Smooth B broke his maiden as a two-year-old seven years ago going five furlongs at Parx racetrack outside of Philadelphia.
The now nine-year-old won the Marshall Jenney Handicap for the second time on Monday, Aug. 26, at Parx going five furlongs on the dirt after Parx track management switched all races scheduled on the turf to dirt. Ridden by Mychel Sanchez, Smooth B didn’t care about the surface change for what is clearly his favorite race – he has run in the stakes race for an incredible six consecutive years and has never finished worse than third.
“They don’t come any better than him,” trainer Butch Reid said. “He’s the old man of the outfit that’s for sure.”
The “old man” highlighted the Pennsylvania’s Day at the Races card, defeating a field of five that included Talented Man, last year’s winner of the race. He also defeated his younger full brother, Fore Harp, the six-year-old that shares sire Weigelia and dam Katarica Disco.
“(Smooth B) is just a pleasure to be around,” Reid said. “He loves what he does. He hangs out and hollers for his lunch louder than the two-year-olds. He doesn’t know he’s a nine-year old and we aren’t going to tell him.”
The win inched Smooth B closer to millionaire status with $893,447 in earnings.
New Millionaire Minted
There was a new millionaire crowned at Parx when Smooth B’s stablemate Morning Matcha won the Mrs. Penny Stakes.
The five-year-old mare also took advantage of races being taken off the turf, as she was entered for the main track only. This was a big step down in company after racing against Grade 2 company in the Delaware Handicap last race.
“We got a little lucky the races came off the turf, but she had that group where she wanted them,” Reid said. “Great ride by Jose Lezcano he saved all the ground, took a nice hold of her and when she gets things like that, she has a pretty devastating run through the lane.”
The next spot for Morning Matcha is likely in the Plum Pretty on Pennsylvania Derby day on Sept. 21 at Parx. The race is restricted to Pennsylvania-breds and will be run at a mile and 70 yards.
It wasn’t all good news for Butch Reid’s group. He sent out Ninetyprcentmaddie in the Jump Start Stakes and he finished a non-threatening fifth behind winner Gordian Knot. The four-year-old went off favored after a run of six, consecutive in-the-money finishes in stakes company including a second in the Grade 2 True North and a third in the Grade 3 John A. Nerud. The Nerud was won by Mullikin who is one of the top sprinters in the country currently and came out of that race to win the Grade 1 Forego. The performance baffled Reid.
“I thought he would be very competitive in that group,” Reid said. “He acted great leading up to the race and then he just really ran a flat one. We went and scoped him afterwards he scoped out clean, cooled out good. We are just going to have to put a cross through that one and move on to the next one.”
In other action, Irish Cork won the Storm Cat Stakes for trainer John Servis and was ridden to victory by Frankie Pennington.
Uncle Heavy Preps for Pa Derby
Butch Reid sent out Uncle Heavy on August 24th in the Smarty Jones Stakes as a prep for the Grade 1 Pennsylvania Derby. The Withers winner split the field of five with a third-place finish. The performance was better than his last race, a dull effort in the Ohio Derby in June, but there are higher expectations for this talented son of Social Inclusion.
“It’s very frustrating, the horse is a big strong horse and doesn’t have a pimple on him,” Reid said. “He gets in his own way so much. He got up in between horses and that’s not the place for him. I am getting tired of making excuses for him. A little frustrated but we haven’t lost any faith in him. He came out of the race great.”
Reid said he expects Uncle Heavy to run next in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby in September.
Original source credited to Lancaster Farming
