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Smooth Like Straight Brings ‘A-Game’ To Twilight Derby At Santa Anita

In a dominant performance, heavily favored Smooth Like Strait sat a close second early, took command turning for home and drew off to an emphatic 1 1/2-length victory in Sunday's Grade 2, $200,000 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

Trained by Michael McCarthy and ridden by Umberto Rispoli, the bay colt by Midnight Lute got a mile and one eighth on firm turf in 1:46.89.

With pacesetter Dominant Soul grudgingly giving way at the top of the lane, Smooth Like Strait shook loose of eventual third-place finisher Field Pass in the final furlong to register his third graded stakes win and his third tally in his last four starts.

“I studied the race yesterday and this morning because I really wanted to win,” said Rispoli, who first rode him at Del Mar on Aug. 9. “We know how he could be keen in the first part of the race, but Michael does such an amazing job, he's been relaxed. You can see him behind horses now and he really understands to be calm. Even when the horses reached me at the three eighths pole, I thought about what to do. 'Am I going to go or stay?' At the top of the straight I knew I had the race in my hand.”

Most recently fourth as the favorite in a G2, 1 1/16-mile turf stakes at Churchill Downs Sept. 5, Smooth Like Strait was off as the 6-5 favorite in a field of nine sophomores and paid $4.60, $3.20 and $2.40.

Owned and bred in Kentucky by Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC, Smooth Like Strait picked up $120,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $397,823. A winner of the G3 La Jolla Handicap two starts back on Aug. 9, Smooth Like Strait, who is out of the Flower Alley mare Smooth as Usual, improved his overall mark to 10-5-1-1.

“I was a little disappointed in the way he ran at Churchill Downs,” said McCarthy. “I didn't think there was a horse around that could beat him that day…This horse has come back, and he has not disappointed since we've been back (at Santa Anita). I was a little skeptical about a mile and one eighth, but he won going a mile and a sixteenth in the La Jolla Handicap very well.

“All the stars aligned today. He brought his A-game. Umberto rode him like the leading rider he is. I'm very happy for the Cannons and everybody involved, even my groom Mike Munoz and Cleo Thomas, they do an excellent job with this horse…”

Scarto, who was unhurried while shuffled back a bit around the far turn, put in a determined late bid and proved second best under Juan Hernandez, finishing second by three-quarters of a length over Field Pass. Off at 7-1, Scarto paid $5.60 and $3.60.

Field Pass, with Drayden Van Dyke up, was off as the second choice at 3-1 and paid $3.20 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.60, 47.84, 1:11.74 and 1:35.14.

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Ironicus Colt Helium Dominates Juvenile Rivals In Woodbine’s Display

Helium, who had stamped himself as one to watch in his victorious debut at Woodbine on September 27, lived up to those notices with a four-length romp as the 7-5 favorite in Sunday's $100,000 Display Stakes at the Toronto, Ontario, track under returning rider Emma-Jayne Wilson.

The $100,000 Display, contested at seven furlongs this year after being raced over 1 1/16 miles since 1994, went with a field of seven 2-year-olds.

Helium was the meet-leading 13th stakes winner for trainer Mark Casse, who also took Saturday's Glorious Song among his eight overall wins on the weekend programs.

“He's a pro, this horse is like an old soul,” said Wilson.” First time he ran, we wanted to just get his legs and come running. He was up near the point and when I asked him to quicken, he quickened.

“So today, I was pretty confident. They set some decent fractions in front of him and he wasn't fazed. Even the horse on the outside moved up and he was like 'Oh, can I go now?' I said 'No, we'll just wait.'

“And sure enough, when I pulled the trigger — you've heard this said time and time again when you're standing in this winner's enclosure … when you pull the trigger and they go, they're good horses. Well, that's what got me here today.”

Maclean's Posse, also coming off an impressive first-out score and the strong 8-5 second favorite, moved sharply to the lead but was headed by Souper Classy through an opening quarter of :23.64.

