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Stover smokes foes in Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Sprint Harry J. Aleo's SMOKEY STOVER (Put It Back) was sent off as the prohibitive favorite at 1-5 in Sunday's $95,625 Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Sprint H. (G3), and the dark bay gelding never gave his backers cause for concern en route to a measured one-length victory. In the process, the Greg Gilchrist trainee solidified his status as a rising star in the sprinters' ranks, bidding to pick up the baton left behind by his ill-fated stablemate, Lost in the Fog. Facing only three rivals, Smokey Stover broke alertly from the outside post 4 and took up a tracking position in second as Trickey Trevor (Demaloot Demashoot) spurted to the front. The pacesetter rattled off the opening quarter in :22 3/5, and by the time they'd gone a half-mile in :44 2/5, Smokey Stover was ratcheting up the pressure. On the far turn, the odds-on choice put his head in front, but Aaron Gryder didn't ask him to run until the top of the stretch. The response was immediate, as the four-year-old rapidly separated himself from his pursuers while clocking :56 for five furlongs. Gryder didn't give the 123-pound highweight a hard time thereafter, and Smokey Stover coasted home in a final time of 1:08 2/5 on the fast track to return $2.40 and $2.10. Britt's Jules (Jules), who had raced in third along the rail for much of the way, angled to the outside in the drive. Carrying seven fewer pounds than the winner, he determinedly narrowed the gap in the final sixteenth to earn runner-up honors in a game effort. The 7-1 shot gave back $3.40 while ending the $3.40 exacta (4-1). There was no show wagering. Areyoutalkintome (Smokester) crossed the wire another 2 1/2 lengths adrift, trailed by Trickey Trevor. Smokey Stover has compiled a sterling record of 10-6-4-0 with $339,725 in earnings. After storming to a seven-length victory in the Stinson Beach S. in his stakes debut last April, he went to the sidelines until the summer. The dark bay returned to stakes company in his fourth start after the layoff and just dropped a half-length decision in the Saguaro S. in November. Smokey Stover hasn't lost since, rolling by 10 lengths in an allowance prior to an impressive 3 1/4-length tally in the Sunshine Millions Sprint last time out. Bred in Florida by Arthur I. Appleton, the winner was bought by Gilchrist for $140,000 as a two-year-old in training at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale. He is out of the winning Milady's Halo (Jolie's Halo), who is herself a half-sister to Grade 3 victor Galic Boy (Irish River [Fr]). Smokey Stover hails from the family of multiple Grade 2 turf victor Dreadnaught (Lac Ouimet), runner-up in the January 28 Mac Diarmida H. (G2), and further back, 1980 Canadian International Championship S. (Can-G1) winner Great Neck (Tentam).
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