Printer Friendly Page 

'Mach' speed on display in the Smile

Mach Ride upset the fancied invaders in the Smile (Jim Lisa Photos) Going into Saturday's $500,000 Smile Sprint H. (G2), one of the main events on Calder's Summit of Speed program, the classy invaders Smokey Stover (Put It Back) and Fabulous Strike (Smart Strike) garnered all of the attention. In the six-furlong test itself, however, the locals stole the spotlight. Rustlewood Farm's homebred MACH RIDE (Pentelicus) delivered a superb effort to take the spoils, topping an all-Calder exacta with the game Paradise Dancer (Langfuhr). Fabulous Strike flashed his customary early speed between horses, pressed by Weigelia (Safely's Mark) to his inside and Mach Ride to his outside, as the trio blazed through the initial quarter in :21 2/5. Weigelia was the first to cry uncle, and Fabulous Strike reached the end of his tether soon after. Mach Ride, however, was still full of run, spurting away through a half-mile in :44. With Elvis Trujillo aboard, the Steve Standridge trainee roared off the turn and opened up on the field into the stretch. Mach Ride was four lengths in front at the eighth-pole, clocking five furlongs in :56 3/5, and finished up in 1:09 4/5 on a track labeled good.

"This makes up for a lot of the frustration we've had with this horse," Standridge said. "He is very talented , but has had bad luck on several occasions in his races during his career. Putting blinkers on him for his last race (the Champali S.) made a big difference and has helped him stay focused."

Paradise Dancer, who had tracked the early leaders, stayed on determinedly through the lane to finish second. He managed to reduce the winner's margin to two lengths, while drawing 6 1/2 lengths clear of even-money favorite Smokey Stover. The third-placer never looked particularly comfortable on the surface, but he kept plugging away to salvage a minor award, three-quarters of a length ahead of the 65-1 How's Your Halo (Halo's Image). Fabulous Strike, the 3-2 second choice, tired to fifth, followed by Kopper Kilgoar (Notebook) and Weigelia.

Leaving the gate at nearly 8-1, Mach Ride rewarded his loyalists with $17.60, $8.40 and $4.60. Paradise Dancer returned $8.20 and $4.40, and Smokey Stover yielded $2.40. The exotics were worth $111.60 (exacta), $396.40 (trifecta) and $5,368.80 (6-3-7-2 superfecta).

Pocketing the winner's check of $303,800, the Florida-bred more than doubled his earnings to $515,750 while advancing his record to 13-6-1-1. Mach Ride's best stakes results have all come at Calder. The winner of the 2006 Valid Video S., the bay garnered runner-up honors in the Carry Back S. (G2) during last year's Summit of Speed. He opened his four-year-old campaign with a third-place effort in the Mr. Prospector H. (G3) at Gulfstream Park, and last time out, he romped by 7 1/2 lengths in the Champali, the local prep for the Smile.

Mach Ride is out of the winning April Invitation (Formal Dinner), making him a half-brother to the stakes-placed Blue Pepsi Lodge (Pioneering), an unnamed yearling filly by Black Mambo and a 2007 colt by Act of Duty.

More Graded Recaps:

Bradester takes flight in Salvator Mile

Dogwood Trail leads to Azalea winner's circle

Grand Bili captures Carry Back

Big Blue Kitten regains United Nations title

Merry Meadow crowned in Princess Rooney

Send this article to a friend