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Smooth Like Strait, Field Pass Face Off In Sunday’s Grade 2 Twilight Derby

Cannon Thoroughbreds homebred Smooth Like Strait returns to Southern California and will try to stretch his speed to a mile and one eighth on turf as he heads a field of nine sophomores in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita.

A resounding 2 ½ length winner of the Grade 2 La Jolla Handicap two starts back, Smooth Like Strait, who is trained by Michael McCarthy, finished fourth as the 6-5 favorite in a Grade 2 stakes at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5 and will likely vie for favoritism with midwestern invader Field Pass, who he faced on Sept. 5.

A two-time Grade 3 winner in Kentucky, trainer Mike Maker's Field Pass was a close third in the same race Smooth Like Strait was favored in Sept. 5 and he's won four out of his seven starts this year.

C R K Stable's Express Train, who showed much promise at age two, will be trying turf for the first time on Sunday in what will be his third start of the year for John Shirreffs and rates a big chance in what appears to be a wide open Twilight Derby.

SMOOTH LIKE STRAIT

Owner: Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC

Trainer: Michael McCarthy

A Kentucky-bred colt by Midnight Lute, he made the lead turning for home in the Grade 2 American Turf on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs, but tired late to be beaten four lengths. A gutty one mile minor turf stakes winner three starts back at Churchill Downs on May 23, he's won two out of his last three starts and was also a winner of the Grade 3 Cecile B. DeMille Stakes six starts back on Dec. 1, 2019. Smooth Like Strait is four for nine lifetime with earnings of $277,823 and he'll be reunited with Umberto Rispoli, who pointed him to victory in the La Jolla Handicap as the 4-5 favorite.

FIELD PASS

Owner: Three Diamonds Farm Trainer: Mike Maker

A Grade 3 winner going a mile and one eighth on synthetic Polytrack at Turfway Park on March 14, he notched his second Grade 3 win over a “good” turf three starts back at Keeneland on July 12. Most recently third, beaten 1 ¾ lengths in the Grade 2 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs Sept. 5, a race in which he rallied to wrest command from Smooth Like Strait in mid-stretch, he was a gate to wire winner of an ungraded stakes going 1 1/8 miles on turf four starts back on June 20 at Churchill. Field Pass, who defeated Smooth Like Strait by 2 ¼ lengths on Sept. 5, has demonstrated ample versatility and the ability to get the Twilight Derby distance. With an overall mark of 13-5-2-2, he's the leading money earner in the field with $472,610 and he'll no doubt vie for favoritism when ridden for the first time by Drayden Van Dyke.

EXPRESS TRAIN

Owner: C R K Stable, LLC Trainer: John Shirreffs

A $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, this colt by Union Rags broke his maiden going one mile on dirt in his second start by 14 ¼ lengths and in his final start at age two, was a well beaten fourth at 5-2 in the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at a mile and one sixteenth on Sept. 27, 2019. An impressive two length winner of a 6 ½ furlong allowance on Aug. 23, a race in which he overcame a stumble at the start, he flattened out a bit late when second, beaten three quarters of a length as the 4-5 favorite in a one mile allowance here Sept. 26. In what will be his third start off a long layoff, Express Train should be a tighter horse on Sunday as he tries turf for the first time in his sixth career start with regular rider Mike Smith aloft.

THE GRADE 2 TWILIGHT DERBY WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 9 of 10 Approximate post time 5 p.m. PT

Farmington Road—Flavien Prat-124
Express Train—Mike Smith—124
Margot's Boy—Tiago Pereira—124
Kiss Today Goodbye—Victor Espinoza—124
Dominant Soul—Edwin Maldonado–124
Smooth Like Strait—Umberto Rispoli—124
Scarto—Juan Hernandez—124
K P All Systems Go—Abel Cedillo–124
Field Pass—Drayden Van Dyke—124

First post time for a 10-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m. Santa Anita's races can be viewed live and free of charge at santaanita.com.

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Maker-Trained Field Pass Ships West For Twilight Derby; Taishan Seems To Prefer Grass

Field Pass was en route from Kentucky to California this morning to compete in next Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Twilight Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita Park.

The gray son of Lemon Drop Kid is one of five horses trainer Michael Maker had nominated to what is shaping up as a race worthy of Grade I consideration down the road.

“He prefers firmer going; that was the main reason bringing him in for the race,” Maker said by phone from the Blue Grass State.

Field Pass has five victories from 13 starts, including the Transylvania at Keeneland on turf and the Jeff Ruby Steaks on Polytrack at Turfway Park, each a Grade 3 event.

The Twilight Derby drew 21 nominations, eight conditioned by “out of town” trainers, including one by Todd Pletcher and the aforementioned five by Maker.

“Field Pass is very good around the barn but a bit of a handful to gallop,” Maker said. “Other than that, he's pretty straightforward.”

Louisville native Drayden Van Dyke has the mount.

Richard Baltas hopes Taishan wins his first stakes race when he runs in the Twilight Derby.

Taishan, a Candy Ride colt, was second last out in the Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill Downs Sept. 5, losing by only a half-length in the 1 1/16-mile turf race, despite being bothered at the start.

“It was his first time on grass and it was a very good effort,” Baltas said of the Kentucky-bred bay owned by Calvin Nguyen and Joey Tran. “It was a half-million dollar race and there was a lot of speed, so I think it kind of set up for him.

“That being said, I think he was always meant to be on the grass. He ran against some tough horses on dirt at Oaklawn in Nadal (winner of the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on May 2).

“Candy Rides are pretty versatile but I think they prefer the turf.”

Taishan's first three races were in Southern California, but his last seven included stops at Oaklawn Park, Indiana and Churchill Downs.

Florent Geroux, who rode Taishan in the American Derby, was impressed with his performance.

“They wanted me to get a position (near the lead) but they were rolling in front so we went to Plan B,” the Frenchman said after the race. “I set off inside nicely and made one run. He ran a big race, first time on grass. He handled it perfectly.

“He's a nice horse. He'd been working very well and I'm very happy with the way he ran.”

Taishan was a distant fourth in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at a mile on dirt at Santa Anita Jan. 4 behind Authentic, who would go on to win the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5.

Any way it shakes out, the Twilight Derby has the look of a very contentious race.

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Fancy Liquor Keeps Geroux’s Hot Streak Alive In American Turf

Florent Geroux continues to have a big weekend at Churchill Downs, following up his five-win Kentucky Oaks day with a victory aboard Sky Chai Racing and Sand Dollar Stable's homebred Fancy Liquor in the Grade 2 American Turf.

The 3-year-old son of Lookin at Lucky entered the $500,000 race off a victory in the listed Caesars Stakes at Indiana Grand, and was sent off as the third choice of seven runners at odds of 9-2. Fancy Liquor, trained by Mike Maker like third-place finisher Field Pass, closed from well off the pace to best Taishan by a half length on the wire, completing 1 1/16 miles over firm turf in 1:42.83.

“I wasn't expecting what we got, but it worked out,” Maker said. “So I'm very pleased. Field Pass is a stakes winner over this course and didn't quite run his race at Saratoga. Tyler (Gaffalione) didn't feel like he handled the softer going today but still ran a good race. Flo said he was loaded, on the gallop out and everything.”

On or near the pace in each of his five lifetime starts thus far, Fancy Liquor wasn't able to keep pace with the early speed in the American Turf. Geroux found himself at least a dozen lengths off the leaders entering the backstretch, but the French veteran didn't panic, guessing that the frontrunners would tire and come back to him.

There were three across the track in the heated early pace battle: American Butterfly on the rail, Sugoi between horses, and 6-5 favorite Smooth Like Strait on the outside. They blasted through early fractions of :23.04 and :46.48, pulling away by about eight lengths from 9-5 second choice Field Pass. It was another four or so lengths back to Fancy Liquor in fifth.

American Butterfly dropped out of the race nearing the far turn, and Sugoi quickly followed suit. By that point, Field Pass had started making up ground on the outside and took over the lead from Smooth Like Strait. Those two battled for several strides before Smooth Like Strait conceded, but the effort left Field Pass vulnerable as Fancy Liquor and Geroux swept up the middle of the course in the final eighth of a mile.

Fancy Liquor grabbed the lead and refused to let Taishan by in the final yards, crossing the wire a half-length the best. Field Pass held on to finish third over Smooth Like Strait.

Bred in Kentucky by his owners, Fancy Liquor is out of the 21-time winning Secret Romeo mare Brandys Secret. The colt won on debut at Gulfstream Park in February of this year, and finished third behind Field Pass next out on the synthetic at Turfway Park in the Jeff Ruby Steaks. Fancy Liquor was again best by Field Pass two starts later when third in the G3 Transylvania, but got away from his stablemate to win the Caesars Stakes in Indiana in his final prep for the American Turf. Overall, Fancy Liquor's record stands at 3-1-2 from six starts for earnings of over $450,000.

“This horse seems to be still learning,” Geroux said. “He broke really well but the horses in front of me were going really fast. He's shown in the past he's run well on the lead but he doesn't necessarily have to have the lead. The race I rode aboard him at Keeneland (the Grade III Transylvania) he came from just off the pace and we got beat by Field Pass that day but I know (Fancy Liquor) was still learning and getting better. Even back in the Jeff Ruby Steaks, where he beat us there, too, (Fancy Liquor) ran a really solid race.”

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Cali Invader Seeks Third ‘Strait’ in American Turf

Cannon Thoroughbreds homebred Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute) seeks his third consecutive victory as he returns to Churchill Downs for the $500,000 GII American Turf S. Saturday. A winner of last December’s GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. Dec. 1 at Del Mar, the bay returned to winning ways three starts later in the War Chant S. going a sixteenth shorter here May 23. He was last seen annexing the GIII La Jolla H. back in San Diego Aug. 9 over champion juvenile and GI Kentucky Derby entrant Storm the Court (Court Vision). The 8-5 morning line choice will have to avoid getting caught up in a hot pace. One of the likely other pace players is Fancy Liquor (Lookin At Lucky). Third in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks behind stablemate Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid) on Turfway Poly off just a maiden win Mar. 14, the Mike Maker pupil was a close second in a course-and-distance allowance June 11. Third again by just a neck, and again behind Field Pass, in the GIII Transylvania S. at Keeneland July 12, he was ultra game when taking the Caesars S. at Indiana Downs a month later. Field Pass rallied from very far back when third in the War Chant, but took the local Audubon S. June 20 on the front end. He closed from off the pace to get up in the Transylvania, but was seventh after a rough start in the Saratoga Derby Invitational S. Aug. 15.

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