$83,700 Oklahoma Classic Juvenile presented by Heritage Place
For the second time this year, 2-year-old gelding Smiles Ahead came out on top in a Juvenile stakes race. Jockey Ken Shino picked a great time to get off the bagel to score his first victory of the season for owner-trainer Wilson Brown of Jones, Okla.
Smiles Ahead had won the $75,000 Prairie Gold Juvenile at Prairie Meadows in Iowa on July 17 with Shino in the irons. He took the lead near the top of the stretch and drew off to win by a length in a time of 1:10.64 for the 6 furlongs over a muddy track.
"The race set up just perfect for him,” said Shino. “We wanted to let the speed go and set back off of them. He relaxed really well for me. I didn't know who was coming up on me, I could hear him coming. I was just hoping to hold whoever it was off until the wire.”
Brown almost took the trifecta in this race all by himself. He also trained second-place finisher Catabout and the fourth-place runner El Don Quixote. Only the show horse, Lookslikeahit, kept Brown from powering home in first, second and third.
Smiles Ahead has now won 3-of-6 starts and finished first or second in 5-of-6 tries. He earned $50,220 for winning this Juvenile and now has bankrolled $129,225.
Smiles Ahead returned $5.60, $3.60 and $2.60 to win, place and show. The 12-8 exacta combo paid $100.20. The trifecta (12-8-9) was worth $510.20 and the superfecta (12-8-9-13) paid $2,343,20.
Photo Credit: Dustin Orona Photography
