Smooth Like Strait | Horse Racing Free Tips

No Denying Smooth Like Strait From Grade 1 Victory In Shoemaker Mile

Although he was pressed hard early, Cannon Thoroughbreds homebred Smooth Like Strait unleashed a devastating turn of foot the final quarter of a mile to take Monday's Grade 1, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile by 1 ½ lengths under Umberto Rispoli, who collected his third win of the day at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Michael McCarthy, Smooth Like Strait, a 4-year-old colt by Midnight Lute, got the mile on grass in 1:34.19.

With the Shoemaker Mile being a Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, Smooth Like Strait will be entitled to an automatic entry to the 2021 Breeders' Cup Mile, to be run at Del Mar on Nov. 6.

Breaking alertly from his number two post position, Smooth Like Strait went to the lead, but was pressed by both Say the Word and Restrainedvengeance, with Say the Word never more than a half length back to his outside in the run to the quarter pole, whereupon Smooth Like Strait opened up a length and half as he straightened up for the stretch run.

“The horse responded beautifully to Umberto, they have become quite the partnership,” said McCarthy, who along with Rispoli, had suffered through a pair of gut-wrenching neck defeats in the G1 Turf Classic at Churchill Downs May 1 and in the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita on March 6. “I'm super happy for the horse and the connections. I don't think he was getting the respect he deserved earlier in the year, but he showed up and put together a nice campaign. He was so relaxed for Umberto out there today.

“I've had an immense amount of faith in this horse all along, and I really believe that there are big things coming for him later in the year.”

A four-time graded stakes winner coming into today, Smooth Like Strait was off at 3-5 in a field of six three-year-olds and up and paid $3.40, $2.40 and $2.20.

Out of the Flower Alley mare Smooth As Usual, Smooth Like Strait now has seven wins from 15 starts and with the winner's share of $180,000, increased his earnings to $93,823.

“I love the way (he) runs, (he) puts himself in the race, (he doesn't) cheat and (he's a fighter,)” said Rispoli, who has orchestrated all four of Smooth Like Strait's graded stakes victories. “That's what we jockeys like, we fight with them and go down to the wire together and get the job done.”

Far back early, Say the Word rallied well through the lane to be second by 1 ¾ lengths in front of Restrainedvengeance. The second choice at 5-2 with Flavien Prat, Say the Word paid $3.40 and $2.80.

Ridden by Tyler Baze, Restrainedvengeance was off at 19-1 and paid $3.60 to show while finishing a neck in front of Next Shares.

Fractions on the race were 23.46, 46.43, 1:10.09 and 1:22.04.

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Smooth Like Strait Gets His Grade I In Shoemaker Mile

Cannon Thoroughbreds' Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute), narrowly beaten in three previous attempts at the top level, earned an automatic berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile with a wire-to-wire victory in the GI Shoemaker Mile S. Monday at Santa Anita. Sent off at 3-5, the bay colt broke alertly and took the early lead under his own steam. He hugged the rail while pressed by Restrainedvengeance (Hold Me Back) and Whisper Not (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}) and the top trio separated themselves from the rest of the field through fractions of :23.46 and :46.43. The favorite began inching clear approaching the quarter pole and quickly put the matter to rest with a powerful kick in upper stretch that saw him burst away from his rivals before sailing under the wire a geared-down 1 1/2-length winner. Say the Word (More Than Ready) closed late to be second.

“Today feels very gratifying because the horse shows up and runs hard every time,” said winning trainer Michael McCarthy. “I don't think he was getting the respect he deserved earlier in the year, but he showed up and put together a nice campaign. I've had an immense amount of faith in this horse all along, and I really believe that there are big things coming for him later in the year.” “I was just waiting for a Grade I for this horse,” said winning rider Umberto Rispoli, who was capturing his third race on the holiday card at Santa Anita. “He deserves it so much. So does the owner, Michael Cannon. We have some feedback after the races, he's always positive. He always says, 'Don't worry, we're going to go to the Breeders' Cup'. He was positive from the first day. I was hoping to see him today but, I'll probably see him in Del Mar. I'm so glad for Michael and the groom, who treats him like a son, also the work rider, they do an amazing job with this horse. He's so clever, so smart, he deserves a Grade I.”

