Smithwick's Spice pulls of pleasant surprise with Turf Dash victory

Trainer Douglas Nunn said he called the Tampa stewards Saturday morning informing them he planned to scratch his 8-year-old New Jersey-bred Smithwick’s Spice from the $100,000 Turf Dash. He was told he had up until 45 minutes to post so he decided to wait.

Nunn thought his horse might be overmatched. Additionally, in a stakes race, Smithwick’s Spice could not race on Lasix, anti-bleeding medication he had raced on in 37 of his 39 starts.

But Nunn’s owners wanted to run, so Nunn ultimately kept Smithwick’s Spice in the race. Good decision.

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Fending off pace pressure first from Extendo then from Yes I Am Free and then a late run from a resurgent Extendo, Smithwick’s Spice won the Turf Dash by a neck. It was a half-length back to Yes I Am Free in third.

He was followed in the order of finish by Thealligatorhunter, Mounsier Coco, Bam Bam Blu, Sky’s Not Falling, and Phantom Smoke. Storm the Court, the morning-line favorite, was a late scratch in the post parade.

The win was the 10th from 40 starts for Smithwick’s Spice, a gelding by Frost Giant owned and bred by the New Spice Stable of Robert Matthies.

Nunn said he was surprised that jockey Daniel Centeno had Smithwick’s Spice dueling for the early lead. Nunn thought cutting back in distance Smithwick’s Spice would be coming from off the pace.

“When he was on the lead, I was very concerned but coming off a distance race and cutting back I thought he should have a little stamina,” Nunn said. “My owners, they are wonderful, they persuaded me to run.”

Nunn said he and his owners gained inspiration from the courageous second-place finish by the Jersey-bred Book’em Danno in the Saudi Derby earlier in the day.

Nunn said he watched the race on his iPad outside Smithwick’s Spice stall.

“He literally was going nuts,” Nunn said of Smithwick Spice, reacting to the scene around him as Nunn and staff were rooting for Book’em Danno. “I said this horse wants to run. He’s not a high-strung horse. He was quiet all day until he saw that race.”

Smithwick’s Spice covered the five furlongs on turf in 55.98 seconds and returned $14.20.

Play the Music wins Lightning City

Play the Music, despite losing position around the far turn, re-rallied under Antonio Gallardo to win the $100,000 Lightning City Turf Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths.

Howboutdemapples finished second by 4 1/2 lengths over 50-1 shot Jordi’s Dream.

Just a Care, the 2-1 favorite, veered in during the stretch run and unseated her rider Samy Camacho. Just a Care was caught by an outrider past the wire and Camacho was able to walk off the course on his own power. Camacho was forced to miss his mount in race 8, but did return to ride his remaining two mounts on the card.

Play the Music, under Antonio Gallardo, raced in sixth position down the backside. Around the far turn, Gallardo moved to the inside but had to steady at the five-sixteenths pole while racing inside of Just a Care and Fulminate.

Gallardo quickly got Play the Music back going, making an inside move at the quarter pole before tipping out into the four-path in upper stretch.

That turned out to be a fortunate decision as he Play the Music was outside and in the clear when the incident involving Just a Care occurred. Just a Care might have clipped heels with Jordi’s Dream.

Play the Music took command inside the eighth pole an drew clear to the handy victory, her second straight and fourth in 10 starts.

Play the Music, a 4-year-old daughter of Mo Town owned by Glassman Racing and trained by Mark Casse, covered the five furlongs over firm turf in 55.98 and returned $6.80 as the second choice.

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