With the July 4 running of the $750,000 United Nations at Monmouth Park in Oceanport just a few weeks away, last year's winner, Presious Passion, certainly appears to be ready for the repeat.

Patricia A. Generazio's gelding ran one of the gamest races of his stellar career before a crowd of 14,204 at Monmouth Park on Saturday, as he fought back to regain the lead in midstretch, and then held off a determined Banrock at the finish for a nose victory in the $200,000 Monmouth Stakes, presented by IEAH Stables.

The 6-year-old son of Royal Anthem, trained by Mary Hartmann, gave jockey Elvis Trujillo his fourth win of the day and a sweep of the stakes events. Trujillo rode Chirac to victory in the $70,000 Skip Away Stakes the previous race.

"This is just a really nice gelding," Trujillo said. "There is no trickery with him. He likes to race on the front end and always runs tough, so we just let him get to the front and roll. "He really loves to win," Trujillo added, "and always does as much as he can to get to the wire first, as he showed today."

Presious Passion opened a long lead out of the gate, gave way to Proudinsky, the 9- 5 favorite, around the turn, and then fought back along the rail to regain command inside the eighth pole. In the final yards, he was all out to hold off the fast-closing Banrock.

"I thought he was beat when he got passed," Hartmann said. "He really stepped up to the plate today. He's such a nice horse. The mile and an eighth is a little short for him, but coming in this fresh I thought he would run well, and he did."

Presious Passion stopped the timer in 1:47 1/5 for the mile and an eighth on a "good" turf course, and paid a surprising $14.80, $6.80 and $3.40 across the board. Banrock, sent off second choice, paid $4.80 and $3.20 and completed the $75 exacta. Proudinsky finished a length farther back in third and paid $2.60 to show. The winner's share of $120,000 boosted Presious Passion's lifetime bankroll to $1,392,018.

"I really thought I won the race," said Kent Desormeaux, the rider of Banrock who won the first running of the Monmouth Stakes last year aboard Big Brown. "It seemed like we got up right at the wire. I'm flabbergasted that Presious Passion really came back on the inside like that. I still can't believe I didn't get up."

"I thought we were in good shape when we made the lead," said Eddie Castro, who rode Proudinsky. "I never thought that horse (Presious Passion) would come back on us like he did." In the Skip Away, Pia M. Kirkham's Chirac took the track at the track at the start and never looked back, scoring by a length and a quarter for the first stakes victory of his career. The winner, trained by Jane Cibelli and ridden by Trujillo, stopped the timer in 1:35 3/5 for the one mile over a fast main track. Chirac, who went off the fourth choice in the field of five older horses, paid $8, $3.60 and $2.40 across the board and topped a $25 exacta.

Gold Trippi made a late run at the winner, but never seriously threatened and settled for second, three and a quarter lengths before Famous Patriot. Gold Trippi paid $3.60 and $2.40, and Famous Patriot returned $2.40 to show.

This was the second straight win at Monmouth for Chirac, a 4-year-old gelding by Sligo Bay who captured an allowance event here on May 16. The Kirkham homebred has now won five of 13 lifetime starts, and the winner's share of $42,000 brought his career earnings to $132,630.

"He just loves this racetrack," Cibelli said. "He's going great right now."

Trujillo, who completed a riding triple aboard Chirac, said, "My horse broke very sharp and ended up on the early lead. Instead of trying to wrestle him back, I just figured it would be best to let him roll and take a shot on the front end.

"He just kept going right to the wire. He really dug in gamely and didn't want to let anyone go by." Trujillo's five wins began with race two aboard Veer ($12.20) and continued in the fourth atop C'Est Valliere ($7.20). He then captured both stakes before taking the finale with Witchesofwestfield ($5).

On Sunday, Rayzin the Bar Stables' Fearless Leader sat off the early pace before grabbing the lead in the stretch and holding all rivals safe at bay in capturing the $70,000 Blue Sparkler Stakes by 2 1/4 lengths.

Trained by Michael Lerman, Fearless Leader raced the six furlongs over a track labeled "good" in 1:09 flat and returned $34.40 and $10.40 as the longest shot in the field of five fillies and mares.

"I was expecting the one horse (Access Fee) to show speed," said winning rider Daniel Centeno, "but she didn't fire today. I was in the perfect spot early and when I called on her in the lane she just took off."

Sunday's win was the fifth lifetime for Fearless Leader, who was making her first start since Jan. 3 at Tampa Bay Downs. The 5-year-old daughter of Suave Prospect from the Robyn Dancer mare Truly Romantic increased her lifetime bankroll to $161,445. D Wild Ride rallied from last to complete a $154.60 exacta and paid $4.20 to place. All Giving was third with Love for Not fourth and Access Fee, the post time favorite, last. There was no show wagering offered on the Blue Sparkler.

The Blue Sparkler Stakes was the last leg in the 50 cent Pick 5 series, which paid $212.45 for four of five. The Pick 5 kicked off in the fifth race with Little Stitch ($6.40) and continued with D Wild Affair ($8.60) in the sixth. Noisy Feet ($9.40) captured the seventh race as Implicate ($44.20) took the eighth. A carryover of $13,385 will be added to Wednesday's Pick 5 pool, which starts in race five and has a base wager of 50 cents.