A Unique Treasure and Twelve Pack Shelley won the two $100,000 featured races at Monmouth Park on Saturday.
A Unique Treasure scored a front-running 1 3/4-length victory in the $100,000 My Frenchman Stakes. Twelve Pack Shelly held on by a length to capture the $100,000 Colleen Stakes.
A Unique Treasure covered the 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf course in 1:01 2-5 with Elvis Trujillo in the saddle. The Jane Cibelli-trained 5-year-old paid $14.40, $6 and $3 in winning for the sixth time in 21 starts.
True to Tradition rallied for second and paid $5 and $3.60. It was another length back to General Perfect, who was $3.20 to show.
Barge, the 5-2 favorite, was sixth in the field of eight colts and geldings.
''I was a little worried going into the race that there wasn't that much speed,'' Cibelli said. ''Usually he likes a target to run at. But he broke so sharply and it wouldn't have made any sense to wrangle him back after that. Elvis did a great job nursing him along.''
In the Colleen Stakes, Twelve Pack Shelly battled early with Tomica's Sprit, opened daylight turning for home and then held off the late charge of R Heat Lightning to take the 5 1/2 furlong test in 1:05.
Trained by John E. Salzman Jr., Twelve Pack Shelly returned $7, $3.60 and $2.60. R Heat Lightning paid $3.40 and $2.10. It was another 7 3/4 lengths back to post-time favorite Sleepless Dixie, who returned $2.20 to show in the field of six 2-year-old fillies.
''She had a perfect trip, not too fast,'' winning jockey Harry Vega said. ''I always thought she was a good horse since I first got on her. She's shown me that she wants to win.''
The victory was the third in five lifetime starts for Twelve Pack Shelly.