That margin was reversed as MacLean's Posse caught the half in :46.40, with Gospel Way right there in third place.

Wilson, meanwhile, was biding her time in fourth place, but when she popped the question heading around the final turn, Helium was up to the task and had assumed total command when clocking the six furlongs in 1:10.27.

Gospel Way raced gamely to garner second money, a neck to the good of Decimator, the longest shot in the field at 56-1, who in turn had four lengths on fourth-place Exceed. Both Decimator and the 18-1 chance Exceed are trained by Ashlee Brnjas.

A faltering MacLean's Posse, Knight Kingdom and Souper Classy completed the order of finish as Helium crossed the wire in 1:22.62.

Rocket Reload, who entered in both the Display and the previous day's Glorious Song, opted for the latter race, finishing fifth behind the Casse-conditioned Souper Sensational.

Helium, who races for the D.J. Stable LLC of Len and Jon Green, is a Kentucky-bred colt from the first crop of foals by the Claiborne Farm stallion Ironicus and the Thunder Gulch mare Thundering Emilia.

“It really makes a difference when you have horses that have that sort of competence of what's going on,” said Wilson. “You know that means they're going to develop into something really decent because they've got the fortitude, they've got the brain.

“We talked about all the horses that we have, you know there's different ability levels and different competency levels and trainers are trying to balance that and make it work. But when you've got a horse that has the ability and the competency, they win stakes and they go on to do great things.”

The $55,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky yearling purchase returned $4.80, $2.80 and $2.80 and keyed a 6-7 exactor with Gospel Way ($4.40, $3.60) of $22.60. Decimator ($10.10) completed the 6-7-2 trifecta of $132.10. Decimator rounded out the 6-7-2-1 superfecta worth $578.20 for $1.

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‘This One’s For You, Martha’: Silent Poet Game And Determined In Nearctic Stakes

Silent Poet, under Justin Stein, delivered an emotional victory for trainer Nick Gonzalez in Sunday's $290,000 Nearctic Stakes (G2T) at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

Gonzalez, whose wife, assistant trainer Martha Gonzalez, recently passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer, watched Silent Poet, bred and owned by Stronach Stables, put on a show over six furlongs on a “good” E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

It was Silent Poet who was ushered immediately to the front by Stein in the Nearctic, the 5-year-old son of Silent Name (JPN) engaged quickly by last year's winner City Boy.

The front-running pair took the field of eight (Reconfigure was scratched) through an opening quarter-mile carved out in :23.65. Blind Ambition, in third, and Kanthaka, in fourth, tracked the pacesetting duo.

Silent Poet and City Boy continued their front-end battle through a half-mile clip timed in :46.16. The two continued to go head-to-head around the final turn as their rivals endeavored to keep them in their sights.

As the field straightened for home, it became a two-horse race for all the spoils with Silent Poet to the inside and City Boy to the outside, both digging in for the final push to the wire.

After almost every step of the 1,320 yards run, Silent Poet came out on top a half-length winner in a time of 1:08.57. City Boy finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Kanthaka, who fended off Olympic Runner by a neck for third.

In the last strides, announcer Robert Geller exclaimed, “This one's for you, Martha.”

“It has a lot of meaning,” said Stein, who is enjoying a fruitful 2020 season. “People watching on the outside might not understand, but the family here, the community at Woodbine, I'm sure they were cheering big for this horse for reasons that we all know.”

Stein, who has eclipsed the 100-win mark on the campaign, knew just what to expect from Silent Poet at the beginning of the Nearctic and at the end.

“He just leaves the gate so quick. He hits his stride right away. With a horse like that you get position and just slow him down, save as much horse as you can, and he does the rest. He loves his job, and when you ask him to run, he just gives you everything. He tows you down the lane.”

The win was the fourth from five starts in 2020 for the ultra-consistent dark bay, who now sports a record of 10-4-2 from 18 career starts.

