Spend a Buck Wins Monmouth Handicap by a Nose, Sets Track Record

Kentucky Derby winner Spend a Buck held off Carr De Naskra in the stretch drive and won the 50th Monmouth Handicap by a nose in track-record time Saturday at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Spend a Buck, ridden by Laffit Pincay, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:46 4/5, taking a fifth of a second off the track record set by Majestic Light in 1976.

And Spend a Buck had to run that fast to hold off Carr De Naskra, who stayed with the winner from the start. Valiant Lark was placed third after Rumptious was disqualified for interference.

The victory was the fifth in seven starts this year for Spend a Buck, who paid $3 to win as the 1-2 favorite in the $270,300 race. The winner earned $162,180 for owners Dennis Diaz and William Farish, and raised his career winnings to $4,220,689.