Smooth Like Strait's berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile will come over the same Del Mar course and distance at which he won the 2019 GIII Cecil de Mille S. as a 2-year-old. The bay colt captured last year's GIII La Jolla H. and GII Twilight Derby and missed by just a head when second in the GI Hollywood Derby before concluding the year with a win in the Dec. 26 GII Mathis Brothers Mile.

Smooth Like Strait opened 2021 with a neck runner-up finish in the Mar. 6 GI Frank Kilroe Mile and was a neck back in third behind the dead-heating Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) and Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}) after setting the pace in the nine-furlong GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic last time out May 1.

Pedigree Notes:

Smooth Like Strait is the th Grade I winner for Midnight Lute, who is also the sire of champion Midnight Bisou and 2013 GI Malibu S. winner Shakin It Up and 2020 GI Gamely S. winner Keeper of the Stars, and 2013 GI Acorn S. and 2014 GI Humana Distaff S. winner Midnight Lucky.

Smooth As Usual has an unraced 2-year-old filly by Temple City named Unusually Smooth. She produced a colt by Midnight Lute in 2020 and was bred back to GI Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. Smooth Like Strait's third dam, Sky Meadows (Conquistador Ciel), produced the dam of ill-fated Grade I winner Siphonic (Siphon {Brz}). This is also the family of multiple Grade I placed Summer Front (War Front) and Grade I winner Laragh (Tapit).

Breeder Mike Cannon purchased Smooth As Usual for $35,000 while in foal to Hat Trick (Jpn) at the 2013 Keeneland November sale.

Monday, Santa Anita
SHOEMAKER MILE S.-GI, $300,500, Santa Anita, 5-31, 3yo/up, 1mT, 1:34.19, fm.
1–SMOOTH LIKE STRAIT, 124, c, 4, by Midnight Lute
1st Dam: Smooth as Usual, by Flower Alley
2nd Dam: Beautiful Lil, by Aptitude
3rd Dam: Sky Meadows, by Conquistador Cielo
1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY);
T-Michael W. McCarthy; J-Umberto Rispoli. $180,000. Lifetime
Record: 15-7-3-2, $933,823.
Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Say the Word, 124, g, 6, More Than Ready–
Danceforthecause, by Giant's Causeway. O-Agave Racing
Stable & Sam-Son Farm; B-Sam-Son Farm (ON); T-Philip
D'Amato. $60,000.
3–Restrainedvengence, 122, g, 6, Hold Me Back–Cupids
Revenge, by Red Ransom. ($67,000 Ylg '16 KEESEP).
O-Kelly Brinkerhoff & Bob Grayson, Jr.; B-Westwind Farms
(KY); T-Val Brinkerhoff. $36,000.
Margins: 1HF, 1 3/4, NK. Odds: 0.70, 2.90, 19.30.
Also Ran: Next Shares, Whisper Not (GB), Crossfirehurricane. Scratched: Raymundos Secret. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Smooth Like Strait Likely Favorite In Monday’s ‘Win And You’re In’ Shoemaker Mile

Cannon Thoroughbreds' consistent Smooth Like Strait heads a field of seven 3-year-olds and up in Monday's Grade 1, $300,000 Shoemaker Mile, one of three Grade 1 stakes on a nine-race Memorial Day program at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.

A Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, the nominated winner of the Shoemaker Mile will be entitled to an automatic entry to the 2021 Breeders' Cup Mile Turf, to be run at Del Mar on Nov. 6.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Smooth Like Strait, a four-time graded stakes winner on turf, will face stiff competition, headed perhaps by Phil D'Amato's Say the Word, who was supplemented at a cost of $6,000.

A 4-year-old colt by Midnight Lute, Smooth Like Strait comes off a pair of neck defeats—a third place finish in the G1 Turf Classic at 1 1/8 miles on May 1 at Churchill Downs and in the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita on March 6.

A three-quarter length winner of the G2 Mathis Brothers Mile three starts back on Dec. 26, Smooth Like Strait, dating back to his 2 ½-length win in the G2 La Jolla Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 9, has been favored in six of his last seven starts, all graded stakes, and he's won three of them.

