Eddie Owens sends five runners across Monmouth Park stakes races

Eddie Owens is pressing hard for a first win of the Monmouth Park meet, and the weekend entry sheet says the veteran trainer is doing it with volume and intent. More than one-third of his 22-horse stable is entered across the Jersey-bred program, with five runners spread through the Spruce Fir Handicap, a 4 1/2-furlong maiden special weight and the John J. Reilly Handicap.

The timing matters. Monmouth Park’s 2026 season opened May 9 in Oceanport, New Jersey, and the track’s stakes calendar carries 36 stakes worth nearly $6 million over the 50-day meet. The Spruce Fir is set for June 6, and the John J. Reilly follows on June 7, giving Owens a concentrated two-day stage to get his barn moving after a quiet start in which he was still searching for his first victory despite five starters and two thirds.

Riding Pretty looks like one of the barn’s clearest live chances. The 6-year-old daughter of Jack Milton, owned and bred by Holly Crest Farm, owns eight career victories and four Jersey-bred stakes wins. She won a $125,000 optional claimer at Gulfstream Park on March 26, then was fifth in the Serena’s Song Stakes on May 16. Owens still thinks six furlongs may be a little sharp for her, but her record says she can handle the class and the local surface.

Rock the Rainbow is the opposite end of the story, the comeback attempt. The 4-year-old daughter of Sea Wizard, owned and bred by Re-Ron Stable, announced herself with an 18-length debut victory at Monmouth in 2024, then was sidelined after suffering a condylar fracture following her first breeze. Owens said she has been training well and that her winter races in Florida against tougher company should leave her fit for a rebound.

The biggest name in the group is Speaking, and he gives Saturday and Sunday their most obvious stakes anchor. He has won the John J. Reilly Handicap three straight years, has six stakes wins overall and owns $517,770 in lifetime earnings. He is 8-for-12 at Monmouth Park and 7-for-12 at six furlongs, though Owens has had to manage him carefully because of a bleeding issue. Owens has even said the race could become the "Speaking Stakes" if the gelding keeps owning it.

Great Navigator and Boardwalk Jack round out the Sunday attack, and Midnight Voodoo gives Owens a chance to strike earlier in a Jersey-bred maiden spot. For a trainer trying to shake loose the meet’s first win, this is more than a busy weekend. It is a pressure test, and if even part of the barn delivers, the momentum at Monmouth could change fast.