Trainer Eddie Owens, Jr., has so many good Jersey-breds that sometimes the toughest part is mixing and matching them when the state-restricted stakes races come up on the racing calendar.

Sunday’s New Jersey Thoroughbred Festival at Monmouth Park saw Owens push all the right buttons.

Riding Pretty, taking on males for the first time in her 27-race career, held on for a neck victory in the $125,000 Charles Hesse III Handicap, marking the third straight year that Owens has won the race – with three different horses.

Then in $100,000 New Jersey Breeders Handicap, the Owens-trained Great Navigator – who won the Charles Hesse III Handicap in 2023 – cruised to a 4¼-length victory.

Bel Pensiero held on to win by a head in the Eleven North Handicap, the third stakes race on the 12-race card.

“I wasn’t concerned at all about racing her against the boys because her best races are on the dirt around two turns and she has proven herself in the Jersey-bred filly and mare division already,” Owens said of Riding Pretty, who captured the Jersey Girl Handicap on the grass in her last start. “Every time I put the saddle on her and ask her to run she gives me everything she’s got. I can’t ask for more than that.

“To win this race three years in a row with three different horses (Sea Streak in 2024 and Great Navigator in 2023) is a tremendous accomplishment.”

Riding Pretty, a Holly Crest Farm homebred, won for the seventh time in 27 lifetime starts. The winning time for the mile and a sixteenth was 1:46.12.

The victory was hard-earned, with Riding Pretty holding off the furious late charge of Forever Chocolate. It was another 3¼ lengths back to Amatteroftime in third.

“I asked her at the half mile because I had a feeling we were going a little bit slow,” said winning jockey Samuel Marin, who also rode Great Navigator and won five races on the card. “I rode her going long (two starts back) on the dirt and they went a little slow and it cost her the race. I thought I had the best horse in the race that day but she didn’t give me that kick at the end. This time I didn’t want to wait too much on her because she didn’t want to be on hold.

“It seems like every time she runs now she gets better.”

Riding Pretty, a 5-year-old daughter of Jack Milton, returned $9.80 to win.

Owens said he had “mixed emotions” about the result of the $100,000 New Jersey Breeders Handicap, since Great Navigator’s stablemate Speaking, who carved out the early fractions, faded to last.

Great Navigator, a 5-year-old son of Sea Wizard and also a Holly Crest Farm homebred, earned his sixth win from 22 career starts, returning $13.20 to win.

The winning time for the six furlongs was 1:10.09.

No Cents was second, a 1½ lengths better than Grouch.

Great Navigator had been idle since June 8 leading up to Sunday’s win.

“I don’t know if he got jumped on coming out of the gate last time but he had a big cut after that race (a third-place finish in the Friendly Lover),” said Owens. “I wanted to bring him back on the grass but we had to wait and this was the next spot. He has always run good for me fresh.

“He ran against some tough horses at Gulfstream over the winter so I can’t say I’m surprised by this.”

Samuel echoed those sentiments.

“When I rode him the last race (a third-place finish) he had a little issue in the race and I told Eddie `he’s way better than this. We’ve just got to get him a good trip,’ ” said Marin. “I was able to do that and he proved he is a good horse. He showed us today how talented he is.”

Bel Pensiero, meanwhile, who will be sold as a racing/broodmare prospect at the Fasig-Tipton “Night of Stars” sale in November, according to Margotta, had to first collar the tough luck Howler and then hold off the fast-closing My Two Sophia’s for her sixth career win.

The winning time for the six-furlong Eleven North Handicap was 1:11.23. Bel Pensiero returned $7.40 to win.

“She had been training really good coming into this,” said Margotta. “We had the game plan to sit right off the pace, whoever was up there. We didn’t want the lead. (Jockey) Ramon Moya did an outstanding job having her forwardly place. She’s not a great dirt horse. She’s much better on the turf. But against this caliber of horses she can get the job done on the dirt as she just showed.”

The complexion of the race changed when expected pace setter Howler missed the break, then rushed up to take command coming out of the final turn before tiring late.

That left Bel Pensiero sitting off the flanks early on of 77-1 shot Kate’s Cuban Kiss, who would finish last.