Smooth Like Strait scratched from Coolmore Turf Mile

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Smooth Like Strait was among the early scratches Saturday from the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile at Keeneland because of a minor cut on his knee, according to trainer Michael McCarthy.

Smooth Like Strait, owned by Cannon Thoroughbreds, was the 9-2 second choice in an oversubscribed lineup of older horses in the $1 million Coolmore Turf Mile, the 10th of 11 races on a blockbuster Saturday card. The Coolmore is a Win and You’re In toward the Breeders’ Cup Mile, to be run Nov. 5 on the Keeneland turf.

“He has some swelling from the cut,” McCarthy said. “It’s the kind of thing that should be fine in a few days. Absolutely, we’ll run in the [Breeders’ Cup] Mile, assuming this is resolved quickly enough.”

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Smooth Like Strait, the runner-up to Space Blues in the 2021 BC Mile at Del Mar, has earned triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures in each of his last nine starts. The 5-year-old horse by Midnight Lute has seven wins and nine seconds from 22 starts for earnings of nearly $1.8 million. His defection from the Coolmore removes one of the apparent pace factors in the field.

In all, there are five early scratches from the Coolmore, leaving a field of 11. The other scratches are Emaraaty, Dark Shift, Natural Power, and Greyes Creek. Atone drew in from the also-eligibles list as No. 13. Post time is 5:45 p.m. Eastern, with the race being part of a CNBC broadcast that starts at 5.

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