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‘I Feel Like A Machine’: Mike Smith Strong As Ever On 58th Birthday

“How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?” – Satchel Paige

Jockey Mike Smith turns 58 today. You wouldn't know it by looking at him. Certainly not by the way he still rides horses.

The grizzled veteran of the Del Mar jockey colony is anything but 'grizzled.' In fact, he's in as a good shape, if not better, than everyone else in the jocks room. He reportedly invited some of the young jockeys to accompany him during his morning exercises and, as the story goes, most of them quit half way through the workout.

Smith has been riding for 43 years. He moved his tack to Southern California in 2001. He has ridden several Hall of Fame horses and was himself inducted into the Hall in 2003. He has won a record number of Breeders' Cups, a couple of Eclipse Awards and a Triple Crown.

So it begs the question: In what sport does a 58-year old man compete with 20- and 30-year-olds and beat the youngsters on a regular basis?

“The only thing that feels old on me is my memories of the past,” Smith says with a smile following yet another victory on Sunday.

Coming into the fourth week of racing at the summer meet at Del Mar, Smith is in the top 10 in the jockey standings with four wins. Last year, he finished fourth with 19 victories and that was with considerably fewer mounts than everyone else in the top 10.

“As far as the way I feel,” Smith notes, “I feel like a machine. I feel good, I'm really taking good care of myself and I've been working out hard. I'm still able to do everything I was doing in my thirties.”

For part of his thirties, Smith was riding back east on the New York circuit, venturing out now and then to win big races in other regions like Kentucky and Florida. They don't call him 'Big Money Mike' for nothing.

Smith has won four Pacific Classics and if Geaux Rocket Ride makes it to the race this year, Smith will have his eleventh shot at Del Mar's marquee race. He has won 77 stakes races at Del Mar, eleventh best all-time.

“I still feel great,” Smith says. “I'm going to keep going until I don't.”

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A Raving Beauty Filly Looks To Make Up For Lost Time in Japan

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Kokura, Niigata and Sapporo Racecourses:

Saturday, August 12, 2023
2nd-NII, ¥10,480,000 ($72k), Maiden, 2yo, 1800mT
ROCK CITY BOY (c, 2, City of Light–Mississippi Coast, by Super Saver) was acquired in utero for $125,000 at the 2021 Keeneland January Sale and is out of a winning half-sister to the stakes-winning No Use Denying (Maria's Mon), the dam of 2019 GI Spinaway S. and GII Adirondack S. heroine Perfect Alibi (Sky Mesa) as well as GSP Noble Thought (Harlan's Holiday). Third dam Missed the Wedding, a half-sister to Chris Evert, produced former Pin Oak GSW turf star Green Means Go (Green Dancer) and GI Test S. victress Missed the Storm (Storm Cat). B-Yuki Dendo

3rd-KOK, ¥10,480,000 ($72k), Maiden, 3yo, 1000m
A SURE VICTORY (JPN) (f, 3, Justify–A Raving Beauty {Ger}, by Mastercraftsman {Ire}) makes a belated first trip to the races Saturday afternoon. Her dam was a two-time German listed winner and champion in that country at age four before relocating to the barn of Chad Brown, for whom she won the GI Just A Game S. and GI First Lady S. while finishing third to stablemate Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Oiwake Farm's Haruya Yoshida acquired A Raving Beauty for $2 million at Fasig-Tipton November in 2018 and she was covered by Justify prior to her export to Japan. B-Haruya Yoshida

Sunday, August 13, 2023
12th-SAP, ¥15,200,000 ($105k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1700m
DOUBLE JOKE (c, 3, Practical Joke–Double Date, by Rahy) was beaten into second by recent Listed Japan Dirt Derby runner-up Kirinji (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) Feb. 12 before defeating fellow US-bred Mystic Lore (Arrogate) to break his maiden two weeks later (see below, SC 7) and was most recently unplaced in the G3 Mainichi Hai on the turf in late March. An $80,000 purchase as a weanling at FTKNOV in 2020, the chestnut is out of a half-sister to Canadian Horse of the Year and MGISW Peaks and Valleys (Mt. Livermore) and MSW/MGSP Alternate (Seattle Slew), the dam of GISW Higher Power (Medaglia d'Oro) and MGSW Alternation (Distorted Humor). B-William Humphries & Altair Farms LLC (KY)

12th-KOK, ¥15,200,000 ($105k), Allowance, 3yo/up, 1000m
JASPER ROYAL (c, 3, Violence–Sumthingtotalkabt, by Mutakddim) is bred to be a quick one, as his 10-time stakes-winning half-sister Lady Shipman (Midshipman) produced GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint hero Golden Pal (Uncle Mo). A $140,000 KEENOV weanling, $170,000 FTKJUL buyback and $140,000 OBS March graduate, the chestnut has never been worse than third in his four career starts to date and exits a facile maiden victory going this track and distance in his most recent appearance Feb. 4 (video, SC 4). B-SF Bloodstock (KY)

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Saturday At Del Mar: Yellow Ribbon Features Closing Remarks, 2-Year-Olds In Spotlight For Sorrento

A pair of graded black type events – the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap and the Grade 3 Sorrento Stakes – will be on tap Saturday at Del Mar as the 84th summer in Del Mar's racing history rolls right along.

