The Smile Sprint Handicap – GIII (P1)
6/29/19
GP Race 6 6F – Dirt
Purse $250.000
Three Year Olds and Up

A field of twelve sprinters are going to be entering the gates for this years running of the grade three Smile Sprint Handicap over this Gulfstream Park oval. It is a good field of twelve plus one also eligible so a bunch had this race in their sights. Let’s take a look at the field.

1. Shanghai Days (13-4-4-1 $248.100), trained by Night Rider Stables

And the first runner we come across right here is coming into this race off of a win in the Runhappy at Belmont Park. He ran a very good race that day to win by three quarters of a length. He is in good form at the moment so I think he will be ready to go in this one.

2. Crop Duster (26-5-11-1 $653.940), trained by John Henry

Here is the king of running second right here as he has eleven seconds in his career. He just ran second in the grade three Commonwealth at Keeneland in his last start. He almost always shows up it just depends on if he gets to the wire first or not.

3. Bring The Pain (20-5-6-4 $681.460), trained by Mb Stables

The first of two for Mb Stables right here and he is cutting back in distance off of a win in the mile and an eighth San Juan Handicap at Sunray Park. He ran a good race that day but he has not ran short in quite a while. I am not sure if he will take to the cutback in distance or not.

4. Harleys Hope (21-4-5-1 $126.730), trained by TwinTowers Racing

Now to this runner who is coming into this spot off of a fourth place finish in the grade three Maryland Sprint on Preakness day. He ran a decent race that day but he will have to run a better race than that to get the job done in here for sure.

5. Project Zero (16-2-5-1 $100.810), trained by Tiratzo

And now we take a look at this horse right here who is coming into this race off of a second place finish in an optional claimer at Tampa Bay which was going a mile. He is cutting back in distance for this race which seems to not be his preferred distance.

6. Crown Me Mucho (17-6-3-3 $74.870), trained by Nolespan Racing

Next horse in the field right here is one who likes to come from off of the pace. He usually sits back way towards the rear so he will definitely need a fast pace up top to help him out. If the race falls apart on the front end he could have a chance to be rolling late.

7. Caydens Camel (20-6-4-3 $480.000), trained by D J C Racing Stables

Another one coming out of the grade three Maryland Sprint and this horse was actually the one who won that race. He sat right near the lead that day and kicked clear late to get the win. He seems to run way better near the lead so a softer pace will help him out for sure. He has a good chance.

8. In Captivity (23-5-8-2 $952.230), trained by Mb Stables

The second one for Mb Stables here and this horse is coming into this spot off of a tenth place finish in the grade one Metropolitan Handicap. He couldn’t really compete with those that day but this is a drop in class. He usually runs his race but he seems to not win which is concerning.

9. Big Tuna (17-4-4-4 $117.750), trained by Maxmillion Farm

Next horse in the field right here and this horse is coming into this race off of a tenth place finish in the grade three Daytona but that race was on the grass. He returns to the dirt here but he hasn’t been able to do a whole lot with competition of this caliber so I’m not sure if he has much of a chance.

10. Hooligans Holiday (14-5-2-1 $129.410), trained by Threshold

The next horse in the field right here is coming into this race off of a third place finish in the Inn Sprint at Tampa Bay. He ran a good race that day but this is a little jump up in class so he will need to improve off of that race to have a chance in here.

11. Cobra Kar (14-4-5-2 $179.260), trained by Aer Stables

Next to last runner in the field here and this horse is coming into this race off of a second place finish in an optional claimer at Churchill Downs. He did not run too bad of a race that day but this is a jump up in class here so he will have to run a big race in here to win.

12. Roman Rage (34-10-5-6 $327.310), trained by Gdp Inc

The final horse in the field and second of two for Gdp Inc right here is coming into this race off of a win in a turf optional claimer at Parx. He has been running well on the turf lately but he can run well on the dirt also. A tough post and field so not sure how he’ll run in here.

13. Creep City (13-8-2-2 $56.460), trained by Fractious 

Also Eligible 

Summary

A big competitive field right here and there is a couple different runners that could get the job done in this spot. I am going to make my top choice Caydens Camel since he is coming into this race off of a big win. Good luck to all in the field.

7-2-1-11

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES