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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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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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Rispoli Guides Smooth Like Strait To Victory In La Jolla Handicap

Cannon Thoroughbreds' Smooth Like Strait used his speed to good advantage Sunday and scored a handy victory in the 80th running of the Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds at Del Mar near San Diego, Calif.

Under 124 pounds and Umberto Rispoli, Del Mar's leading rider, the 4-5 favorite drew out in the lane to tally by 2 1/2 lengths at the end of the 1 1/16-mile grass test and earned $75,000 from the $125,000 purse. The victory by the Midnight Lute colt was his fourth in eight lifetime starts and pushed his bankroll to $253,323. He is trained by Michael McCarthy.

Finishing second was Exline-Border Racing, David Bernsen and partners' Storm the Court and running third was Karl Pergola's K P All Systems Go.

As the 4-5 race favorite, Smooth Like Strait returned $3.60, $2.60 and $2.20 across the board. He covered the distance on the green in a solid 1:40.29.

Three of the Kentucky-bred's four victories have come in stakes races, including the Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar last December 1.

“I knew I had the most speed,” said Rispoli. “Mike (trainer Michael McCarthy) told me to ride like I was on the best horse. When you hear that, you have confidence. When Mike Smith's horse (Indian Peak) came up outside me on the backstretch, that was OK. It wasn't a worry. My horse was relaxed, so we were just helping each other. Then he had good speed at the end and we were gone. I like this place (Del Mar) and I like racing in California. There's good competition here. We go against each other and make each other better. It's good.”

Rispoli was a double winner on the afternoon and took a 24 to 21 advantage over Flavien Prat for the riding crown at Del Mar after 13 days of racing at the shore oval.

“Very pleased,” McCarthy said. “The race unfolded like it looked on paper. I thought Umberto (rider Rispoli) did a wonderful job of getting him out in the clear on the first turn. When that horse came up outside of him on the backside it was something we're not used to. But Umberto was very cool, didn't panic, did the right thing and knew he was on the best horse today. When the other horse went ahead it didn't bother me because I knew we were still traveling well in hand. When we re-engaged and got a half a length ahead I was just happy to see no one was coming from behind.”

Nobody hit the Pick Six Sunday afternoon meaning there will be a carryover of $142,511 heading into this Friday's card. The track's Jackpot carryover rose to $56,395.

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Smooth Like Strait Returns in LaJolla

Cannon Thoroughbreds homebred Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute), winner of last year’s GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. during this track’s Bing Crosby meeting last December, returns to the seaside oval as the likely favorite in Sunday’s GII LaJolla H. The race is the middle leg of Del Mar’s 3-year-old turf series which concludes with the GII Del Mar Derby over nine furlongs Sept. 6.

Disappointing when no better than fourth as the 13-10 favorite in the Eddie Logan S. at Santa Anita Dec. 29, the bay colt was a pacesetting runner-up to Hariboux (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) in the Feb. 29 Pasadena S. The form of that race was franked when Hariboux doubled up in the Cinema S. in June, while Smooth Like Strait took his show to Churchill for a handy success in the May 23 War Chant S. Third home that day was Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid), who has since added a pair of black-type scores, including Keeneland’s GIII Transylvania S. July 12.

Smooth Like Strait carries top weight of 124 pounds, as does Eclipse Award-winning juvenile Storm the Court (Court Vision), who makes his turf debut in the LaJolla. On the fringes on the Triple Crown trail this season, the bay was third to Authentic (Into Mischief) in the GII San Felipe S. in March and filled the same spot behind Dean Martini (Cairo Prince) when last seen in the GIII Ohio Derby June 27. He is bred to handle this surface switch, as his sire was the upset winner of the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile, while his dam sire Tejano Run–perhaps best known for his runner-up effort in the 1995 GI Kentucky Derby–defeated the likes of Sandpit (Brz) (Baynoun {Ire}) in the GIII Fort Harrod S. at Keeneland on the grass the following season. Storm the Court breezed five furlongs on the turf at Del Mar July 26 in an easy 1:02 flat around the dogs in the company of his Grade III-placed stablemate Royal Act (American Pharoah).

Kanderel (Candy Ride {Arg}), bred on the cross over Storm Cat responsible for the likes of Horse of the Year Gun Runner and champion Shared Belief, among others, defeated Ajourneytofreedom (Hard Spun) by a head in the June 13 Alcatraz S. at Golden Gate, but proved he could class up here with a solid runner-up effort to the very talented Hit the Road (More Than Ready) in the restricted Oceanside S. over a mile July 10.

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