Smoke ‘n' Gloat, Devileye face off in Arlington Heights Stakes

The two sharpest Illinois-bred 3-year-olds to race at Arlington this year, Smoke ‘n’ Gloat and Devileye, face off Saturday in the $65,000 Arlington Heights Stakes, a seven-furlong Polytrack race restricted to statebreds.

The Arlington Heights is one of six overnight stakes added last week to Arlington’s schedule because of a surplus in the track’s purse account. Arlington’s policy is to end its season with a zero balance in the account, which has led to purse cuts in recent years.

Smoke ‘n’ Gloat showed promise while losing his three starts last year at age 2 and has been a tiger this season. He won his first four races of 2017, including the Springfield Stakes in June, and appeared to be on his way to victory in the $75,000 Bruce D. Memorial on the Arlington Million undercard when longshot Harmac emerged from the pack and ran him down. Smoke ‘n’ Gloat finished more than two lengths clear of third in a solid field and came back to work a quick half-mile Aug. 26.

“He just got outrun by a horse that ran a hell of a race,” said Scott Becker, who trains Smoke ‘n’ Gloat for William Stiritz. “But everything is good with him. There are a couple good horses in there, but I don’t see any reason why he can’t win.”

Win is all that Devileye so far has done, capturing three starts in 2016, including the Jim Edgar Futurity, and beating older horses Aug. 5 in his first start at age 3. Devileye actually beat Smoke ‘n’ Gloat in an Illinois-bred maiden race last summer, but Smoke ‘n’ Gloat was not then what he has now become.

◗ The Pizza Man, retired following his 12th-place finish Aug. 12 in the Arlington Million, will be paraded before Arlington fans between races on the Sept. 16 card, the track announced this week. Bred and owned by Midwest Thoroughbreds, The Pizza Man, an 8-year-old English Channel gelding, won 17 of 36 races, including the 2015 Arlington Million, and earned more than $2.1 million.