It didn’t take 18-year-old apprentice Chris Elliott long to win a stakes race – the first of his career – since moving his tack from Lone Star Park to Monmouth Park last week.

The son of noted jockey Stewart Elliott of Smarty Jones fame, the younger Elliott got 34-1 shot Reclusive to rally from far back before splitting horses in the lane and going on to a two-length victory in Friday’s $102,000 Regret Stakes at Monmouth Park.

The winning time for the six furlongs was 1:10.76.

“There’s no better feeling than this,” said Elliott, now 2-for-2 at Monmouth Park since coming East to ride. “My first career stakes win and at a track I used to come to all the time when I was younger. It’s just unbelievable to think that it just happened.

“I was born in Red Bank and grew up in Lambertville and to get my first stakes win at Monmouth Park in my first year of riding is something I can’t really put into words.”

Reclusive’s $71.00 win price triggered a $391.40 exacta when 18-1 Bel Pensiero ran second, a nose ahead of Mia’s Crusade.

The Saffie Joseph-trained Intrepid Daydream, the 3-5 favorite off a six-month layoff, staggered home fifth.

Reclusive was last in the seven-horse field after an opening quarter of :21.99 and had just one horse beat through a half-mile in :45.29. At the top of the stretch she was six lengths back of the leaders.

Elliott then had to split Bel Pensiero, Mia’s Crusade and Pacific Rose in deep stretch as Reclusive earned her first stakes win in her seventh try. The 5-year-old Texas-bred daughter of Flat Out earned her fifth career win in her 22^nd start.

“I was absolutely not worried about her being too far back,” said winning trainer Tina Hurley, who is based in Texas. “I’ve had her whole family; she is the middle sister. Her older sister, Heavenly Rhythm, was a stakes winner. She would get a coffee and a hot dog along the grandstand before she decided to run and would come flying late. It was not a problem being far back to start the race because I know what kind of kick she has. 

“Christopher is not your normal everyday apprentice. He’s got it. He’s got the breeding, he’s got the hands and he did an excellent job. I have been around him a lot at Lone Star. He has a good head on his shoulders, he works hard and you can see he has talent.”

Elliott recorded his first stakes win in his 86^th career start. He has six wins overall since he started riding in April in Texas.

“I’ve been on this filly before, because the trainer is from Lone Star Park, which is where I was until I came here last week,” said Elliott. “I’ve breezed her in the mornings and galloped her quite a few times. I watched all of her past 10 races. She has a good kick at the end. She does not have a whole lot of speed but she comes running at the end and she sure did today.

“When I saw how fast they were going early I knew I would have something to close into.” 

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