With regular rider Umberto Rispoli back aboard, Smooth Like Strait, who earned a best last-out Beyer Speed Figure of 100 in the Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, is 14-6-3-2 overall with earnings of $753,823.

An impressive 1 ½-length winner of the G2 Elkhorn Stakes going 1 1/2 miles over a soft turf at Keeneland April 17, Say the Word was second, beaten three quarters of a length two starts back going the same distance here in the G3 San Luis Rey Stakes on March 20.

A 6-year-old Ontario/Canadian-bred gelding by More Than Ready, Say the Word, who will be cutting back to a flat mile for the first time since Sept. 1, 2019, will be making his fifth start for D'Amato on Monday. With Flavien Prat engaged, he's well-spotted for owners Agave Racing Stable and Sam-Son Farm.

A G1 winner in his final start at Woodbine Race Course on Oct. 18, Say the Word brings an overall mark of 29-6-3-5 and earnings of $609,292 to Monday's Shoe Mile.

GRADE 1 SHOEMAKER MILE WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS

IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 7 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

Next Shares—Trevor McCarthy—122
Smooth Like Strait—Umberto Rispoli—124
Crossfirehurricane—Mario Gutierrez—122
Restrainedvengeance—Tyler Baze—122
Raymundos Secret—Juan Hernandez—124
Whisper Not—Geovanni Franco—122
Say the Word—Flavien Prat—124

First post time for a nine-race card on Monday is at 1 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Hit The Road Finds Room Late, Takes Kilroe Mile For Blacker’s First Grade 1

In a thrilling head and head battle to the wire, trainer Dan Blacker's Hit the Road prevailed by a neck over 5-2 favorite Smooth Like Strait, in Saturday's $400,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita, providing Blacker, 38, with his first Grade 1 triumph. Ridden for the first time by eastern-based Florent Geroux, Hit the Road, 4-year-old colt by More Than Ready, out of the U S Ranger mare Highway Mary, got the mile on grass in 1:34.48.

With longshot Flying Scotsman hustled from his outside post, Smooth Like Strait fell into a stalking trip second, while Hit the Road was at joint third at the rail with Casa Creed to his outside and about three lengths off the lead heading into the far turn.

Leaving the quarter pole, Smooth Like Strait, under Umberto Rispoli, assumed command while Hit the Road was forced to wait for racing room behind a three-horse spread that included Smooth Like Strait, Flying Scotsman and Casa Creed. Full of run, Geroux found a seam two from the rail a furlong out and from there, it was game-on between Hit the Road and the runner-up.

“I was pretty anxious, but I thought if he can get through, he's got a good chance,” said Blacker in recanting the final quarter mile. “Luckily 'Flo' found a gap and he proved he's the best today. I gave myself 10 years to win a Grade I and luckily we got it done in year nine. I don't want to make this all about me. It's all about the horse, he's such a professional animal, he is a true racehorse. He was born that way, he's just a true athlete and so mentally focused on racing.”

With Rispoli opting to stay with multiple graded winner Smooth Like Strait over recent G3 Thunder Road Stakes winner Hit the Road, Geroux was more than happy to take the Kilroe call and Hit the Road was off at 4-1, returning $10.40, $5.40 and $4.20.

“The trip made the difference, we got very lucky with the trip,” said Geroux. “It opened up at the right time and the horse got the job done. It was all heart. Sometimes when you have to go through a tight spot, the horse doesn't necessarily cooperate, but he did great and did everything I asked him to … I liked my horse and the one horse (Smooth Like Strait), and I thought it was going to be very tough between those two. I was able to follow him all the way around and got through on the inside.”

Owned by D K Racing, LLC, Radley Equine, Inc., Taste of Victory Stables, Rick Gold, Tony Maslowski and Dave Odmark, Hit the Road, in taking his first Grade I stakes, improved his overall mark to 9-6-0-0 and with the winner's share of $240,000, increased his earnings to $494,751.

In a huge effort, Smooth Like Strait, who finished a neck better than a flying Count Again, paid $4.40 and $3.40.

Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Count Again rallied from far back and paid $6.60 while off at 16-1.

Fractions on the race were 23.17, 47.32, 1:11.28 and 1:22.91.

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