Smoken Boy, Running Away pick up off-turf stakes victories
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Smoken Boy and Running Away won diluted renewals of the $150,000 Caesars Handicap and Horseshoe Indianapolis Handicap on Wednesday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
Both 3-year-old races had to be switched from turf to dirt owing to the considerable amount of rain that fell in Shelbyville, Ind. The Caesars scratched down to a four-runner field, the Horseshoe Indianapolis – restricted to fillies – down to five starters.
Running Away, the 1-2 favorite in the Horseshoe Indianapolis, was urged to an early lead by jockey Gerardo Corrales and never relinquished it, the only semi-anxious moment for her backers coming in midstretch, where Running Away lugged out and appeared to lose focus. Corrales got her straightened up and Running Away had plenty in the tank to hold clear Junta by 4 1/2 lengths. Reining Flowers went evenly for well-beaten third as Running Away clocked 1:42.72 for one mile and 70 yards over a sloppy, sealed track.
Wesley Ward trains Running Away ($3) for her breeder, Stud TNT, and Running Away, winner of the Busanda in January at Aqueduct, rebounded from the 32-length drubbing she’d taken last month in the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland. Running Away raced for the first time on Lasix, which is permitted because Horseshoe Indianapolis cards these races as handicaps, rather than stakes. Running Away, a daughter of Gun Runner and Allez Marie, by Unbridled’s Song, carried 123 pounds, four more than Junta but the same as the third- and fourth-place finishers.
Smoken Boy scored by a head over 1-2 favorite Chasing Liberty in the Caesars, a big win for owner KEM Stables and trainer Cheryl Winebaugh. Smoken Boy made his first three starts in Puerto Rico, winning the last two of them well enough to earn a trip to Florida, where he promptly finished eighth, beaten more than 19 lengths, in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Smoken Boy, in his next start was offered for a $75,000 claiming price, and KEM took him. At 112-1, Smoken Boy ran to his odds in the Florida Derby, but more than earned back his purchase price Wednesday picking up a check worth $92,733.
Ridden by Manny Esquivel, Smoken Boy tracked the pace of Brodeur while racing about three wide around both turns. At the quarter pole, Luis Saez on 1-2 favorite Chasing Liberty appeared to have a lot of horse, waiting for Brodeur to vacate the rail, which he did, but Chasing Liberty did not punch hard when he got through along the fence. Brodeur faded but Smoken Boy stayed on and pushed past Chasing Liberty in the last few strides.
Smoken Boy ran one mile and 70 yards over the sloppy, sealed surface in 1:42.07 and paid $10.20 as the distant third choice. Smoken Boy is by Catholic Boy out of Smoken Deb, by Cairo Prince. That pedigree leans more turf than dirt, but his race’s move from turf to dirt Wednesday gave Smoken Boy the Caesars.
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