Devamani adds Monmouth to Brown's graded-stakes victories
Jockey Nik Juarez gave Devamani a perfect trip and Devamani gave trainer Chad Brown yet another graded stakes win Saturday, capturing the Grade 3, $150,000 Monmouth Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths at Monmouth Park.
At Belmont Park on Saturday, Brown won the Grade 1 Acorn with Search Results and ran one-two in the Grade 1 Manhattan with Domestic Spending and Tribhuvan. Tribhuvan was cross entered in the Monmouth Stakes, where he would’ve been favored, but his scratch still left Brown with two runners. Serve the King finished a decent fourth in his first start back from a layoff, while Devamani, who probably outclassed this bunch in a vacuum, was easily best with his favorable journey.
Juarez stuck Devamani right in the pocket, sitting behind 3-2 favorite Winters Back with horses lapped along side him. A seasoned 7-year-old, Devamani rated comfortably, awaiting Juarez’s cue through an even, moderate pace: 48 seconds for the half, 1:12 for six furlongs. When pace-pressing Oceans Map, racing two wide while tiring, lost his position turning for home, Juarez and his willing mount pounced, switching outside Winters Back and easily running him down. Devamani ran 1 1/8 miles over a “good” turf course in 1:48.90 and paid $6.60 to win. Corelli rallied from last to finish third.
Devamani, owned by Michael Dubb, Sanford Goldfarb, and Samuel Abraham, is a gelding by Dubawi out of Daryakana, by Selkirk, whom Brown started training in 2020. After a productive campaign last year he was fourth making his 2021 debut in the Fort Marcy at Belmont, won by Tribhuvan, and appears to be as good this season as last.