Chief Cicatriz likely for Smile Sprint

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Shawn Davis has been on plenty of wild rides during his career as a three-time national champion saddle bronc rider. Now, Davis is embarking on a wild ride of a different nature with his graded stakes-winning speedster Chief Cicatriz, one that he hopes might ultimately land him a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint later this year.

Davis and Chief Cicatriz began their journey in relative anonymity, at tracks like Zia Park, Sunland Park, and Turf Paradise. They finally gained national attention earlier this spring after Chief Cicatriz went to Churchill Downs, where he ran off the screen winning the Grade 3 Aristides by 6 1/4 lengths while earning a 110 Beyer Speed Figure, second-highest by any horse at distances up to one mile thus far in 2018.

Now, Davis is planning to take his road show to South Florida, with the Grade 3 Smile Sprint here June 30 the next scheduled stop on his itinerary.

“At the moment, that’s the direction we’re leaning in,” Davis said by phone from Canterbury Downs on Friday. “He’ll work Saturday morning at Churchill, and we’ll make the final decision after that. But it looks like the race and that racetrack, which I understand is on the fast side, should suit him well.”

Chief Cicatriz is a 5-year-old homebred son of Munnings owned by Roy Gene Evans. He’s won 8 of 11 starts overall, two of his three losses coming against graded stakes company, most recently in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs on Derby Day.

“I missed some training with him as well as a race at Sunland because he came down with a temperature and he really wasn’t completely fit when I ran him on Derby Day at Churchill,” said the 77-year-old Davis who currently has 15 horses stabled at Canterbury. “But he’s loved it ever since we got him there, and he’s doing really well at the moment.”

The Smile will be an acid test, of sorts, for Chief Cicatriz with X Y Jet, among the leaders of the sprint division, also expected to ship down for the race.

“Right now, we’re still not sure how good he is,” Davis said. “Going there and running against a horse like X Y Jet should give us a real good opportunity to find out.”

Davis said Jimmy Graham, who rode Chief Cicatriz to victory in the Aristides, would retain the mount in the Smile.

Classic Rock, who is scheduled to have his final work for the race here Saturday morning, and Mo Cash, who breezed six furlongs in 1:14.20 on Friday at Gulfstream, lead the local contingent for the Smile. Mo Cash, a distant second behind X Y Jet in the Sunshine Millions Sprint, has been transferred to trainer Aubrey Maragh’s barn since his last start March 25.

Trainer Jorge Navarro said X Y Jet will have a stiff workout from the gate Saturday at Monmouth Park before shipping to South Florida on Tuesday. X Y Jet has won each of his last five starts at Gulfstream.

Bella Vincenza tops Sunday allowance

Bella Vincenza will likely be heavily favored to defeat seven rivals in Sunday’s $47,000 optional-claiming feature going seven furlongs. Bella Vincenza is coming off a one-sided, 5 1/2-length victory against Florida-bred company May 28 and has now compiled a record of three wins and three seconds in her last six starts for trainer Kathleen O’Connell.

Bella Vincenza, a 4-year-old daughter of Biondetti, will likely have to catch the younger Luzmimi Princess, who takes on older horses for the first time after finishing second, beaten a nose by Florida Fuego, in the Liza Jane Stakes on June 6.