Sunny Ridge Caps Big Day With Salvator Mile Victory

Dennis Drazin's Sunny Ridge was a star of the day at Monmouth Park May 25.

On the same afternoon the 6-year-old gelding was honored as the 2018 New Jersey-bred of the Year, Drazin's homebred found an inviting hole on the rail and surged to a three-quarter-length victory over a determined Diamond King in the $150,000 Salvator Mile Stakes (G3).

"It's a great day. He got the New Jersey-bred of the Year award, and, appropriately, he was here to win on this day, so it was great," trainer Jason Servis said of the 8-5 favorite.

Servis was particularly pleased with the ride by Jose Lezcano, who kept Sunny Ridge ($5.20) fourth much of the way and used a ground-saving trip that paid off with the gelding's first graded stakes win since the 2016 Withers Stakes (G3).

"He's the leading rider at Belmont Park, and he's in a groove," Servis said. "When he got a spot and buried him and was waiting, I was really feeling good. And he got (room on the rail). It helps to have some horse, too, but he rode a terrific race."

Diamond King, owned by D.J. Stable, Cash Is King, and LC Racing and trained by Jason's younger brother, John, was second while pressing the pace, then forged to the front at the quarter pole but could not withstand Sunny Ridge's closing spurt. The Kentucky-bred son of Quality Road  was coming off a runner-up finish in the $1 million Charles Town Classic Stakes (G2).

Red Oak Stable's Bal Harbour was another 2 1/4 lengths back, finishing a hard-luck third. The son of First Samurai  missed the break and then rallied widest into contention on the final turn but hung late.

The victory was the seventh in 25 starts for the son of Holy Bull. Out of the Songandaprayer mare Lignum Vitae, he has now earned $1,338,577 for Drazin, the chairman and CEO of Darby Development, which operates Monmouth Park.

The field was reduced to seven by the scratches of Forewarned and California Night.

Maximum Security doing 'pretty good'

Jason Servis also reported that Gary and Mary West's Maximum Security, who was disqualified from first to 17th in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), was doing "pretty well" following a :53 4/5 four-furlong work at Monmouth Park May 22.

"(Maximum Security) is doing pretty good. We haven't made any decision where we are going (to race next), but I'm happy with him. He's training every day. He had a workout Wednesday, and we'll probably do something with him Thursday or Friday. The Haskell is definitely on the radar."

Servis and owner Gary West have said there's a possibility that Maximum Security could run in the TVG.com Pegasus Stakes June 16 at Monmouth as a prep race for the TVG.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) July 20, also at Monmouth.