Smooth Like Strait holds off Storm the Court in Mathis Brothers Mile

With a champion as a target, Smooth Like Strait had a perfect trip to win Saturday’s Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile for 3-year-olds on turf at Santa Anita.

The $201,000 Mathis Brothers Mile was the first of six stakes on Saturday’s 11-race card, the opening day of the track’s six-month winter-spring meeting.

Smooth Like Strait was second through the first seven furlongs, stalking Storm the Court, the champion 2-year-old male of 2019 who was ridden by John Velazquez.

Jockey Umberto Rispoli urged Smooth Like Strait ($3.60) to the front in the final furlong and won by three-quarters of a length over 10-1 Storm the Court.

Rispoli predicted Storm the Court would set the pace and that the best course for Smooth Like Strait was to pursue the leader.

“I thought, this will be the horse to beat,” Rispoli said.

Smooth Like Strait, trained by Michael McCarthy, finished in 1:33.51 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 97.

:: Click to learn about our DRF's Free Past Performance program.

“Credit to Mike, this horse is in good shape,” Rispoli said. “He looks terrific. He’s a good galloper and he stays on and stays on. I had a lot of horse underneath me.”

Storm the Court, who set an early pace of 23.02 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.49 for a half-mile, finished a half-length in front of 5-2 Whisper Not, who had a bumpy trip in his stakes debut. Whisper Not was rank early and raced behind the leader in early stretch, forcing jockey Joel Rosario to wait briefly.

“I had to wait a little, or I could have been right there with the winner,” Rosario said.

Field Pass, the winner of the Grade 3 Ontario Derby at Woodbine on Nov. 21 and three other stakes this year, finished fourth, followed by Scarto, Strongconstitution and Heywoods Beach.

Storm the Court is winless in eight starts since an upset victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile here in November 2019. Sixth in the Kentucky Derby in September, Storm the Court was second or third in four stakes in 2020.

“It was without question the best race he has run since the Breeders’ Cup,” trainer Peter Eurton said of the Mathis Brothers performance.

Smooth Like Strait, a colt by Midnight Lute, has won 6 of 12 starts and has earned $577,823 for Cannon Thoroughbreds. The Mathis Brothers Mile was Smooth Like Strait’s fifth stakes win. He won the Grade 2 Twilight Derby here in October and was second by a head as the 5-2 favorite in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar on Nov. 28.