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Giant Ryan makes it five straight in Smile

Giant Ryan surged past Irrefutable to record his biggest career victory  (Joe Ganley/EquiSport Photos) Shivananda Parbhoo's GIANT RYAN (Freud) stretched his winning streak to five in Saturday's $350,000 Smile Sprint H. (G2), wearing down pacesetter Irrefutable (Unbridled's Song) in the final strides to post a neck decision. Cornelio Velasquez had the mount on the five-year-old horse, who completed six furlongs in 1:11 1/5 on the Summit of Speed program. A 4 3/4-length winner of the Ponche H. on June 11, Giant Ryan was making his second straight start at Calder for trainer Bisnath Parbhoo after reeling off three consecutive wins at Aqueduct and Belmont Park, including a score in the April 6 Hamlet S. The New York-bred more than doubled his career earnings with Saturday's $214,830 payday, improving his ledger to 13-7-1-1, $416,841.

Giant Ryan broke well from his rail post, but Irrefutable sped forward to show the way over the good track, establishing splits in :22 1/5 and :45 2/5 with This Ones for Phil (Untuttable) prompting the pace on the outside. Giant Ryan remained close to the rail, chasing the leader in third, and angled to the outside of Irrefutable upon reaching upper stretch.

Irrefutable reached the eighth-pole in :58 with a two-length advantage, but Giant Ryan closed furiously in the final furlong to catch his rival in the shadow of the wire. Noble's Promise (Cuvee) rallied into a threatening position on the far outside in midstretch but could not make up enough ground in the latter stages, finishing another three-quarters of a length back in third as the 3-2 favorite. Royal Tricon (Trippi) came next in fourth and was followed by How's Your Halo (Halo's Image) and This Ones for Phil. Apriority (Grand Slam) was withdrawn.

"This is a top notch horse and all you have to do with him as a rider is to ride him with confidence," Velasquez said. "I couldn't make the trip here when he won the Ponche Handicap, but I told Willie Martinez who rode him that day the same thing before the race. We had the rail and the only tactical question was if I should let him use some speed early or take him back. He has more speed than he usually shows, but Irrefutable was sending right along so we had no choice except to sit back. Once I asked him to run, I felt that we would catch him."

The Breeders' Cup Sprint is Giant Ryan's ultimate target this year (Jim Lisa PHotos) Off as the 5-2 co-second choice, Giant Ryan paid $7.40, $3.80 and $2.40. "I thought when he had a horse to run at coming to the eighth pole that he would go on and win," said Shivananda Parboo, owner and son of trainer Bisnath. "He basically has trained here since last October, although we sent him to New York to win those races against New York-breds to get his confidence back. He'll stay here for now and we'll see how he comes out of this race. "If he's all right, the main target would be the Vosburgh (G1) at Belmont Park (on October 1), possibly with a race here before that if we can get one suitable. If not, we might look somewhere else. If things went well in the Vosburgh and after, then we'd go to the Breeders' Cup (Sprint [G1] on November 5 at Churchill Downs)."

Last year's champion sprinter and Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Big Drama (Montbrook) captured the Smile Sprint.

Bred by Thomas/Lakin, Giant Ryan is out of the winning Dayjur mare Kheyrah. His third maternal dam, Priceless Fame (Irish Castle), is a full sister to 1976 champion three-year-old Bold Forbes, winner of the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont (G1), and Priceless Fame is responsible for Grade 1 winner and sire Saratoga Six (Alydar), the broodmare sire of 2011 Belmont winner Ruler on Ice (Roman Ruler); and Group 1 hero Dunbeath (*Grey Dawn II). Her daughter Milliardaire (Alydar) is the dam of multiple Grade 1 queen Lakeway (Seattle Slew), who produced Grade 1 vixen Mushka (Empire Maker). This is also the female family of multiple Grade 1 winner and successful broodmare Life at the Top (Seattle Slew).

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