Hobeau Farm’s SMOKUME (Smoke Glacken) earned his fifth Belmont Park victory
Sunday when holding off Willy o’the Valley (Will’s Way) by a length in the $150,000
Tom Fool
H. (G2). Settling in second through the first two splits of :22 2/5 and :45
behind Gadace’s Khamseh (Piccolino), the Allen Jerkens trainee drifted wide in
the turn for home and drew clear under jockey Chantal Sutherland. The pair
finished the sloppy seven-furlong event in 1:21 4/5.
“I’ve got to know Smokume so well that I knew to wait, wait, wait,” said
Sutherland, who earned her first graded stakes score in the United States with this
win. “He’s never been this calm. He was very relaxed today. When I asked him, he
gave me more than I expected. I think he’s getting better. This feels pretty
cool. This is everything you’ve dreamed of. Hopefully, the ball keeps rolling.”
The winning gelding returned $12, $5.30 and $3.80, leading the $57.50 exacta
at 5-1. Willy o’the Valley paid $5 and $3.20 to his backers at nearly 7-2 while
Clever Electrician (Clever Trick) entered the turn the widest of any competitor
in the field. He managed to rally and come home another 2 1/2 lengths back
paying $3.60 for the show and $213 for the 1-5-3 trifecta at 4-1. The 2-1
favorite Swingforthefences (Boston Harbor), Gadace’s Khamseh and Voodoo (Petionville)
rounded out the order of finish. Shaniko (A.P. Indy) was scratched from the
race.
“I guess he likes the mud; that’s for sure. He’s a little stronger than he
was (last year),” Jerkens said. “His father was awful good and tough too. He’s
getting to be like his father, but he’s got a ways to go yet. You live and hope
in this game.”
Jerkens went on to state that Smokume will make his next appearance in the
Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. (G2) on August 13 at Saratoga.
Smokume was bred in Florida by his owners and is out of the Nijinsky II mare
Presume, making him a half-brother to Premont, an unraced
two-year-old by Montbrook. This is Smokume’s first graded stakes win and the
four-year-old chestnut improves his line to 17-8-3-0 with earnings of $419,320.