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Smile Happy Gives McPeek Another Kentucky Jockey Club Win

The horse that brought Kenny McPeek to the winner's circle for the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs was not the one that most fans would have expected. Instead of Tiz the Bomb, who scratched out of the G2 stakes earlier Saturday, it was Smile Happy, a son of Runhappy, who brought McPeek his third win in the early prep race for the 2022 Kentucky Derby.

With the field scratched down from 14 to 11, Smile Happy broke from post eight, taking up position in fifth around the first turn and onto the backstretch. Setting early fractions of :23.95 and :48.74, early leader Howling Time had a 1 1/2 length lead down the backstretch, his lead shrinking as the field moved into the far turn.

Around the far turn, Smile Happy was among the challengers pressing Howling Time, who gave way as they approached the top of the stretch. Smile Happy went five-wide to find racing room to challenge, with Classic Causeway and Ben Diesel driving to his inside. Down the stretch, Smile Happy took the lead at the eighth pole and pulling away late to take the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club by 3 1/4 lengths. Classic Causeway was second and White Abarrio was third.

The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:43.94. Find this race's chart here.

Smile Happy paid $11.60, $4.60, and $3.60. Classic Causeway paid $3.40 and $2.80. White Abarrio paid $4.00.

Bred in Kentucky by Moreau Bloodstock International and White Bloodstock LLC, Smile Happy is out of the Pleasant Tap mare Pleasant Smile. He is owned by Lucky Seven Stable, who purchased him from Hunter Valley Farm for $185,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase. The Kentucky Jockey Club is his second win in his two lifetime starts, for career earnings of $284,810. Smile Happy earns 10 points toward the 2022 Kentucky Derby, with Classic Causeway getting four points, White Abarrio two points, and Ben Diesel one point for his fourth-place finish.

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Say The Word, Desormeaux Have Final Word In Hollywood Turf Cup

Agave Racing Stable and Sam-Son Farm's Say the Word swung clear at the top of the stretch and scampered down the lane to capture the $251,000 Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar Friday afternoon in Del Mar, Calif.

The 6-year-old gelded son of More Than Ready ran a mile and one half on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course in 2:27.62 under Hall of Fame rider Kent Desormeaux to score by a length and take down a first prize of $150,000 in the Grade 2 headliner.

Phil D'Amato trains the winner and he also trains the runner-up, The Elwood Johnston Trust, Timmy Time Racing, et al's Acclimate, who set all the pace in the marathon, but couldn't hold off his stablemate at the end. Finishing third a neck back was Mr. and Mrs. William Warren Jr.'s Friar's Road.

Say the Word, who is a Canadian horse bred by the Sam-Son Farm of Rick Balaz of Ontario, paid $13.00, $5.80 and $4.00 across the board. Acclimate returned $8.80 and $4.40, while Friar's Road paid $3.20.

“This horse has had so much trouble before this; it was great to see him win. Kent (Desormeaux) did like he said he would and kept him covered up, then go him clear in the stretch and let him stretch his legs,” said D'Amato.

Desormeaux, who was winning his 86th stakes at Del Mar, kept his horse covered up for the majority of the journey, shifted him all the way outside at the top of the lane and kept him to a drive to the wire. It was the veteran's seventh lifetime score and the winner's share increased his earnings to $882,792. All of his wins have come on the turf.

“I've got to give Phil (trainer D'Amato) the credit for this one,” said Desormeaux. “He told me it was hard to get this horse to settle, so I told him I'd do the European thing: I'd put him up some horse's rear (force him to stay in position) and wait until the end. My peers always ask me who's my star and what that means is I'll put a star by the horse that I think will carry me 70 yards from the wire. And Umby (rider Umberto Rispoli) had the star today (Rispoli was aboard Friar's Road, the horse Desormeaux drafted in behind).”

In the track's continuing Pick 6 Single Ticket Jackpot Wager, the bet once more couldn't be conquered by the fans and its carryover moved up to $510,986. With only two days of racing left in the season, there's a real possibility that the wager could go all the way to Sunday's closing day and cause a mandatory payout that afternoon, a situation that usually greatly enhances the pool for the players.

First post for both Saturday and Sunday's races will be 12:30 p.m.

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Maxfield Goes Out In Style With Resume-Padding Clark Triumph

Multiple graded stakes winner Maxfield, one of the top older horses in North America, capped his racing career in style Friday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., as the 4-year-old colt swept past favorite Midnight Bourbon at the top of the stretch and turned back a late bid from Happy Saver to win the 147^th running of the $750,000 Clark presented by Norton Healthcare (Grade 1) by a half-length.

The lofty $450,910 first prize, thanks of a record-setting purse, lifted the dark bay or brown colt's earnings to multi-millionaire status: $2,001,812 from a record of 8-2-1 in 11 starts. He is a perfect 5-for-5 beneath the historic Twin Spires at Churchill Downs.

