With a Case of Haskell Fever, Sunny Ridge Owner May Pass on Derby

Sunny Ridge | Joe Labozzetta

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After his win in the GIII Withers S. at Aqueduct Saturday, Sunny Ridge (Holy Bull) looks like a legitimate contender for the GI Kentucky Derby, but it appears that he won't be pointed in that direction. Owner/breeder Dennis Drazin is so intent on having a healthy, fresh contender for the GI Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth Park that he says he is seriously considering bypassing the first leg of the Triple Crown.

“It's not that he couldn't run in the Derby,” Drazin said. “He has the points and maybe if we got lucky he could hit the board, but, given my relationship with Monmouth Park and that this is my home area, our goal is the Haskell. I want to make sure I don't run him in the Derby and not have a horse left to run in the Haskell. The Derby trail is a difficult task for any horse and then in the Derby you get 20 horses in the gate and it's a race where you can run into problems. We don't think it's the right thing to do with the horse.”

Drazin's title is an advisor to the New Jersey Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, which operates the Monmouth meet. But he's far more than that. He is essentially the head of the racetrack and the most powerful person in New Jersey racing.

Prior to the Withers, Sunny Ridge, who is trained by Jason Servis, was not considered a top Kentucky Derby candidate. His only stakes win had come in the Sapling S. at Monmouth and he was second best in the GI Champagne S. and the GIII Delta Downs Jackpot. But that changed last Saturday at Aqueduct when he beat a solid field that included the highly regarded Flexibility (Bluegrass Cat).

“We gave him a break after the Delta Jackpot and we decided that we would point for Withers as his first start,” Drazin said. “He missed a little bit of training because of the weekend where we had all that snow. He wasn't 100% for the Withers. He's a nice steady horse that keeps trying. He's improved with every race and I think he can run all day long.”

Drazin said he is considering both the GIII Gotham S. Mar. 5 and the GI Wood Memorial Apr. 9. He admitted that should his gelding continue to shine in the traditional Derby preps he could have second thoughts about his decision.

“The Gotham is probably the next target, but then if you run in the Gotham you probably would want to run back in the Wood a month later,” he said. “If he won the Gotham and the Wood you'd probably be tempted to run in the Derby. You also might have someone who wants to buy into the horse who insists on running in the Derby. What we are trying to do is put the horse first.”

Drazin said he will look into running in the GI Preakness and/or the GI Belmont S.

Though not totally ruling out the Derby, Drazin sounded very much like someone who would do nothing that put his plans of having a top horse for the Haskell at risk. He has never started a horse in Monmouth's signature event.

“People who are less informed, people in the general public, they seem to judge someone in racing by did you ever run in the Derby?” he said. “To me, if I tried to push this horse to the Derby if I didn't think he was a legitimate candidate to win the race it would be more for my ego. The Haskell is a major tradition. I'm from Monmouth County. I grew up here. I've always dreamt of having a horse win the Haskell. It would be a lifetime opportunity to win the Haskell and I think he's capable of doing it. It's not like I'm putting a cheap horse in the Haskell just to run. The Haskell is important just because it's my home town. If I lived in Kentucky I'm sure I'd choose a different route. At the end of the day, he is a gelding, so it's not like I'm trying to make him into a stallion. I considered for along time taking him on the Derby trail and I just don't think it's the right thing to do by the horse.”

 

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