Hawthorne: Longer distance of Jim Edgar Futurity may help Smokin Glock turn the tables

A few minutes after dismounting Smokin Glock following a second-place finish in the Sun Power Stakes on Nov. 10 at Hawthorne, jockey Cisco Torres made some interesting remarks. Smokin Glock still was carrying more than his ideal amount of flesh, Torres said, and would benefit from the start. And he would be run better in a future two-turn race than he had in the six-furlong Sun Power.

The two-turn try comes Saturday at Hawthorne, where Smokin Glock is once again pitted against his stablemate and Sun Power winner Lassell in the $125,000 Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity. The two horses, bred and owned by the Asiel Stable, are trained by Carlos Silva, and Torres apparently will return from Florida to take the mount on Smokin Glock.

Lassell ran the best race of his six-start career winning the Sun Power, where he dueled on a decent pace and held off all the closers – including Smokin Glock, who looked like a rallying winner for most of the stretch run. Neither horse has raced in a dirt route, but Smokin Glock, who is by El Prado, has the pedigree to improve running longer.

There are other win possibilities in the 11-horse field. Tall Grass Cat finished a close fourth in the Sun Power, and his lone win came in a two-turn race, albeit on turf at Arlington. He has worked sharply for trainer Chris Block since his the sprint-stakes try and easily could improve Saturday.

Ultimo Trago was a well-beaten second in his dirt-route debut on Nov. 18, but raced in open allowance competition and ran into a talented colt named Stormin Monarcho.

And the best dirt-route pedigree in the field probably belongs to Flathead River, who is by Repent and out of a Broad Brush mare, strong bloodlines for an Illinois-bred. Fifth on Polytrack sprinting in his Arlington debut, Flathead River crushed a field of Illinois-bred maiden sprinters on Nov. 18 at Hawthorne, winning by almost 11 lengths after conceding the early lead. Should he improve his first time going long, Flathead River could give trainer Don Millonas a rare stakes victory.