Smokey Stover pointing toward Smile

Smokey Stover is currently riding a four-race winning streak (Benoit Photo)

Harry Aleo's SMOKEY STOVER (Put It Back), arguably the top sprinter in the

country, will make his first trip east for the $500,000 Smile Sprint H. (G2) on

the July 7 Summit of Speed program at Calder. The Greg Gilchrist-trained

four-year-old has won all four of his starts in California this season,

including the Sunshine Millions Sprint, Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Sprint H. (G3)

and Potrero Grande Breeders' Cup H. (G2), by a combined 18 3/4 lengths.

Gilchrist, who won the 2005 Carry Back S. (G2) with Lost in the Fog and the

2006 Azalea Breeders' Cup S. (G3) with Victorina (Delaware Township), both owned

by Aleo, has been pointing Smokey Stover toward the six-furlong dash for more

than

two months.

"I decided before the Potrero Grande (on April 7) that we'd point him for the

Smile," Gilchrist said. "I had thought about the Aristides (Breeders' Cup H.

[G3] at Churchill Downs on June 2), but I wanted to give him a rest. The Potrero

Grande was his fourth start of the year and, at that point, I realized that we'd

have to stop and look at what were the most important races to get to the

Breeders' Cup (Sprint [G1])."

Gilchrist added of the Smile, "How many half-million dollar sprint races are

there?"

Last year, Lost in the Fog won the Aristides for Gilchrist before shipping to

Calder for the Smile Sprint, which sadly was his last race. After finishing an

uncharacteristic ninth, it was discovered that Lost in the Fog had inoperable

cancer. Attempts were made to save the horse, but two months later, he succumbed

to the disease.

Lost in the Fog took Gilchrist and Aleo on an incredible journey in his three

seasons on the racetrack, winning his first 10 races before tasting defeat in

the 2005 Breeders' Cup Sprint, and earned the Eclipse Award as America's top

sprinter.