Pletcher. He hit the board in all five starts for Pletcher, including a victory in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby, before being sent back to Clement for his 2024 campaign. Far Bridge recently finished in a dead heat for third in the Grade 1 Manhattan on June 8 at Saratoga. He has the outside post and will be ridden by Jose Ortiz on Saturday. Tawny Port, a multiple Grade 3 winner on dirt and a restricted stakes winner racing 13 furlongs on turf, finished third in the Grade 3 Monmouth Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf June 15. The Monmouth was won in a dead heat by Running Bee and Fort Washington. Running Bee, trained by Chad Brown, was ridden hard on the second turn in the Monmouth. He was eased outside, then grinded home in the manner of a horse who will appreciate extra distance. Fort Washington, dismissed at 35-1 in the Monmouth for Shug McGaughey, is unbeaten in two starts at Monmouth, including the Tale of the Cat in 2022. Brown perseveres with Adhamo, winless in eight starts since nabbing this race as the favorite two years ago. He finished seventh in the Monmouth after being forced wide. Mike Maker entered Starting Over, a long-distance specialist racing for the first time since posting a rallying victory in the Grade 2 Mac Diarmida on March 2 at Gulfstream Park. Maker scratched the horse out of a subsequent stakes race due to soft turf, then withdrew him from the two-mile Belmont Gold Cup last month. Dataman steps up in class and distance after winning two listed stakes. He notched the Cliff Hanger here May 25 at 1 1/16 miles despite breaking slowly. “He’s put two really good efforts together,” trainer Graham Motion said. “That’s at a different level than he was last year. I like the fact that we’ve given him time to take a shot at this. He’s kind of a nervous Tapit that takes a lot out of himself in the mornings.” :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. Dataman will race beyond 1 3/16 miles on turf for the first time but is bred to handle the extra yardage. “I wasn’t necessarily looking to do this, but it does open up a whole new window for him if he handles it,” Motion said. Jockey Jorge Ruiz “feels distance isn’t an issue for him.” Emmanuel, a five-time graded winner, stretches out significantly in distance for Pletcher after finishing off the board in his last two races. Pletcher’s Grand Sonata showed speed before faltering to eighth in the Monmouth. A Grade 3 winner in 2022, Grand Sonata might rate off the early leaders this time. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.