Smart Bid gets up late in Fair Grounds Handicap

Last updated: 2/25/12 9:15 PM

Smart Bid (green hat)
launched his move after entering the stretch drive of the Fair
Grounds Handicap
(Hodges Photography/Chris Bennett)

Augustin Stables’ homebred Smart Bid caught Mr. Vegas in the final
strides of Saturday’s Grade 3, $122,500
Fair Grounds Handicap, posting
his first victory since last year’s Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap.
Trained by Graham Motion and ridden by Edgar Prado, the classy
six-year-old turf runner increased his lifetime earnings to $891,813
from a 20-5-7-4 ledger.

Making his first start since an unplaced effort last September, Smart
Bid snapped a five-race losing skid Saturday. The dark bay horse placed
in five stakes events last season, including runner-up finishes in the
Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Turf, Grade 1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic and
lucrative Colonial Turf Cup Stakes, but was winless since the
aforementioned New Orleans. Based this winter at Palm Meadows in South
Florida, he will likely return to Fair Grounds for a title defense in
that event April 1.

Smart Bid dropped back at the start as Mr. Vegas showed the way into
the first turn of the about 1 1/8-mile turf affair. The pacesetter was
traveling several paths off the rail as he completed the opening
quarter-mile in :24 2/5 and reached the half-mile mark with a one-length
advantage in :49 3/5. Smart Bid was reserved well of the pace in fifth
during the early stages.

Mr. Vegas continued to show the way on a clear lead through the far turn and
into the stretch, turning six furlongs in 1:14 2/5, and Prado began to urge
Smart Bid along upon reaching the top of the stretch. Mr. Vegas still clung to a
1 1/2-length lead with about a furlong remaining, but Smart Bid was begin to
lengthen his stride in an attempt to catch the front runner. He closed furiously
in deep stretch to get up in the shadow of the wire, surging to a head victory,
and stopped the teletimer over the “good” course in 1:51 4/5.

Mr. Vegas finished 1 1/2 lengths clear of Dubious Miss in third, and Ioya
Bigtime, Strike Impact, Derby Kitten and Achaemenes completed the order of
finish. Gleam of Hope, Mister Marti Gras and Uptowncharlybrown were all
scratched.

The winner was off as the 9-5 favorite.

Now a three-time stakes scorer, Smart Bid was bred in Pennsylvania by George
Strawbridge Jr. and is out of Grade 3 winner Recording, who has also produced
Grade 2-placed multiple stakes winner Deal Making and multiple stakes hero
Representing, and the daughter of Danzig is the second dam of Grade 2 winner
Anthony’s Cross and Grade 3 queen winner Fugitive Angel. Smart Bid counts as his
second dam Grade 2 winner Ratings.