Donald W. Erickson’s HIGH STRIKE ZONE (Smart Strike) endured a wide trip in
Saturday’s $300,000
Texas Mile S. (G3) at Lone Star Park, but still emerged a 1
1/4-length victor under jockey Ricky Faul. Trained by Amos Laborde, the
five-year-old was caught five wide entering the first turn while racing
in second and exited the turn four wide, tracking the pace from the outside. The
gelding moved a bit closer to the inside
while three wide on the final turn and eventually wore down the pacesetting Yessirgeneralsir (Patton),
drawing away while still racing four away from the
rail to stop the timer in 1:35 1/5 on the fast track.
Sent off the 7-1 fourth choice, High Strike Zone started exotics of $47.20
(exacta) and $141.40 (trifecta) while paying $17.40, $4.80 and $2.80. Even-money
favorite SUPAH BLITZ (Mecke) was worth $2.60 and $2.20 for holding second by a
length over Twilight Road (Cahill Road), who returned $2.60 at 3-1.
Yessirgeneralsir finished another three parts of a length back in fourth and was
followed by Snorter (Awesome Again) and Toratora (With Approval).
High Strike Zone earned his third stakes win here and first graded victory
from a record that now reads 24-7-9-5, $386,160. In nine starts at Lone Star, he
has never missed the board, recording two wins, four seconds and three thirds. The bay has also placed in
three other stakes, two of which occurred this year, and was bred in Kentucky by
Lazy E Ranch Inc. Erickson purchased him as a weanling for $20,000 at the Keeneland November sale.
High Strike Zone is out of the unraced Danzig mare Danzig Island and counts
as half-siblings stakes victress Secret Beauty (Mt. Livermore), an unnamed
yearling filly by Tiznow and an unnamed 2005 filly by Buddha.