Get Serious gets the jump in Monmouth

Presious Passion has earned over $2.6 million and three Grade 1 stakes by brazenly charging to the front and defying anyone to run with him.

Someone finally accepted that challenge, and the result was an upset win for Get Serious in the Grade 3, $255,000 on the turf Saturday at Monmouth Park.

Get Serious, 7-1, took it right to Presious Passion and forced him to back off. It was a strange sight to behold on the run down the backstretch, Presious Passion failing to lead by a wide margin.

Elvis Trujillo tried to get Presious Passion, the 3-1 favorite of the crowd of 10,712, into a comfortable stalking mode. They sat second behind moderate fractions but the 7-year-old gelding wasn't buying into it. He was done on the final turn, winding up seventh in his first race since tiring in the Dubai Sheema Classic on March 27.

"He looks fine," said Mary Hartmann, Presious Passion's trainer. "Maybe it was the early pressure that he's not used to. Maybe it was the trip to Dubai. You just don't know. He looked fine going home and I don't think we'll have any problems."

In this instance, Get Serious had the trouble-free trip. Breaking from the rail while Presious Passion had post 6, Get Serious and jockey Pablo Fragoso showed no fear in the face of an intimidating rival. They used their inside position to control the race, and score the richest win in the New York-bred's career. A 6-year-old gelding trained by John Forbes, Get Serious improved to 8 for 10 on Monmouth's grass course.

"We really thought if we were going to take on Presious Passion after he had to go to Dubai, now was the time," Forbes said. "We thought we had a heck of a shot. I'm thrilled to death with the horse."

Roman Tiger, the longest shot in the race at 24-1, came on to get second with Dynamoor third followed by Al Khali, Forgotten Dynasty, Baletti, Presious Passion, Blues Street and Pleasant Strike.

The time was 1:47.11 for the 1 1/8 miles on the firm course.