Smooth Like Strait | Horse Racing Free Tips

Smooth Like Strait Prompt Favorite In Mathis Brothers Mile

Cannon Thoroughbreds' homebred Smooth Like Strait continued his dominance of the West Coast's 3-year-old male turf division in Saturday's Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile Stakes on opening day at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., taking over from front-running Storm the Court in the stretch and winning comfortably by three-quarters of a length.

Ridden by Umberto Rispoli, the Midnight Lute colt trained by Michael McCarthy covered one mile on a firm turf course in 1:33.51 and paid $3.60 as the 4-5 favorite. Storm the Court held second by a half-length at 10-1 odds after setting fractions of :23.02, :46.49, 1:10.12 and 1:21.67. Whisper Not, the 5-2 second choice in the wagering, finished third in the field of seven 3-year-olds, a head in front of Field Pass, with Scarto fifth, Strongconstitution sixth and Heywoods Beach seventh.

Smooth Like Strait, coming off a head defeat to East Coast invader Domestic Spending in the G1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Nov. 28, broke smoothly and sat just off Storm the Court throughout. Rispoli edged the colt up alongside Storm the Court at the top of the stretch and quickly put his head in front, but Storm the Court fought back and only gave way grudgingly in the final sixteenth.

“We knew Storm the Court would be going for the lead, so I just wanted to sit back of him,” said Rispoli, who has now won two of his last three races aboard Smooth Like Strait. “We got the perfect trip…When it came time to ask him in the stretch, he was ready to go.”

The victory was the sixth in 12 stars for the Kentucky-bred Smooth Like Strait, who was produced from the Flower Alley mare, Smooth As Usual. He's won four graded stakes, all in Southern California, and added the listed War Chant at Churchill Downs in May.

“I was surprised at how well he came out of the Hollywood Derby,” said McCarthy. “He put in a couple of works that were I thought maintenance type works, but everything he was showing me in the morning, and the way he was acting around the barn. I thought about it for a couple of days whether we should go or wait until March, give him a little bit of a break over the winter. But he acted like he had his mind on running today and I'm glad we got him over here.”

McCarthy said Smooth Like Strait will get a short break before pointing to two G1 races in the spring, the Frank E. Kilroe Mile on March 6, and the Shoemaker Mile on May 31.

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Smooth Like Strait Headlines Mathis Brothers Mile

Cannon Thoroughbreds’ Smooth Like Strait (Midnight Lute) is the 8-5 morning-line favorite for the GII Mathis Brothers Mile at Santa Anita Saturday. The Mike McCarthy trainee, first or second in five of six starts so far this year, won the Oct. 18 GII Twilight Derby and missed by just a head when second in the Nov. 28 GI Hollywood Derby last time out.

Three Diamond Farms’ Field Pass (Lemon Drop Kid), winner of the July 12 GIII Transylvania S. at Keeneland, was third in the Twilight Derby and returns to the turf following a win over the synthetic surface at Woodbine in the Nov. 21 GIII Ontario Derby.

Storm the Court (Court Vision), still looking for his first win since his 45-1 upset of last year’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, will be making his third turf appearance Saturday. The bay colt was second behind Smooth Like Strait in the Aug. 9 GIII La Jolla H. before running sixth in the GI Kentucky Derby. He returned to the lawn to be seventh in the Hollywood Derby last time out.

The post Smooth Like Strait Headlines Mathis Brothers Mile appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Smooth Like Strait, Field Pass Face Off In Mathis Brothers Mile

Trainer Michael McCarthy's Smooth Like Strait and Mike Maker's Field Pass headline Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Mathis Brothers Mile (turf), one of five graded stakes on Santa Anita's opening day card this Saturday which has attracted a competitive field of seven sophomores.

A two-time graded winner, Smooth Like Strait comes off a narrow head defeat going a mile and one eighth on turf in the G1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Nov. 28 and should relish the cutback in distance.

Field Pass, three-time graded winner based in Kentucky who was third, beaten 2 ¼ lengths by Smooth Like Strait two starts back in Santa Anita's G2 Twilight Derby, comes off a one length tally going a mile and one eighth on synthetic Tapeta at Woodbine Nov. 21 and will try to turn the tables on “Smooth” this Saturday.

