Sunny Ridge, Almanaar Shine at Monmouth

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 $167,500 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.

Almanaar Has His Way in Monmouth Stakes

A powerful middle move carried long-striding Almanaar to victory in the $205,000 Monmouth Stakes (G2T) later on the card, his first start since December for Shadwell Stable and trainer Chad Brown.

Jockey Joe Bravo was in the irons for the 1 1/8-mile turf test and found himself moving quickly toward the leaders up the backside after Irish Strait showed the field of eight through opening fractions of :23.73 and :47.78. As three-quarters went in 1:10.89, Almanaar positioned himself in second after making a strong early move.

"He's such a big, strong horse; he's a beast, really," Bravo said. "I didn't want to make that big middle move, but he was fresh and wanted to do it, and he's so strong, I didn't want to get into a tug of war with him. … I thought if I tried to fight him down the backside when he made that move, I was just going to take more energy out of him. I was trying not to fight with him."

The 7-year-old Dubawi gelding railled to a short lead, then held off the late run of 9-5 favorite Synchrony while drifting slightly to win by a neck. Force the Pass finished 4 1/4 lengths back in third behind a final time of 1:45.75 on firm turf.

"He drifted in the stretch a little, but it wasn't anything major," Bravo said. "By the time (Synchrony) got up to us, he had straightened himself out."

Jockey Trevor McCarthy lodged a claim of foul against Bravo for interference in the stretch, but the stewards made no change.

Almanaar ($6.80) improved his record to 7-4-2 from 20 starts, with earnings of $810,349. The Monmouth Stakes was his first graded score in the U.S. As a 3-year-old racing in France in 2015, he won the Prix Paul de Moussac (G3) and the Prix Daphnis (G3). He was bred in Great Britain by Shadwell out of the Bahhare mare Baqah.

"He has been training very well at Belmont, so even though he has been off (five months), we expected him to run well," assistant trainer Luis Cabrera said. "Chad liked this horse a lot in this spot. He's a runner, a real classy horse. I was thinking he moved a little too early, but he wanted to go. When he wants to go, you have to let him run."

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 good" following a :53 4/5 four-furlong work at Monmouth Park May 22.

"(Maximum Security) is doing pretty good," the trainer said. "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 also said there's a possibility Maximum Security could run in the June 16 TVG.com Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth as a prep race for the TVG.com Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1) July 20, also at Monmouth.