Owned and bred by Godolphin, Maxfield clocked 1 1/8 miles on a track rated “good” in 1:49.06 under jockey Jose Ortiz, who rode the winner for trainer Brendan Walsh. This was the first Clark win for each of the connections.

“I feel just delighted he got the job done like that today,” Walsh said. “It's a very prestigious race and it's very nice he could win it and go into his stud career like that.”

Breaking from the far outside post position in the field of eight 3-year-olds and up, Maxfield relaxed in the clear off the early pace set by slight 6-5 favorite Midnight Bourbon, the Preakness (GI), Travers (GI) and Pennsylvania Derby (GI) runner-up who dictated terms through the first quarter mile in :23.83 and a half-mile in :48.00. Chess Chief, the longest shot at 101-1, chased from the inside in third and Happy Saver, the winner of the Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) in 2020 and runner-up this year, was content to track from fourth at odds of 12-1.

Leaving the far turn after six furlongs in 1:11.70, Maxfield drew even from the outside of 3-year-old Midnight Bourbon with minimal urging from Ortiz. The two matched strides at the top of the stretch for about a furlong before Maxfield drew clear of that rival in deep stretch. Happy Saver continued his steady run from the outside to cut into the final margin but was second best to the winner.

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“He put me in the race today when he broke from the gate,” Ortiz said. “I could tell Happy Saver would be coming around the far turn and Maxfield felt him come alongside as well. He was able to dig down and really fight hard today. Hats off to Brendan and his team who have done an amazing job with him throughout his career. I'm very happy he gets to go out this way.”

Maxfield, at odds of 6-5, rewarded his backers with mutuels of $4.40, $3 and $2.20. Happy Saver, with Tyler Gaffalione up, returned $7.20 and $3.60. Midnight Bourbon, under Joel Rosario, was another three lengths back in third and paid $2.60 to show.

“He ran a huge race,” Gaffalione said of Happy Saver. “Hats off to Maxfield who was best today and ran great. I tried to get him into the race a little earlier just with the way the track has been playing. He ran a great race in defeat.”

Rosario offered no excuse for Midnight Bourbon's defeat. “I got a really easy lead up the backside and he was traveling well,” Rosario said. “(Maxfield and Happy Saver) were just best tonight.”

Militarist finished fourth and was followed by King Fury, Night Ops, Dr Post and Chess Chief.

This was the seventh career stakes victory for Maxfield and second Grade 1. At 2, he won the $500,000 Breeders' Futurity (GI) at Keeneland by 5 ½ lengths.

He entered the race off a second-place finish, 1 ½ lengths behind Art Collector, in the $500,000 Woodward (G1) at Belmont Park 55 days ago on Oct. 2.

Following his Breeders' Futurity win at age 2, Maxfield was the third choice on the morning line for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) in 2019 but was scratched from the race with a minor injury.

Maxfield returned in May 2020 and posted a one-length win the $150,000 Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill Downs. He appeared to be a top contender for the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) when it was delayed until September because of the COVID-19 pandemic but he was, again, forced to the sidelines with another setback.

Maxfield resumed racing action last December and won the $75,000 Tenacious at Fair Grounds, which was an ideal steppingstone to what would be a sensational 4-year-old campaign in 2021. This year, he won four of seven starts – the $200,000 Mineshaft (G3) at Fair Grounds in February; the $400,000 Alysheba presented by Sentinet Jet (G2) on the Kentucky Oaks undercard in late April; the $600,000 Stephen Foster (G2) in June; and Friday's Clark – with runner-up efforts in the $1 million Whitney (G1) at Saratoga in August and The Woodward and a third in the $400,000 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) in March.

Maxfield is the first horse to sweep Churchill Downs' Alysheba, Stephen Foster and Clark in a calendar year. For that matter, he's also the first horse to win both the Stephen Foster and Clark in the same year.

Next up for Maxfield is stud duty at Darley at Jonabell Farm where he will stand for $40,000. Maxfield is son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense out of the Bernardini mare Velvety and was bred in Kentucky by his owners.

“He's an unbelievable horse,” Walsh said. “I can't say enough about him. He's been through a lot the last two years. Today, he had to fight hard to get the job done and he ran great to hold off Happy Saver. It's hard to find another horse like him. It was fantastic everything came together. It's a fantastic way to cap his career.”

The Clark, named for Churchill Downs founder Col. M. Lewis Clark, was run for the first time in 1875 during the first racing meet at Churchill Downs, which was then known as the Louisville Jockey Club. Like the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) and Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI), the Clark has been renewed annually without interruption since its first running.

Racing at Churchill Downs continues Saturday with a 12-race program that begins at 1 p.m. (all times Eastern). The 95^th running of the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) – a “Prep Season” race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby – and the 78^th running of the $400,000 Golden Rod (G2) for fillies are the headliners on the penultimate day of Churchill Downs' 21-date Fall Meet. Billed as “Stars of Tomorrow II,” each of the 12 races is exclusively for 2-year-olds that may have aspirations of trail-blazing their way to next spring's Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks.

