Rand Metoyer and Benard Chatters' SMOKE IT RIGHT (Smoke Glacken) advanced his undefeated streak to four races with a wire-to-wire score in Saturday's $58,800 Mountain Valley S. at Oaklawn Park.
The 3-2 favorite in a field of five three-year-olds, Smoke It Right held sway after a challenge at the top of stretch and crossed the finish 1 1/4 lengths ahead under Gabriel Saez.
Trained by Chatters, Smoke It Right completed six furlongs on a fast track in 1:11 1/5 and put himself into contention for the March 19 Rebel S. (G2) and April 16 Arkansas Derby (G1).
“With the Rebel in two weeks, it’s highly possible,” Chatters said. “I’d really love a flat mile more than the (1 1/16-mile) Rebel. We want to try to get to races like the Arkansas Derby, but we have to do it incrementally.
“I’m pretty confident he can get that (nine-furlong) distance.”
This was the smallest margin of victory ever for Smoke It Right, who dominated in three prior starts in Louisiana. A 12 1/2-length debut winner at Evangeline Downs last June, he landed the Lafayette S. over the same track a little more than two months later to conclude a brief juvenile campaign. (Photo Courtesy of Oaklawn Park/Coady Photography)
He prepped for the Mountain Valley with a 3 3/4-length allowance win at Delta Downs on February 11.
“He’s a courageous little horse,” Chatters said. “He’s just so unbelievable as quick as he is, how he just gets around there.”
After this win, Smoke It Right's bankroll swelled to $96,300.