An ‘Awesome’ Performance from Smooth Roller

The lightly-raced Smooth Roller handled the jump up to the big leagues with ease, winning the Awesome Again by daylight and stamping his ticket to the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland Oct. 31. The bay tracked from a comfortable second as heavily favored BC Classic winner Bayern clocked opening splits of :24.30, :48.64 and 1:12.25. On even terms with the pacesetter turning for home, the gelding easily disposed of that tiring rival in the lane and sailed clear to earn the first Grade I victory for both himself and his trainer Victor Garcia.

“I expected him to run big,” Garcia said. “He had a lot of trouble in his last race. He was washed out, stumbled from the gate, was four or five wide both turns and only got beat a length and a quarter. I worked the horse twice and he worked real good. Tyler [Baze] was real happy with it. We’ll go to the Breeders’ Cup [Classic], absolutely. This will be my second Breeders’ Cup. I ran a filly named Approved to Fly in 1988 [fourth in the Juvenile Fillies].”

Baze added, “This is his fourth race and from the very beginning Victor [Garcia] told me he could really run and he proved it. I worked him last week and ever since I’ve been on him down at Del Mar he’s turned into a monster work horse in the morning; he really wants to do it. Last week, Victor wasn’t here, he was at the Keeneland Sale. He called and told me to go seven eighths in 1:28. I literally breezed him in 1:25. I called him and told him ‘that’s as easy as he wants to go and he did it the right way.’ I told him to dress up for [today] because I’m expecting him to run big and he did.”

A debut winner going seven panels at Santa Anita June 27, Smooth Roller won his two turn debut by a nose in a Del Mar optional claimer Aug. 1 and finished fourth after a trouble trip last time in that venue’s one-mile Harry F. Brubaker S. Aug. 26. His dam has an unraced juvenile colt names Jungang Sinhwa (Harlan’s Holiday) and was bred to Animal Kingdom this year.

Saturday, Santa Anita Park
AWESOME AGAIN S.-GI, $300,750, SA, 9-26, 3yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:48.08, ft.
1–#@&SMOOTH ROLLER, 119, g, 4, by Hard Spun
1st Dam: Catch the Moment, by Unbridled
2nd Dam: Fluid Move, by Nureyev
3rd Dam: From Sea to Sea, by Gregorian
($160,000 Ylg ’12 KEESEP). O-Lucky Charm Stable;
B-John R. Cummins (KY); T-Victor L. Garcia; J-Tyler
Baze. $180,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0,
$261,810. *1/2 to Elite Alex (Afleet Alex), GSP,
$106,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. [bullet ad=”marette-farrell-mating-planned-by”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″][bullet ad=”taylor-made-tm-for-you”] 2–Hoppertunity, 121, c, 4, Any Given Saturday–
Refugee, by Unaccounted For. ($300,000 Ylg ’12
KEESEP). O-Karl Watson, Michael E. Pegram & Paul
Weitman; B-Betz/D.J. Stable/Kidder/J. Betz/Robenalt
(KY); T-Bob Baffert. $60,000.[bullet ad=”lanni-hillndale-purchased”] 3–Bayern, 121, r, 4, Offlee Wild–Alittlebitearly, by
Thunder Gulch. ($320,000 2yo ’13 EASMAY).
‘TDN Rising Star’ O-Kaleem Shah, Inc.; B-Helen
Alexander (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $36,000.[bullet ad=”lanni-hillndale-purchased”] Margins: 5 1/4, 1HF, 1. Odds: 5.50, 2.90, 1.20.
Also Ran: Imperative, Point Piper, Hard Aces, Sammy Mandeville, Global View.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.