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Smooth Air Added To Florida Derby Mix

posted by Brisnet Editorial on March 10, 2008 Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Smooth Air a Surprise Winner of The Hutcheson Stakes (GII) (photo by: Eleanor Gustafson/Horsephotos.com)Smooth Air a Surprise Winner of The Hutcheson Stakes (GII) (photo by: Eleanor Gustafson/Horsephotos.com)

Hutcheson S. (G2) winner SMOOTH AIR (Smooth Jazz) will make his next start in the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) on March 29, according to trainer Bennie Stutts Jr. The bay colt most recently finished a close third in the Sam F. Davis S. on February 16 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Smooth Air worked one mile in 1:45 3/5 at Calder on Sunday under jockey Manny Cruz.

"The track was a little slow, but sometimes when you bring a horse up to a race you can leave a horse's best performance in a workout," Stutts said. "We're trying to avoid that. Last week we did a mile in 1:47. Today it was 1:45 and change, and next week it will be a shorter, faster work. We're trying to bring him up properly."

Other three-year-olds who are listed as possible for the 1 1/8-mile test include B B FRANK (Came Home), BIG BROWN (Boundary), COOL GATOR (Macho Uno), ELYSIUM FIELDS (El Prado [Ire]), FIERCE WIND (Dixie Union), GOLDEN SPIKES (Seeking the Gold), HEY BYRN (Put It Back), MAKE ME ZACH (First Tour), NISTLE'S CRUNCH (Van Nistelrooy), and TOMCITO (Street Cry [Ire]).