The Yellow Ribbon, which is being run for the 71st time and offers a purse of $250,000 to older fillies and mares, will be contested at 1 1/16 miles on the turf and go as Race 9 on the day's 10-race program. The Sorrento, which will have its 55th presentation and is limited to 2-year-old fillies, will provide a $200,000 purse and go over six furlongs on the main track. It will be race No. 6 on the card.

The Yellow Ribbon has lured seven runners out of their barns and the likely favorite is Harris Farms' homebred Closing Remarks, a hard-knocking mare who runs her race most every time and may be well spotted by trainer Carla Gaines for a top effort here. She'll have ace turf rider Umberto Rispoli in the tack and will break from the No. 1 post.

In the Sorrento, which has drawn eight young lassies, there may be a nice matchup between Kaleem Shah's Benedetta and Zendan Racing Stables' Dua in a race within the race. Both were winners of their only starts – the former at Los Alamitos on July 8 and the latter at Del Mar on July 22. Trainer Simon Callaghan has given the call on Benedetta to veteran Victor Espinoza, while conditioner Bob Baffert has named leading rider Juan Hernandez on Dua.

Both races will be part of the track's “Pick Six Guarantee,” where a single-ticket holder in the day's popular exotic bet is guaranteed a final prize of no less than $1-million by Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

Here's the complete fields for the stakes listed in post position order with riders and morning line odds:

Yellow Ribbon — Closing Remarks (5/2); Abbondanza Racing and Medallion Racing's Turnerloose (Antonio Fresu, 8-1); Nentwig, Beast Mode Racing or CYBT's Spirit And Glory (hector Berrios, 6-1); Agave Racing Stable or Rocking Robin Ranch's School Dance (Ramon Vazquez, 3-1); Panic Stable's Lucky Girl (Joe Bravo, 5-1); Baoma Corp's Ganadora (Hernande3z, 6-1), and Reddam Racing's Awake At Midnyte (Mario Gutierrez, 4-1).

Sorrento – Barber or Peli's Feisty Mitole (Vazquez, 8-1); Dan Eplin's Dreamfrye (Berrios, 3-1); Dua (5/2); Adams, Connors, or Rasmussen, et al's Vinos Angel (Bravo, 4-1); Albert, Dunn or Hanson, et al's Kythira (Drayden Van Dyke, 20-1); Gary Folgner's Motet (Abdul Alsagoor, 30-1); R3 Racing's Ur in Trouble (Fresu, 6-1), and Benedetta (2-1).

First post Saturday is a 2 p.m.

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Dubawi’s Arqana May Star Debuts At Haydock

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Friday's Insights features a relation to listed winner English King (Fr) (Camelot {GB}).

18.15 Haydock, Novice, £10,000, 2yo, 7f 212yT
AGE OF TIME (FR) (Dubawi {Ire}) was, at €800,000, the second-highest-priced breezer at Arqana May when purchased by Godolphin and is the first foal out of a half to the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial winner English King (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) connected to the likes of Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and Dubawi's Emily Dickinson (Ire). Charlie Appleby launches him in the race won two years ago by Triple Time (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

16.49 Newmarket, Mdn, £8,000, 2yo, 6fT
QIRAT (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) debuts for Juddmonte and Ralph Beckett and is a half-brother to the recent G1 Irish Oaks runner-up Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}) and son of the G1 Matron S. heroine Emulous (GB) (Dansili {GB}). He meets Phil Cunningham's fellow newcomer Fool's Gold (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}), a Richard Spencer-trained half-brother to last year's G1 Prix de l'Abbaye heroine The Platinum Queen (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}).

18.00 Newmarket, Debutantes, £8,000, 2yo, 7fT
BREAK THE BANK (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) cost King Power Racing 350,000gns at the Book 1 Sale, due largely to the fact that he is a half-brother to their five-times Group 2 winner Beat The Bank (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}). Like that classy and tough miler and the G3 Chipchase S. scorer Chil Chil (GB) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and listed scorer Auria (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), he is under the care of Andrew Balding whose 2-year-olds seem to be above-average on recent evidence. Among the other newcomers in a fascinating contest is Amo Racing's €360,000 Goffs Orby purchase Monsieur Fudge (GB) (Frankel {GB}), a Richard Hannon-trained son of the GI E. P. Taylor S. heroine Miss Keller (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}).

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