Smooth Roller Runs Away in Awesome Again

In only the fourth start of his career, Lucky Charm Stable's Smooth Roller lived up to his name with an impressive score in the $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes (gr. I) Sept. 26 at Santa Anita Park.



The 4-year-old Hard Spun   gelding only debuted in June, when he won a maiden special weight event at first asking, but exuded class when cruising past grade I winner Bayern in the final turn to win Saturday's 1 1/8-mile test, 5 1/4 lengths ahead of Hoppertunity. Bayern hung on to finish third, 1 1/2 lengths back.



Smooth Roller, under the guidance of Tyler Baze, stalked Bayern's soft fractions of :24.30, :48.64, and 1:12.25, and hit the wire in 1:48.08. The win is trainer Victor Garcia's first grade I score and first graded victory since 1989.

"I've been training since late 1985," Garcia said. "It feels great. ... I thought we had a good shot in the race, but the only way to find out is to run with the big boys, and the horse ran like I expected."



Off at 5-1 odds, Smooth Roller paid $13, $4.80, and $2.60 across the board. He was coming off of a fourth-place finish in the Harry F. Brubaker Stakes at Del Mar Aug. 26, when he stumbled at the start. His only other victory was an allowance/optional claiming score, by a nose, Aug. 1.

"From the very beginning, Victor told me he could really run and he proved it," Baze said. "I worked him last week, and ever since I've been on him down at Del Mar, he's turned into a monster work horse in the morning."

Hoppertunity brought $3.60 and $2.60, while Bayern delivered $2.40 to show. Both are trained by Bob Baffert, and Bayern's jockey Martin Garcia, who rode the son of Offlee Wild   to victory in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I), didn't have encouraging parting words when asked if he was the same horse he was in 2014.

"Not at all," Martin Garcia said. "If he was the same, he would have won. (He was) too quiet. He didn't show anything."

Imperative closed from back in the pack to finish fourth, followed by Point Piper, Hard Aces, Sammy Mandeville, and Global View.

Bred in Kentucky by John Cummins, out of the Unbridled mare Catch the Moment, Smooth Roller now has $261,810 in earnings and three wins from four starts. He was a $160,000 purchase as a yearling from the 2012 Keeneland September sale.