Bishops Bay won the Philip H. Iselin and celebrated once again at the graded level

The son of Uncle Mo prevailed in a tight finish over Chunk of Gold at Monmouth Park to secure his fifth graded victory, as the top three finishers earned credits toward Breeders’ Cup entry fees

OCEANPORT, New Jersey—This time, the photo finish was on his side. After coming up just short in the Salvator Mile Stakes (G3), Bishops Bay found redemption on Saturday at Monmouth Park, taking the Philip H. Iselin Stakes(G3-1700m, dirt) after yet another suspense-filled finish.

The KAS Stables runner had to work considerably harder than it appeared when entering the homestretch, as Chunk of Gold (Preservationist) refused to yield and forced him to give his all down to the wire to prevail by a mere neck.

With Luis Rivera Jr. aboard, Bishops Bay tracked closely from the start behind Chunk of Gold, who set out to build the pace through fractions of 23s43/100, 46s92/100, and 1m10s37/100.

The pressure from the son of Uncle Mo intensified around the far turn, where he briefly poked his head in front. Once in the stretch, he established a half-length advantage, and for a moment, the outcome seemed settled.

However, Bishops Bay appeared to idle slightly upon taking the lead, and Chunk of Gold capitalized on the opportunity to launch a second bid. The initial pacesetter brought renewed drama to the race, forcing the favorite to dig deep in the final strides.

Rivera got Bishops Bay back on task, and the Brad Cox trainee responded just in time, holding on to a neck victory as he hit the wire. The clock stopped at 1m41s92/100 over a fast track.

Well back from the top two, outsider La Frost (Frosted) finished third, while betting favorite East Avenue (Medaglia D'Oro) disappointed in fourth and last.

Bred by WinStar Farm, Bishops Bay is by Uncle Mo out of Catch My Drift, by Pioneerof the Nile. At 6 years old, he continues to build a record of remarkable consistency.

With his Iselin victory, he boosted his ledger to 10 wins and 5 second-place finishes from 17 starts, while securing his fifth graded stakes victory.

Bishops Bay has always displayed high quality. Early in his campaign, he finished second in both the Peter Pan Stakes(G3) and the Ohio Derby (G3) before establishing himself among the older horses and maintaining the steady form that keeps him as a prominent figure in the division.

The Philip H. Iselin was also part of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Dozen Bonus Series, earning Bishops Bay, Chunk of Gold, and La Frost entry credits toward the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) or other eligible dirt events during the World Championships scheduled for October 31 at Keeneland.

After a tight photo finish cost him in the Salvator Mile, Bishops Bay found himself in another razor-thin margin. This time, however, the neck was on his side as he added another graded triumph to his expanding resume.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4K-zCc0E_A