|
|
Awfully smart performance in Leonard Richards Jayeff B Stables' AWFULLY SMART (Anees) made an explosive, circling move on the far turn en route to an impressive 5 1/2-length victory in Sunday's $300,300 Leonard Richards S. (G3) at Delaware Park. With Ramon Dominguez biding his time in the early going, the eventual winner settled near the rear of the field as Throng (Silver Deputy) led the way through fractions of :23 2/5 and :46 4/5. The rail-skimming Throng began to come under pressure while getting six furlongs in 1:11 2/5, just as Awfully Smart was unwinding on the far outside and vaulting into a menacing third. By the top of the stretch, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Awfully Smart catapulted to the front and maintained his relentless momentum to the wire, reeling off a mile in 1:36 4/5 and finishing the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:43 1/5 to garner his first stakes victory. The Alan Goldberg-trained sophomore returned $10.60, $5 and $2.60 as the 4-1 third choice in the wagering. Ah Day (Malibu Moon) rallied for second to give back $4.20 and $2.60 as the nearly 4-1 second choice. It was another 3 3/4 lengths back to even-money favorite Little Cliff (Gulch), who had been tracking the early pace along the inside and kept on for a clear third, paying $2.10. The exacta yielded $50, while the 9-6-1 trifecta was worth $116.20. Six lengths farther back, Irish Gentleman (Maria's Mon) checked in fourth, followed by Throng and How's Your Halo (Halo's Image). Cat Criminal (Tale of the Cat), Cotton King (Awesome Again) and Latent Heat (Maria's Mon) were withdrawn. Latent Heat opted to run in Saturday's Long Branch Breeders' Cup S. (G3) at Monmouth Park, in which he finished second. Awfully Smart improved his mark to 7-3-2-0 with $243,280 in his account. The gray colt had endured a troubled trip in his stakes debut last time out, steadying between rivals on the backstretch before finishing sixth in the Spend a Buck S. Prior to that, he had stormed home by 7 1/4 lengths in an entry-level allowance at Delaware Park, also at 1 1/16 miles. Bred by John D. Murphy in Kentucky, the winner was purchased by his current connections for $100,000 at the 2004 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. His dam, the winning Awful Smart (Black Tie Affair [Ire]), placed second in the 1999 Test S. (G1) and third in the Gazelle H. (G1) that same year. She has since produced an unraced juvenile colt named Tastefully Smart (Orientate), an unnamed yearling filly by Vindication and a 2006 colt by Distorted Humor.
 Send this article to a friend
|
|
