Garden State Stakes : Mister S.M., Not Nominated for Derby, Wins by a Nose

Mister S.M., a colt not nominated for the Triple Crown races, outlasted Templar Hill in a stretch drive and won the $156,150 Garden State Stakes at Garden State Park by a nose Saturday.

Harriman, the 2-1 favorite in the field of nine colts, finished third, another 3 lengths back, in the last major Triple Crown prep race in New Jersey.

In winning his first stakes race, Mister S.M. emerged from a five-way battle for the lead in midstretch along with Templar Hill and then got his head down at the wire to win the photo finish.

Just two weeks ago in the Cherry Hill Mile here, Harriman scored a 4 1/2-length victory over Mister S.M., but Harriman had trouble handling the muddy track in this race.

Mister S.M., ridden by Frank Lovato Jr., covered the 1 1/8-mile test for 3-year-olds in 1:49 4/5 and returned $8.60, $4.20 and $2.60 as the 3-1 third choice. The son of Rollicking earned $93,960 for owner Samuel F. Morrell and pushed his career bankroll to $179,980 with four victories in 10 outings.

Templar Hill paid $3.60 and $2.40, while Harriman returned $2.60 to show.