My Miss Mo, Jumping the Gun Clash in Monmouth Oaks

The consistent My Miss Mo enters the $150,000 Monmouth Oaks (G3) July 25 at Monmouth Park ready to fire fresh off a grade 2 victory two months ago for owners Averill Racing, Mathis Stable, and Tristan De Meric. The Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee scored last time out in the May 15 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Laurel Park, where she outran fellow Monmouth Oaks entrant Jumping the Gun by 1 3/4 lengths. Just before the Black-Eyed Susan, she had a pair of grade 2 runner-up efforts in the March 28 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) and the Feb. 28 Davona Dale Stakes (G2), both at Gulfstream Park. The 3-year-old daughter of the late Uncle Mo has been first or second in all but one of her six starts, totaling $328,030 in career earnings. A registered Florida-bred, My Miss Mo is out of the Quality Road mare In a Dream, and was purchased out of the 2025 Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale by Averill Racing and Mathis Stable for $320,000 from the De Meric Sales consignment. Her familiar foe Jumping the Gun, who Andrew Simoff trains for Imaginary Stables, will aim to gain the upper hand in Saturday's 1 1/16-mile contest. The 3-year-old daughter of Gun Runner is coming off two runner-up efforts in graded stakes company. After her second-place finish in the Black-Eyed Susan, she ran second in the June 13 Delaware Oaks (G3) at Delaware Park, where she finished 1 1/4 lengths behind Luv Your Neighbor. "I'm very happy with her. She has been racing against some good ones," Simoff said. "The way she has been training, I'm hoping she does make that move forward for this race." At 2, Jumping the Gun was never worse than second in her five starts. Her trio of wins during her juvenile season were highlighted by a score in the Blue Hen Stakes, as well as a victory in the Small Wonder Stakes, both held at Delaware Park. Two other contenders, Zany and Miss Fulton Gal, are cross-entered in the Monmouth Oaks and the $500,000 Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) July 25 at Saratoga Race Course. Whether she runs in the Monmouth Oaks or the CCA Oaks, Zany looks to rebound from her sixth-place Kentucky Oaks (G1) finish with the addition of blinkers. Meanwhile, Miss Fulton Gal will look to make it two in a row after her most recent Christiana Stakes success June 27 over a sloppy track at Delaware Park. Klaravich Stables' Point of Reference, trained by Chad Brown, enters the Monmouth Oaks after running second in the June 13 Monomoy Girl Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs, where she closed from last. Other entries include Pashmina, Laken, Majestic Lucia, Bodacious Bay, and Ivy Girl.