June, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

No Denying Smooth Like Strait From Grade 1 Victory In Shoemaker Mile

Although he was pressed hard early, Cannon Thoroughbreds homebred Smooth Like Strait unleashed a devastating turn of foot the final quarter of a mile to take Monday's Grade 1, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile by 1 ½ lengths under Umberto Rispoli, who collected his third win of the day at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Smooth Like Strait, a 4-year-old colt by Midnight Lute, got the mile on grass in 1:34.19.

With the Shoemaker Mile being a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, Smooth Like Strait will be entitled to an automatic entry to the 2021 Breeders' Cup Mile, to be run at Del Mar on Nov. 6.

Breaking alertly from his number two post position, Smooth Like Strait went to the lead, but was pressed by both Say the Word and Restrainedvengeance, with Say the Word never more than a half length back to his outside in the run to the quarter pole, whereupon Smooth Like Strait opened up a length and half as he straightened up for the stretch run.

“The horse responded beautifully to Umberto, they have become quite the partnership,” said McCarthy, who along with Rispoli, had suffered through a pair of gut-wrenching neck defeats in the G1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs May 1 and in the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita on March 6. “I'm super happy for the horse and the connections. I don't think he was getting the respect he deserved earlier in the year, but he showed up and put together a nice campaign. He was so relaxed for Umberto out there today.

“I've had an immense amount of faith in this horse all along, and I really believe that there are big things coming for him later in the year.”

A four-time graded stakes winner coming into today, Smooth Like Strait was off at 3-5 in a field of six three-year-olds and up and paid $3.40, $2.40 and $2.20.

Out of the Flower Alley mare Smooth As Usual, Smooth Like Strait now has seven wins from 15 starts and with the winner's share of $180,000, increased his earnings to $93,823.

“I love the way (he) runs, (he) puts himself in the race, (he doesn't) cheat and (he's a fighter,)” said Rispoli, who has orchestrated all four of Smooth Like Strait's graded stakes victories. “That's what we jockeys like, we fight with them and go down to the wire together and get the job done.”

Far back early, Say the Word rallied well through the lane to be second by 1 ¾ lengths in front of Restrainedvengeance. The second choice at 5-2 with Flavien Prat, Say the Word paid $3.40 and $2.80.

Ridden by Tyler Baze, Restrainedvengeance was off at 19-1 and paid $3.60 to show while finishing a neck in front of Next Shares.

Fractions on the race were 23.46, 46.43, 1:10.09 and 1:22.04.

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Constitution’s Warrant Turns In Arresting Texas Derby Run

TEXAS DERBY, $300,000, Lone Star, 5-31, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45.03, sy.
1–WARRANT, 124, c, 3, by Constitution
1st Dam: Whisper Number, by First Samurai
2nd Dam: Santerra, by Tejabo
3rd Dam: Sioux City, by Carson City
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Twin Creek Racing Stables, LLC;
B-Twin Creeks Farm (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Joel Rosario. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 5-2-2-1, $294,700. *1/2 to Ms
Locust Point (Dialed In), GSW, $675,975.
2–Mr. Wireless, 124, g, 3, Dialed In–Voussoir, by Arch. O-Jon
Lapczenski & JIL Stable; B-John & Iveta Kerber (KY); T-W. Bret
Calhoun. $60,000.
3–Rightandjust, 124, c, 3, Awesome Again–Pussyfoot, by
Tiznow. O-Wayne T. Davis; B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc.
(KY); T-Shane Wilson. $33,000.
Margins: 3/4, 1, 1 3/4. Odds: 2.90, 14.20, 7.00.
Also Ran: Super Stock, Dreamer's Disease, First Avenue, Scarred, Say It Ain't Soni, It's My House, Get Her Number.

Further validating the form of the May 1 Oaklawn S., whose winner Fulsome (Into Mischief) returned to take Saturday's GIII Matt Winn S., that one's stablemate Warrant overcame a brutally wide trip to take out Monday's Texas Derby at Lone Star Park.

