Sunny Ridge Scores in Withers, Gotham or Wood Memorial on Deck

Sunny Ridge, second from right, powered to a victory in the Grade 3 Withers Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Tom Pedulla, America’s Best Racing
NEW YORK – Sunny Ridge appears to be well on his way toward earning enough points to be part of what probably will be a full 20-horse field for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands after upsetting Flexibility in the Withers Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct.
There may be one problem with that promising scenario for the gray or roan gelding by Holy Bull. Although trainer Jason Servis will continue to receive input from Dennis Drazin, Sunny Ridge’s breeder and owner, he does not have even a mild case of Derby fever.
“The Derby is the Derby,” Servis said after Sunny Ridge wore down front-running Vorticity by three-quarters of a length. “But it is not engraved in stone.”
Vorticity finished second and Adventist, attempting stakes company for the first time after an auspicious 11 ¼-length romp in his debut on Dec. 19 at Aqueduct, ran a promising third. Flexibility, who had been working sharply since he rolled by 4 ¼ lengths in the Jerome Stakes on Jan. 2, never mounted a serious threat in finishing fourth.
COMPLETE ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY LEADERBOARD
According to the scale established by Churchill Downs, the victory in the $250,000 Withers was worth 10 points and gave Drazin’s New Jersey-bred 18 points total. Sunny Ridge closed his 2-year-old campaign in promising fashion, finishing second by 4 ½ lengths to Greenpointcrusader in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park and missing by a neck to Exaggerator in the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes on Nov. 21.
Sunny Ridge broke alertly from farthest outside in the field of six for jockey Manuel Franco. He was never more than a length behind Vorticity in second as Franco maintained steady pressure on the leader, who was ridden by Jose Ortiz.
Vorticity took the short field through an opening quarter-mile in :24.56 and an opening half-mile in :49.81. He showed no sign of faltering in traveling three-quarters of a mile in 1:14.70 on the fast inner track. Sunny Ridge engaged Vorticity as they neared the top of the stretch and gradually edged clear.
“Heading into the race, we wanted to be close to the leader. We knew our horse has a lot of speed,” Franco said. “Thankfully, the race set up for it to unfold that way.”
Franco said of his mount’s style: “He’s a real grinder. He has one pace and likes to run all day. I definitely like him going farther.”
Flexibility appeared to be well-positioned by Irad Ortiz Jr. during a ground-saving trip along the rail as he stalked the pace from fourth for much of the 1 1/16-mile race. He was bumped solidly by Adventist during the stretch run and came up empty as a heavy favorite.
“Irad said he would have liked to have gotten out sooner because they weren’t going very fast in front of him,” said Cherie DeVaux, assistant to trainer Chad Brown. “He just couldn’t get out in time.”
With Flexibility out of the money for the first time in his five-race career, Sunny Ridge paid $9.50 to win, $4.20 to place and $5.30 to show. He covered the distance in 1:46.99. Donegal Moon and King Kranz completed the order of finish in fifth and sixth, respectively.
According to Servis, Sunny Ridge will be pointed toward either the Gotham Stakes on March 5 or the Wood Memorial Stakes on April 9. Both are at Aqueduct; he was leaning toward the latter.
After that?
He mentioned the Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth Park as a prime target, since Drazin is a major figure in New Jersey racing. As for the famed Kentucky Derby, Servis said without much fervor, “If I think we can win it, we’ll go. But the Preakness will be eight or nine [starters].”
For an Equibase chart, click here.
SUNNY RIDGE BATTLES TO THE FINISH LINE

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire