Grand Slam Smile leads all the way in Irish O’Brien Stakes
?q=100)
ARCADIA, Calif. - Grand Slam Smile led throughout Saturday’s $101,000 Irish O’Brien Stakes for California-bred sprinters on turf at Santa Anita, a race left with three official starters from a field of five after incidents at the gate.
Prancingthruparis and Miss Practical, who finished third and last, were declared non-starters by track stewards. Prancingthruparis’s gate opened a fraction of a second before the other runners, giving her an advantage, the stewards told the public. She was the 7-2 second choice.
Miss Practical (14-1) was held by an assistant starter after the gates opened, giving her an unfair start, the stewards said.
With those decisions, the race had only three official runners – Grand Slam Smile, Take Another Card, and Young Love. The race drew six fillies and mares. Moment’s Pleasure was withdrawn early on Saturday.
After Miss Practical and Prancingthruparis were declared non-starters, bets on those horses were refunded in the win, place, show, exacta, and trifecta pools. All place, show and superfecta bets in the race were refunded.
Bets involving Miss Practical and Prancingthruparis in the $3 late pick three were refunded after the day’s final race. Bets involving those runners in the late pick four, late pick five and pick six were transferred to the favorite, Grand Slam Smile.
Bets in the $2 double ending in the Irish O’Brien Stakes that involved Miss Practical or Prancingthruparis were given consolation payoffs from sixth-race winner Dustem Too. Bets in the $2 double encompassing the Irish O’Brien Stakes and eighth race were refunded.
Grand Slam Smile was 1-2 when the race began, but paid $2.20 after win pool refunds were issued on Miss Practical and Prancingthruparis.
Grand Slam Smile won her ninth stakes in the Irish O’Brien for fillies and mares. Ridden by William Antongeorgi, Grand Slam Smile led by a length down the hillside portion of the course and won by 2 1/4 lengths over Take Another Card, whose final price was amended from 9-2 to 3-1 after the inquiry.
Take Another Card finished 1 3/4 lengths in front of Prancingthruparis.
Grand Slam Smile ran about 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:12.91 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 89.
Grand Slam Smile had a slightly awkward start, but recovered quickly, jockey William Antongeorgi said.
“I knew if we didn’t go head to head she’d be tough,” Antongeorgi said. “I knew she was the best horse.”
Trained by Sean McCarthy for owners and breeders Larry and Marianne Williams, Grand Slam Smile has won 11 of 19 starts and earned $912,120. A 5-year-old mare, Grand Slam Smile is by the late stallion Smiling Tiger.
The Irish O’Brien was Grand Slam Smile’s eighth stakes win against statebreds since summer 2023. She won her second start in the Fasig-Tipton Debutante against open company at Santa Anita in June 2023.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.