Smoken Wicked romps in Amsterdam

Valene Farms’ Smoken Wicked has been holding his own in tough sprint company, and the Louisiana-bred kicked it up a notch to score his first graded victory in Friday’s $200,000 Amsterdam (G2) at Saratoga.

Third in last year’s Saratoga Special (G2) over this same 6 1/2-furlong trip, the Dallas Stewart pupil was subsequently fourth to Chancer McPatrick in both the Hopeful (G1) and Champagne (G1). This season, Smoken Wicked was runner-up to the likes of Colloquial and Verifire in listed sprint stakes. 

That record made Smoken Wicked the 2.75-1 second choice in the Amsterdam. The chestnut had to turn the tables on 8-5 favorite Macho Music, who had left him behind in sixth in the Pat Day Mile (G2) at Churchill Downs. But the shorter distance brought out the best in Smoken Wicked.

Breaking from post 3, Smoken Wicked took up a close tracking position as Macho Music blazed through splits of :22.09 and :44.76. Gunmetal was flanked alongside in third until Brian Hernandez Jr. gave Smoken Wicked the cue. 

The son of Speightstown stallion Bobby’s Wicked One put Macho Music away rapidly turning for home and opened up. Extending his margin to 5 3/4 lengths at the wire, Smoken Wicked clocked 1:15.64 and returned $7.50.

Gunmetal held off Gate to Wire by three-quarters of a length for the second spot. Macho Music faded to fourth, trailed by T Kraft, Mati Gol, and Garamond. Uncaged was scratched.

Smoken Wicked has compiled a mark of 13-5-3-1, $551,392. His previous stakes scores came in state-bred sprints at Fair Grounds, the Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile, and the males’ division of the Louisiana Futurity. But his stakes placings established his class in open company, including last summer’s Bashford Manor S. at Churchill before shipping up to the Spa. He’s never been out of the superfecta sprinting, and his worst results came going further in the Rebel (G2) and Pat Day Mile. 

“The horse has been very solid,” Stewart said. “His last race was solid - he got beat by a pretty dominant horse (unbeaten Verifire). He's trained very well since, we know he likes this track. He's a good shipper and held his weight good. He looked very dominant in the paddock, to me. He showed up today.

"I was impressed the way he got out of the gates. Macho (Music) on the one-hole - he's a dominant horse - looked like we got him right away, which I liked. We let him do his thing down the backside, and then Brian moved up to him on the turn and challenged him a little bit - not too much - and then he pushed the buttons. He rode him beautiful.”

“It was pretty textbook,” Hernandez summed up. “He left there sharp, we had the big favorite to our inside, and the whole way around there he seemed to be traveling better than him. Turning for home, he just showed his dominance. I just had to be a good passenger and let him show his stuff.

“It’s always fun when you win here,” Hernandez added, “especially graded races here at Saratoga, but this one is even just a little bit more special just because the whole team – even the horse – are all Louisiana-breds. It’s a lot of fun to bring it home for the home state today.”

Bred by Tom Curtis and Wayne Simpson in the Pelican State, Smoken Wicked is out of the Street Boss mare Street Smoke. 

Smoken Wicked could try to strike another blow for the Louisiana-bred program in the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial (G1) on the Travers (G1) undercard. If so, he would reportedly be in line for a rematch with Hopeful and Champagne star Chancer McPatrick. The winner of Thursday’s Curlin S., Chancer McPatrick, is now likelier to turn back for the Jerkens, rather than stretch out for the Travers, according to Daily Racing Form.