Cinema Stakes ($100.000 Purse)
SA- For Three Year Olds
One Mile on the Turf
May 11, 2025

Bigchief Stables picked up Street Sounds in the December auction, and all had been going well for the colt until his last race down at GP. There were not many people worried about that result, but if there was any doubt that would be erased in the Cinema Stakes, as Street Sounds prevailed in a photo to pick up the win. We believed in him, as he was our pick to win, and he was also the post-time favorite. That confidence would be rewarded, and perhaps we will see this horse in a graded race next time out. That will be up to Bigchief Stables, who wins the race for the first time, as does jockey L Dettori. Congratulations to them! The time of the win was 1:33.15. This was the first time the race was run at this distance, so we cannot compare that to anything. Here’s a look at the result:

(1/4 Mile- :23.70)- Four horses would run alongside one another as they moved into the opening turn. After a quarter mile, it would be Keikowin Racing’s Ged with a head in front while on the outside. High Voltage’s Canyon Wind is right there with him in the second position. It’s almost a full length to our eventual winner, Street Sounds, as he runs along the rail for Bigchief Stables. The other horse with this group is Thats It N Thats All, from TwinTowersRacing. Smokin Commander (Red Fox Farms) is the lone stalker, and he behind him the trailers, Decima Is Notorious (Riggins Racing) and Michael Jordan (Nakamura Stables) run side by side.

(½ Mile- :46.97)- Early into the backstretch, Ged is still the leader, outkicking Canyon Wind to have almost a full-length lead at this point of the race. Canyon Wind has not gone anywhere and still runs well to his inside with Street Sounds getting closer while on the rail. Thats It N Thats All is no longer able to run with these three, and begins to drop back, a sign of what was to come for him. Smokin Commander also lost some ground to them but is still a couple lengths ahead of Decima Is Notorious and Michael Jordan.

(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Moving into the turn, Ged was looking comfortable out in front and looked to move over to the rail, but Street Sounds would not allow him to get all the way over. Around the turn and into the stretch, Street Sounds would draw closer and was positioned well to make the pass for the lead at this point. The bigger question for Bigchief Stables now would be which of the horses behind him would emerge as the bigger challenger. That was not going to be Canyon Wind or Thats It N Thats All, as they were beaten horses at this point, and perhaps we could say that about Smokin Commander as well. However, Michael Jordan was set for a fourth quarter-mile comeback, moving to the outside and was making progress. The same could not be said for Decima Is Notorious.

(Finish- 1:33.15)- Ged would hold on a little longer than it seemed like he would, but Street Sounds would be too much for him as they got closer to the wire. With a furlong to go, Street Sounds led by a neck and it didn’t seem like Michael Jordan was coming quickly enough. But one should never rule out Michael Jordan, and he would be bullish in his insistence to make this close at the finish. Street Sounds stuck with it, but it would be tight at the wire and a photo would need to decide it. In the end, it is Street Sounds by a head over Michael Jordan, with Ged showing some heart to be only half a length back in third. Smokin Commander is the best of the rest, beating Decima Is Notorious, Canyon Wind, and Thats It N Thats All.

About The Winner- Street Sounds, trained by Bigchief Stables and ridden to victory by L Dettori, is a three-year-old colt by Terabyte and is out of the late Follow Trajectory. He was bred as a yearling in Kentucky by Fractious and was acquired by Bigchief Stables in the December 2024 auction for $75.010. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his second in seven starts and first stake win. His career earnings are now $125.560.

Track: Firm
Time: :23³  :46⁴  1:10  1:33

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 7 Paid 15.40
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 7 – 6 Paid 276.80

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded