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Originally Posted by Kasept
SMOOTH 'AIRS' IN HUTCH ON BIG DAY FOR NY BREEDING
Saturday's important 3yo stakes featured an unsurprising upset when Calder-based Bernie Stutts sent out nice Smooth Air to a one length victory in the Gr. II Hutcheson over DWL's Silver Edition. That pair, the 2nd and 3rd longest prices on the board, was well clear of Dale Romans' favored Halo Najib. Well-touted and well-bet sophs Big Truck (Tagg) and Coal Play (Zito) were 5th and 7th respectively and were never really involved in the affair.
As opined Saturday, Smooth Air has been a different colt for Stutts since returning from a 90 day break in November, and his two performances across the Turnpike to end '07 put him right in the mix with the higher profile runners that were trying to start their Derby Trail campaigns on the right foot. Though he isn't a stretchout candidate, the Florida-bred son of Smooth Jazz looks to have a nice future.
The victory represents the first stakes win as a sire for Buckridge Farm's (Hudson, NY) Smooth Jazz, the former Tabor-owned, A. Dutrow-trained sprinter that entered stud in 2004. Smooth Air is of course his top performer, and the victory capped a very good day for the New York Breeding program as Empire breds topped open company foes an hour earlier in Aqueduct's Count Fleet.
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I singled him in the P4, not expecting him to go off at that price. Hit the ALL button in the confusing off-the-turf last, only to get the favorite at 4/5 for $1600 whom I had no interest in at 3-47. Tough to complain about a score like that but when the willpays are 5 digits to other logicals it's disappointing.
Nice job on the P4 today, Steve.