Smooth Air's racing days are over

Smooth Air, a multiple Grade 2 winner and millionaire, has been retired after nearly a year away from racing.

Brian Burns of Mount Joy Stables, which owns the 5-year-old Smooth Jazz horse, announced Monday that the horse will retire due to a foot injury. "Smooth Air has been fantastic to us and deserves to be turned out to stud at this time," Burns said.

Stud plans haven't been finalized yet.

Mount Joy Stables bred Smooth Air in Florida from its French Deputy mare Air France. His Grade 2 wins came in the Hutcheson Stakes and Ohio Derby in 2008 and the Gulfstream Park Handicap in 2009. Smooth Air also won the Needles Stakes on turf and placed in eight other stakes, including the Grade 1 Florida Derby and Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap.

Smooth Air retires with 6 wins from 17 starts, as well as 5 second-place finishes and 3 thirds. His earnings total $1,117,200.

Trained first by Bernie Stutts and then by Chad Brown, Smooth Air last started on Aug. 8, 2009, when he finished sixth as the favorite in the Whitney. He was sidelined days later with a bruised left front foot and later diagnosed with a hairline fracture of the pelvis. He returned to training with Stutts in February.