Slightly worse than centerfield and purposefully kept out of the kickback five wide down the backstretch, the Twin Creeks runner was asked to improve leaving the three-eighths marker and was five or six wide into the stretch. He was able to sustain that long bid to overtake Mr. Wireless at the sixteenth pole before going on to score narrowly in the finish.

The 21st worldwide stakes winner for WinStar's Constitution, Warrant graduated second out going six furlongs Feb. 16 at Fair Grounds before finishing a nose second to barnmate Joe Frazier (Distorted Humor) in a seven-panel Keeneland optional claimer Apr. 3 and filling the same slot in the aforementioned Oaklawn S. He has a 2-year-old full-brother named War Room and his dam produced a Good Magic colt last term before returning to Constitution once more. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Mohaymen Gets First Winner in Prairie Meadows Dead Heat

Freshman stallion Mohaymen got off the mark as a sire when Whistlewhileyoumow won a maiden special weight at Prairie Meadows in a dead heat Monday. The 2-year-old gelding, gray like his sire, was making his first career start in the 4 1/2 furlong contest after being purchased earlier this year at the OBS March sale for $37,000 by John Ballantyne/NBS Stable. He had worked a furlong in :10.2 at the sale and had since been gelded.

Whistlewhileyoumow broke from the inside and was quickly up with the leaders. Before the first quarter registered in :22.67, the gray and Alia Max (Orb) separated themselves from the field and turned it into a match race. They got the half in tandem in :46.77 with only the constant head bob determining who was in front. Neither wanted to relent, but just as Alia Max briefly looked to have a few inches on her side nearing the wire, Whistlewhileyoumow fought back and matched his rival under the line in a game effort. It was another 2 3/4 lengths back to the third-place finisher.

Shadwell sire Mohaymen, winner of four Grade 2 events at two and three topped by the XpressBet Fountain of Youth S., has 76 current juveniles in his first crop. Whistlewhileyoumow is out of Argentinean Group 2 winner Ever Nice (Arg) (Mutakddim), who also has a 2021 colt by Enticed. She was sold at the 2021 Keeneland January sale carrying the Enticed colt for $10,000 to E.B.S. The mare is a half-sister to Argentina's 2009 champion 2-year-old Ever Peace (Arg) (Alpha Plus) and additional Argentinean GSW Ever Beautiful (Arg) (Exchange Rate).

5th-Prairie Meadows, $30,500, Msw, 5-31, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :53.62, ft, 2 3/4 lengths.

(DH) WHISTLEWHILEYOUMOW (g, 2, Mohaymen–Ever Nice {Arg} {GSW-Arg}, by Mutakddim) Sales History: $10,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP; $37,000 2yo '21 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $12,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

O-NBS Stable; B-Clearsky Farms (KY); T-Jon G. Arnett.

(DH) ALIA MAX (f, 2, Orb–Brusquer, by Elusive Quality) Sales History: $17,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 3-1-1-0, $18,500.

O-Travis Swan Murphy, Matt Trent, & Manny Camacho; B-Barouche Stud (Ireland) Ltd. (KY); T-Travis Swan Murphy.

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Country Grammer Battles Back In Gold Cup

Narrowly favored at 9-5 in Monday's GI Hollywood Gold Cup, WinStar Farm's Country Grammer (Tonalist) became his Lane's End-based stallion's first Grade I winner, narrowly outbattling Royal Ship (Brz) (Midshipman) in a rousing finish.

