ARCADIA, Calif. - Jockey Mike Smith’s day of surprise results on Saturday was not limited to So Happy’s win at 7-1 in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby. In the following race, the Grade 3 Monrovia Stakes for fillies and mares on the hillside turf course, Smith rode Spirited Boss, an 18-1 outsider who closed from last of six to lead in the final sixteenth. A tactical decision in the first half of the race at about 6 1/2 furlongs was pivotal, Smith said. When the field made the right-hand turn on the hillside, Smith moved Spirited Boss to the back of the field in an attempt to save ground. When the field began the sweeping left-handed turn toward the bottom of the hill, Smith had Spirited Boss on the inside. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “When we turned to the right, I thought, ‘I’m going to hang out,’” he said. “I took her farther back.” Spirited Boss was last when the field crossed from the hillside portion of the course to the main turf course. Spirited Boss was closing steadily, and had an uninterrupted rally. Smith said the key was to “cut a corner and go for broke. When I did, she jumped in the bridle,” he said. “I thought, they’re in trouble. “I was last and I was loaded. I needed to find somewhere to go. “Once I found a spot, it was over. She made me look good.” Spirited Boss was timed in 1:12 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 93. Spirited Boss ($38) finished three-quarters of a length in front of 7-1 Amorita, who set the pace. Amorita finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of 2-5 Queen Maxima, who was fourth on the hillside but could not get closer than third. Jockey Juan Hernandez said that Queen Maxima was unsettled in the post parade and warmup. “She was very hot in the post parade,” Hernandez said.  “She’s not like that. She was a little mad. “She didn’t give me a kick like she usually does.” Princesa Moche finished fourth, followed by Tirupati and Sareeha. Queen Maxima has won five sprint stakes on turf since the beginning of 2025, including the Monrovia Stakes last April. Smith, who at 59 became the oldest jockey to win the Santa Anita Derby on So Happy, rode Spirited Boss for the first time in the $100,500 Monrovia Stakes. Spirited Boss was one of two Florida-based shippers in the Monrovia. Love Appeals, a multiple stakes winner at Aqueduct and Monmouth Park since summer 2024, was scratched by veterinarians earlier on Saturday. Spirited Boss, a 4-year-old filly by Street Boss, won her graded stakes debut, and second stakes, in the Monrovia. She won the Sanibel Island Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs at Gulfstream Park in March 2025. Owned by Tag Stables, Spirited Boss is trained by Jose D’Angelo. She has won 5 of 10 starts and earned $301,750. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.