Smooth Air takes flight in Hutcheson

Mount Joy Stables' homebred SMOOTH AIR (Smooth Jazz) was overlooked in the wagering for Saturday's $150,000 Hutcheson S. (GII) at Gulfstream Park, leaving the gate as an unheralded 9-1 in the first graded stakes of 2008 for three-year-olds on the dirt. In the stretch, however, the Calder-based bay swept to the front and maintained his momentum all the way to the line, upsetting his more fancied rivals. Trained by Bennie Stutts Jr. and ridden by Manoel Cruz, Smooth Air reeled off seven furlongs in 1:23 1/5 on a sloppy, sealed track to become the first stakes winner for his first-crop sire.

In the opening stages, Tiz It (Tiznow) flashed speed from the rail, pressed by Silver Edition (Silver Deputy) and Golden Spikes (Seeking the Gold) through torrid fractions of :22 and :44 2/5. Midway on the far turn, the early leader began to tire and soon gave way to Silver Edition, who seized control and appeared to be full of run as he led the way into the stretch. Meanwhile, Smooth Air was just commencing his rally from midpack. After darting through rapidly on the inside, Smooth Air angled to the outside and took dead aim on Silver Edition. The eventual winner collared Silver Edition at the eighth-pole and gradually increased his margin to one length at the wire.

"This horse has improved a lot," Cruz said. "I have been saying to the trainer that this horse will get better with longer races. He showed that here. He held himself up well for me. He was jumping shadows early in the race, so I had to take him close to the other horses to keep his attention. If he hadn't done that early in the race, he probably would have beaten that horse by even more. That's a good boy right there."

"The Calder horse did well," Stutts said. "You should never count them out. I've been training for 40 years, and this is the biggest race I've ever won."

Ranking as the sixth choice in an eight-horse field, Smooth Air rewarded his backers with payouts of $20.60, $9.40 and $5.40. The nearly 14-1 Silver Edition stayed on stubbornly in a fine runner-up effort, yielding $12.20 and $6.20. It was another three lengths back to near 5-2 favorite Halo Najib (Halo's Image), who checked in third and paid $2.80 to show. The $1 exotics totaled $88.10 (exacta), $378.70 (trifecta) and $2,510.80 (5-6-4-9 superfecta) with Golden Spikes finishing 3 3/4 lengths adrift of Halo Najib in fourth. Big Truck (Hook and Ladder) came in fifth in the strung-out field, trailed by Tiz It, Coal Play (Mineshaft) and Notgivinmyloveaway (Not for Love). Grand Minstrel (Grand Slam) and Cool Coal Man (Mineshaft) were scratched.

Smooth Air improved his record to 5-3-1-1 while more than doubling his earnings to $165,500. A three-length debut maiden winner in the slop at Calder, the colt stepped up into stakes company in his next two outings, finishing third in the Dr. Fager division of the Florida Stallion S. and second in the Jack Price Juvenile S. Last time out, Smooth Air romped by 4 3/4 lengths in a Calder allowance.

Bred in Florida, Smooth Air is out of the winning French Deputy mare Air France, and he has an unnamed two-year-old half-sister by Montbrook and an unnamed yearling half-sister by Five Star Day. Air France is herself a daughter of multiple stakes queen Twin Propeller (Known Fact). This is the family of the ill-fated Chace City (Carson City), winner of the 2006 Saratoga Special S. (GII), as well as 1994 Prioress S. (GII) victress Penny's Reshoot (Turkey Shoot), runner-up in that year's Test S. (GI).

Stutts is pondering future options for Smooth Air, who could stick with sprinting in the January 26 Sunshine Millions Dash at Santa Anita, or stretch out to two turns in the February 16 Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs.

-Brisnet