Away alertly, the former Paul Pompa runner was taken hold of to sit second as longshot Brown Storm (Chi) (Scat Daddy) rolled to the front showed the way through moderate splits of :22.92 and :47.16. Switched off nicely in the two path for the run down the backstretch, Country Grammer was asked for a bit of acceleration and overtook Brown Storm at the three-furlong pole, but he soon had outside company in the form of Royal Ship, who was deftly slipped a bit of rein by Mike Smith at the 4 1/2-furlong marker and raced three wide just off the pace into the turn. Country Grammer and Royal Ship hit the quarter pole more or less on even terms, but the last-out GII Californian S. hero appeared to have all the momentum and was clearly in front entering the final eighth of a mile. But Country Grammer remained in for the fight, re-took the lead inside the final sixteenth of a mile and scraped home just in front as Royal Ship came back at him at the wire.

“He ran super well,” said winning jockey Flavien Prat. “He broke well and I was able to get myself in a good spot. I was a little worried when I saw Mike Smith on the outside of me, I wish I could have kept him inside. Mike took the lead on me, but my horse was really game to come back.”

Trained by Chad Brown to win last year's GIII Peter Pan S., defeating future G1 Dubai World Cup hero and 'TDN Rising Star' Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) into third on that occasion, the $60,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $450,000 OBS April juvenile was fifth in the GI Runhappy Travers S. and changed hands for $110,000 as part of the late Pompa's dispersal at this year's Keeneland January sale. He was beaten a neck into second by Royal Ship when making his local debut in the GII Californian S. Apr. 17.

“Elliot Walden and WinStar bought him to bring to California because they figured a mile and a quarter was his distance,” said trainer Bob Baffert, winning the Gold Cup for the eighth time, equaling the record of Charlie Whittingham. “His form on the dirt was really good last year. It looked like he was beat today, but he kicked it in. It's exciting. He ran a big race last time and just got beat. He was really ready to go today and I think the distance was the key. He got it done with a lot of class and determination.”

Pedigree Notes:

Country Grammer was one of two Memorial Day stakes winners for Tonalist, who was also represented by Bouwerie S. heroine Betsy Blue at Belmont Park. Country Grammer's second dam Prima Centauri was a half-sister to French G1SW and US MGSW/GISP Etoile Montante (Miswaki), whose MGSW daughter Starformer (Dynaformer) produced SW & GSP Flavius (War Front) and GSP Oyster Box (Tapit). This is same female family as MGSW Bonny South (Munnings) and Saturday's GIII Matt Winn S. winner Fulsome (Into Mischief), whose second dam Viviana (Nureyev) was a full-sister to the dam of Etoile Montante. Arabian Song's 3-year-old daughter Joyful Cadence (Runhappy) was second in this year's Purple Martin S. and third in the GIII Miss Preakness S. and her most recent produce is a 2-year-old filly by Wicked Strong.

Monday, Santa Anita
HOLLYWOOD GOLD CUP S.-GI, $301,000, Santa Anita, 5-31, 3yo/up, 1 1/4m, 2:02.23, ft.
1–COUNTRY GRAMMER, 122, c, 4, by Tonalist
1st Dam: Arabian Song, by Forestry
2nd Dam: Prima Centauri, by Distant View
3rd Dam: Willstar, by Nureyev
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($60,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP; $450,000 2yo '19
OBSAPR; $110,000 4yo '21 KEEJAN). O-WinStar Farm LLC;
B-Scott & Debbie Pierce (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Flavien Prat.
$180,000. Lifetime Record: 8-3-1-1, $377,320. *1/2 to Joyful
Cadence (Runhappy), GSP, $106,857. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Royal Ship (Brz), 124, g, 5, Midshipman–Bela Val (Brz), by Val
Royal (Fr). O-Fox Hill Farms, Inc. & Siena Farm LLC; B-Haras
Belmont (BRZ); T-Richard E. Mandella. $60,000.
3–Express Train, 124, c, 4, Union Rags–I'm a Flake, by
Mineshaft. ($500,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-C R K Stable LLC;
B-Dixiana Farms LLC (KY); T-John A. Shirreffs. $36,000.
Margins: HD, 4 1/4, HF. Odds: 1.80, 3.20, 2.30.
Also Ran: Rushie, Heywoods Beach, Two Thirty Five, Brown Storm (Chi). Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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