Silent Poet now has three graded titles to his name having won this year's Connaught Cup (G2T) and the 2019 running of the Play the King (G2T).

He launched his career on August 25, 2017, finishing second in his debut before going to win his next two starts the following year.

Silent Poet paid $5.40, $3.70 and $2.80. The 5-8 exactor with City Boy ($10.60, $5.20) returned $51.60 and the 5-8-2 triactor with Kanthaka ($3.20 to show) paid $187.70. Olympic Runner completed a 5-8-2-9 superfecta worth $378.10 for $1.

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Etoile Gets The Trip, Earns Grade 1 Status With E.P. Taylor Triumph

Etoile, runner-up as the favorite when invading from New York for trainer Chad Brown in the Aug. 15 Dance Smartly, made amends at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario, on Sunday by taking the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes by a neck under Rafael Hernandez.

Court Return, an improving half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winners Channel Maker and Johnny Bear, closed resolutely on the far outside to finish second in the field of seven for the $600,000 race over 1 1/4 miles of the renowned E.P Taylor turf course.

“It was a good trip,” said Hernandez, who was riding his meet-leading 12th stakes winner. “I called Chad this morning and he told me, 'Raffi, try to get a good trip like last time. Just make sure you clear down the stretch.'

“He told me he'd been working the horse a few times and he put her outside of other horses, and she'd be finishing great.”

Theodora B., who had defeated Etoile by three-quarters of a length in the Dance Smartly over the same course and distance, assumed her preferred position on the front end while carving out fractions of :26.44, :51:03 and 1:15.50 over the 'good' course.

Elizabeth Way prompted the pace from second on the outside with Etoile sitting pretty while in easy striking distance in third on the inside.

Turning for home, Hernandez swung Etoile off the rail and was getting to Theodora B. as the mile went in 1:38.68.

Two lengths in front with a furlong to go, Etoile had enough left to prevail with Court Return ending two lengths to the good of third-place Secret Message.

“I heard that other horse coming late but I wish she was coming closer,” said Hernandez. “It was too far out so my horse couldn't see. That's why I switched the whip to the left, to try to get her out and get her attention. But we did it.”

Rideforthecause, coming off her first stakes win in the 1 1/8 mile Canadian, was unable to mount a serious challenge while another half-length back in fourth.

Theodora B., Pretty Point and Elizabeth Way completed the order of finish. The final time was a solid 2:03.12.

The E.P. Taylor also was the final leg of Woodbine's “Ladies of the Lawn,” a four-race turf stakes series for fillies of mares consisting of the Nassau, Dance Smartly, Canadian and E.P. Taylor Stakes.

Elizabeth Way, the Nassau winner, ended third and fourth in the ensuing legs and finished with 19 points for the top bonus prize of $50,000. Second money of $15,000 went to Etoile with 17 points, and $10,000 for third, to Canadian winner Rideforthecause with 13. Points were awarded on a 10-7-5-3-2 basis for the top five finishers in each stakes with one point earmarked for other also rans.

Starship Jubilee captured the 2019 E.P. Taylor while prevailing as the inaugural “Ladies of the Lawn” champion and went on to be voted Canada's Horse of the Year.

Etoile, a French-bred 4-year-old by Siyouni owned by Peter Brant, Mrs. M. V. Magnier, and Mrs. Paul Shanahan, was recording her first G1 win and first victory of any stripe in just her third start this side of the pond.

In the E.P. Taylor, Etoile returned $7, $3.60 and $3.40 as the co-5-2 second choice with Theodora B.

Court Return, the longest shot on the board at almost 42-1, paid $28.90 and $11 for the place and show and completed a 3-5 exacta worth $205.60.

Secret Message ($5.50) rounded out a 3-5-6 trifecta worth $895 with 3-5-6-1 superfecta coming back at $1,714.85 for $1.

Etoile winning the E.P. Taylor under Rafael Hernandez

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