Brown picks Stallion Stakes for Smiles Ahead
Trainer Wilson Brown could have gone a couple of different race directions with multiple stakes winner Smiles Ahead, including running him in last weekend’s $100,000 Clever Trevor. But he has elected to take his best shot with one of the most accomplished 2-year-olds at Remington Park, and will start him instead in Saturday night’s $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes.
The six-furlong race is one of two restricted stakes on the card, the other being the $50,000 Oklahoma Stallion Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. It is led by Miss Kipling.
Smiles Ahead would have fit well on paper in the Clever Trevor following his one-length win in the $83,000 Oklahoma Classics Juvenile at Remington on Oct. 22. He covered six furlongs in a sharp 1:10.60, and earned a Beyer Figure of 79.
“The reason we passed on the Clever Trevor is that I didn’t want to run him back that quick,” said Brown. “And we were eligible for this Stallion Stakes. I think this is the right spot for him.”
Smiles Ahead, who Brown also bred and owns, is a son of Burbank. He became a stakes winner in his third career start, when he stalked and pounced for a nose win in the $75,000 Juvenile at Prairie Meadows in July. Smiles Ahead then turned up at Remington Park and ran second in the $50,000 Kip Deville, a six-furlong race for which he earned a career-higher Beyer of 82. Su Casa G Casa won the stakes and has since been pre-entered in the Grade 3, $1 million Delta Jackpot.
As for Smiles Ahead, he came back and rallied for a one-length win in the Oklahoma Classics Juvenile.
“It really set up good for him,” Brown said of the Classics. “He’ll kind of rate and lay off of the pace a little bit.”
Ken Shino, who has been aboard Smiles Ahead for each of his six starts, has the mount from post 7.
“He drew a good post,” said Brown.
◗ Miss Kipling won the $80,000 Oklahoma Classics Lassie in her last start Oct. 22, and is one of eight fillies in the field for the Stallion Stakes.
Cliff Berry has the mount for trainer Bret Calhoun.