SMOOTH LIKE STRAIT

Owner: Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC

Trainer: Michael McCarthy

Two for four, with one second place finish at one mile on turf, Smooth Like Strait should be plenty tough to beat with Umberto Rispoli riding back in the Mathis. With a 5-2-1-1 mark over the Santa Anita lawn, this homebred colt by Midnight Lute, out of the Flower Alley mare Smooth as Usual can be expected to be forwardly placed as he seeks his sixth win from 12 overall starts.

FIELD PASS

Owner: Three Diamonds Farm

Trainer: Michael Maker

A win in the Mathis Brothers Mile would cap a tremendous year for this son of Lemon Drop Kid, as he's won five out of his nine starts while finishing third in three of them. Although he has won on the lead at a mile and one eighth on turf, he'll likely be in a stalking position on Saturday.

WHISPER NOT

Owner: Christopher Dunn & Jeremy Peskoff

Trainer: Richard Baltas

This lightly raced English-bred served notice in his U.S. debut on Nov. 29 at Del Mar that he could be a force to be reckoned with this winter. Next to last early in a field of seven, he rallied well to be second, beaten three quarters of a length in a mile and one sixteenth turf allowance at odds of 6-1. Two for five in his native England, he'll be ridden back by Joel Rosario and looms a very serious threat as he makes his second start for Baltas.

THE GRADE II MATHIS BROTHERS MILE WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 4 of 11 Approximate post time 12:30 p.m. PT

Whisper Not—Joel Rosario—120
Strongconstitution—Abel Cedillo—122
Storm the Court—John Velazquez—120
Heywoods Beach—Juan Hernandez—120
Smooth Like Strait—Umberto Rispoli—124
Field Pass—Ricardo Santanta, Jr.—122
Scarto—Flavien Prat–120

Although there is no public admittance, fans can watch and wager via 1st.com/Bet and they can watch all of Santa Anita's races free of charge at santaanita.com/live. Special early first post time on Saturday is at 11 a.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Brown-Ortiz Juggernaut Continues With Domestic Spending’s Hollywood Derby Victory

For the third time this weekend at Del Mar, jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. and trainer Chad Brown teamed up to snare a stakes race. This time it was the Grade 1, $303,000 Hollywood Derby with the colt Domestic Spending in a furious blanket finish at the conclusion of the nine-furlong grass test that was the headliner on a sparkling three-stakes card at the seaside track north of San Diego, Calif.

Domestic Spending, owned by Klaravich Stables and a British-bred son of Kingman, was up in the final jump to score by a head over Cannon Thoroughbreds' Smooth Like Strait, who had a neck on Otter Bend Stables' fast-closing Gufo. Another half-length back was Mary Abeel Sullivan Revocable Trust's Get Smokin, who had cut out all the pace in the race. Final time for the mile and one-eighth was 1:47.15 after fractions of :23.87, :48.23, 1:12.38 and 1:35.79.

“I thought I was going to be closer with him but he came out of there a little slow and we were in the back,” said Ortiz Jr. “I worked my way up on the backside and he was running perfect. When I asked him for his run at the three eighths (pole), he was ready. He really put in a nice kick. He's been a little green in his earlier races but he's getting better all the time.”

Domestic Spending, the third choice in the wagering, returned $10.40, $5.00 and $3.20 across the board. Smooth Like Strait, who went off as the $2.80-to-1 favorite, paid $4.20 and $3.00, while Gufo paid $3.40.

Earlier in the day Ortiz, Jr. and Brown captured the Grade 3 Jimmy Durante Stakes with Fluffy Socks. On Thanksgiving Day they teamed up to take down the Grade 3 Red Carpet Handicap. Brown had shipped in eight runners from the East Coast for the big weekend of turf stakes at Del Mar. He has three horses entered in Sunday's Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes for older fillies and mares.

“Three down, one more to go,” said assistant Jose Hernandez, deputized by Brown to handle the invading runners. “I talked to Chad coming over to the paddock and he just said stay with the plan. He broke a little slow but he was in good position and at about the half-mile point he started picking it up and by then I knew he was going to be there at the end. He's a really good horse.”

Domestic Spending picked up a check for $180,000 for his efforts and improved his bankroll to $520,900. He now has four wins in five starts, the last three in stakes.

The Saturday card also saw the 5-year-old gelding Count Again make his West Coast debut a winner as he captured the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap.

Del Mar had a husky handle of $15,855,052 on the day's nine races. Its wagering numbers for the Bing Crosby Season are currently up more than 25% over last season's marks.

The final day of the season unfolds Sunday with a 10-race card featuring the Matriarch and the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes for 2-year-olds. First post moves up a half hour to noon for the finale.

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