In completing the 1 3/8-mile G1 test on the inner turf in 2:12.94, Wake Forest recorded his first US stakes victory and first G1 win at his second start for trainer Chad Brown.

Sent off the 2-1 favorite Wake Forest settled eighth in the field of nine for rider John Valezquez.

Velazquez displayed his Hall of Fame skills to rally through horses and Wake Forest showed off the fastest of gears to register a three-quarter-length win over Money Multiplier after making up ground in a final furlong completed in a sizzling 11.39 seconds.

"It was a perfect trip," Velazquez said. "It was a perfect opportunity to put him behind horses and save ground and hopefully, down the lane, we'd get some sort of seam where we could let him run.

“When he got the little seam he just exploded."

A two-time G3 winner in Germany where he was trained by Andreas Wohler, Wake Forest made his US debut in last year's G1 Arlington Million where he finished sixth in his final start for his former connections.

Wake Forest returned to racing last month finishing a close second to Kaigun in the G3 Pan American Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

"Getting a race under his belt, running such a hard race coming off a layoff and then having six weeks helped,” Brown said.

“The whole thing came together nicely. He's got a lot of talent."