There's a jackpot carryover of $210,134 on the 20-cent minimum Derby City 6, which covers Races 7-12 starting at 3:57 p.m. If the jackpot is not hit by a single winning combination on Saturday, there will be a mandatory payout on Sunday's 12-race finale. Also, there is a $4,971 carryover in the $1 Super Hi 5, which is offered on the final race of the day.

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Bees And Honey’s Comely Upset Gives Reeve McGaughey First Graded Stakes Victory

Trainer J. Reeve McGaughey took one step closer to following in his Hall of Fame father's footsteps when sending out his first graded stakes winner with Gainesway Stable and Andrew Rosen's Bees and Honey, who captured Friday's 76th running of the Grade 3, $200,000 Comely for sophomore fillies going nine furlongs at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, NY.

McGaughey is the son of Shug McGaughey, a three-time winner of the Comely. En route to providing the younger McGaughey with his first graded stakes score, Bees and Honey ran in a first-level allowance event on November 7 at Churchill Downs, closing late to finish second at 16-1 odds behind graded stakes-placed Amendment Nineteen.

“I spent a few years up in New York and always enjoyed going to Aqueduct,” McGaughey said. “It just worked out that this race fell on the calendar as the last chance against 3-year-old fillies, so we took a chance.”

Breaking a touch slowly from post 5, Bees and Honey was four wide into the first turn as second-choice Played Hard commanded the pace through an easy opening quarter-mile in 25.49 seconds over the fast main track. Vegas Weekend, who entered off a four-race win streak, kept close company to her outside in second while under a hold from jockey Manny Franco.

Played Hard maintained her command through a half-mile in 50.18 seconds while Bees and Honey inched her way closer to the front under coaxing from Jose Lezcano. Bees and Honey battled to the outside of Played Hard in the first half of the stretch drive and drew off to win by 2 ¾ lengths in a time of 1:54.41. Played Hard held second by a half-length over the late-closing favorite Crazy Beautiful, who was in pursuit of her fourth graded stakes triumph.

Shalimar Gardens, Vegas Weekend and Hybrid Eclipse completed the order of finish. Army Wife and Ninetypercentbrynn were scratched.

“She broke really good today and I sat there. I lost a little ground in the first turn but she was pretty comfortable,” said Lezcano, who earlier on the program captured the Forever Together aboard Flower Point for the elder McGaughey. “On the backside, I dropped a little in and stayed comfortable the whole way around. She's a big filly and I started a little early at the five-sixteenths pole. She started gaining ground and when I really asked her, she looked good.”

The Comely was a first start beyond one mile for Bees and Honey. McGaughey said the distance played a big factor in shipping to Aqueduct.

“We really didn't have a chance to run her long like that and in all of her races she's shown she'll run as far as they'll let her run,” McGaughey said. “Every race she's run, she's gotten stronger in the last eighth of a mile. Coming up there to run a mile and an eighth on that track was a big part of it.”

McGaughey said the addition of blinkers for her maiden score in October at Keeneland has played a major role in Bees and Honey's improved form.

“They've focused her a little bit,” McGaughey said. “She wasn't quite running a full race for us the first couple times. She was really spotty, and it's got her to be more consistent throughout the race.”

McGaughey, who will send horses to Tampa Bay Downs for the winter, said Bees and Honey would likely stop in Ocala, Florida for a brief freshening before joining his winter contingent at the Oldsmar oval.

“We'll figure that out in the next couple days, but she'll start heading south,” McGaughey said.

Martin Garcia, aboard Played Hard, said his filly didn't quite get acclimated to the Aqueduct surface.

“I was really comfortable after going that easy, but when it was time to ask, she didn't love the track,” Garcia said. “The track is great but some horses like a firm track and others like a loose track, and in this case the track is a little loose. She was peddling and peddling and took a while to get going and when it was time to go, it was too late. She's a good filly and we got beat by a good horse.”

Carmouche, aboard Crazy Beautiful, said his filly was hampered after being bumped at the start.

“She stumbled leaving there and I wanted to be more forward than out the back door. It didn't set up the way I wanted,” Carmouche said. “They were going easy up front and I tried to get her up there so when the running started, she wouldn't have so much to overcome.”

Bees and Honey, a chestnut daughter of Union Rags, rewarded her backers in payouts of $28.20 for a $2 win wager as the second longest shot in the six-horse field. She banked $110,000 in victory, enhancing her lifetime bankroll to $180,700.

Bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds and AR Enterprises Inc., Bees and Honey is out of the Smart Strike mare Wickedly Smart – a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Wickedly Perfect.

Live racing resumes Saturday at the Big A with a 10-race card featuring the $100,000 Central Park in Race 7, the $150,000 Discovery in Race 8, the Grade 3, $400,000 Long Island in Race 9 and the $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship in Race 10. First post is 11:50 a.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Aqueduct Racetrack on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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