NEWS
Smokey Stover bursts onto scene with Sprint upset
Posted: Saturday, January 27, 2007 6:15 PM
by Steve Bailey
San Francisco owner Harry Aleo has said many times he would never own another horse as talented as late champion sprinter Lost in the Fog.
Aleo may have spoken a bit too soon, however, as Smokey Stover came of age in the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Padua Stables Sprint Stakes at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, beating a field that included Grade 1 winners Proud Tower Too and Bordonaro by 3 1/4 lengths.
“When he first came onto the racetrack, [trainer] Greg [Gilchrist] wasn’t sure who was better, him or Lost in the Fog,” Aleo said. “Greg’s done a great job with him. It’s exciting, and even though he’s a Florida-bred, this is a nice shot in the arm for Northern California.”
Smokey Stover, a four-year-old Put It Back gelding, won or finished second in each of his seven starts last year and entered off a visually impressive ten-length romp in a six-furlong allowance race on January 7 at Golden Gate Fields.
In the Sprint, jockey Aaron Gryder allowed Proud Tower Too, winner of last year’s $2-million Gulf News Dubai Golden Shaheen (UAE-G1), to take the lead and rated Smokey Stover in third behind 1.10-to-1 favorite Bordonaro, winner of last year’s Ancient Title Breeders’ Cup Stakes (G1).
Midway through the turn for home, Smokey Stover ranged up alongside Proud Tower Too and Bordonaro and soon powered past the two to lead by one length in early stretch.
Under mild urging from Gryder, Smokey Stover found another gear and drew off to the open victory, covering six furlongs in 1:08.03 over a fast track. Proud Tower Too won the stretch duel for second with Bordonaro, beating him to the line by 1 1/2 lengths.
Gilchrist was thrilled with the effort.
“We were stepping up today,” he said. “He had run some big races but he was going to be tested today against some pretty good stock.
“I told Mr. Aleo, ‘Your horse is doing really well. This is the right time to go tackle these horses and let him show us he’s worth running against these kinds of horses.’ We probably opened up a few more [options] today.”
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Steve Bailey is deputy news editor of Thoroughbred Times
