Monmouth Park to honor Book'em Danno with race-day celebration

Monmouth Park will turn July 17 into Book’em Danno Day, pairing a race-day giveaway with the champion sprinter’s start in the six-furlong Mr. Prospector Stakes. The track will hand out Book’em Danno-themed T-shirts to the first 2,000 paid admissions, and its homepage is also advertising a free Book’Em Danno T-shirt offer plus free admission for Oceanport residents.

The promotion is built around a horse who has already become one of the biggest names in New Jersey racing. Book’em Danno was named the 2025 Eclipse Award champion male sprinter, became the first New Jersey-bred Eclipse winner since Open Mind in 1989 and has earned more than $2.13 million while going 11-for-18 in his career. He has won five graded stakes and 10 stakes overall, including the 2024 Woody Stephens and the 2025 Forego, and he comes into the Monmouth appearance off a determined victory in the Grade 3 True North at Saratoga Race Course on June 6.

The local angle is just as important as the résumé. Book’em Danno is trained by Derek Ryan and owned by Atlantic Six Racing LLC, a group tied to Monmouth County, which gives the July 17 card a clear homegrown connection for a horse that has already carried New Jersey-bred pride onto the national stage. John F. Heims, Monmouth Park’s general manager, said fans will get a chance to see one of the greatest New Jersey-breds in history while he is still in his prime.

Monmouth’s celebration also plays off the horse’s own history at the track. Book’em Danno broke his maiden at Monmouth Park on Aug. 12, 2023, winning a maiden special weight by 9 1/2 lengths, then returned later that year to take the Smoke Glacken Stakes by two lengths on Sept. 9, 2023. He also won the Futurity Stakes at Aqueduct as a 2-year-old, a sign that the horse the grandstand now recognizes has long been more than a local story.

The Mr. Prospector adds a wagering wrinkle to the day. The race is listed with a $100,000 purse, but that figure doubles to $200,000 if a multiple Grade 1 winner starts, making the event more attractive from both a competition and betting standpoint. For Monmouth, the promotion is more than a giveaway line on a calendar; it is a summer showcase built around a recognizable horse who can still turn a race day into a destination.