BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-breds Speed Boat Beach and Smooth Cruisein shoot for a ticket to the Breeders’ Cup as two of eight contenders in the $200,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship presented by Estrella Jalisco (Grade 2) at Santa Anita Sunday. The six-furlong test for 3-year-olds and older offers a “Win and You’re In” fees paid invitation to the $2 million Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) to be run Nov. 1 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.
Michael Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s Speed Boat Beach looks for his third appearance in a Breeders’ Cup having finished ninth in the 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) at Keeneland and fourth in the 2023 Cygames Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Santa Anita.
Trainer Bob Baffert tries to get Speed Boat Beach back to winning form in his third start this year and first since finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien won by Dr. Venkman, who he will face again Sunday. Speed Boat Beach battled on the lead with Maynum through the first half mile in the Pat O’Brien then conceded coming out of the turn. In May, Speed Boat Beach finished out of the money in the $199,000 St. Mathews Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs in his first start since winning the Grade 1 Malibu at Santa Anita in December of 2023. Earlier in 2023, Speed Boat Beach just missed when second by a head to Dr. Schivel in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship.
The 2023 Florida-bred Horse of the Year, Speed Boat Beach has won four with one second in nine starts with earnings of $504,350. Bred in Florida by Richard Heysek’s Caperlane Farm, Speed Boat Beach is by Bayern out of Sophia Mia, by Pioneerof The Nile.
Speed Boat Beach twice sold at Ocala Breeders’ Sales. Rubin M. Sanchez purchased him for $12,000 out of the Stuart Morris consignment at the 2021 October Yearling Sale then pinhooked him under his Really and Truly Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2022 OBS March Sale where Three Amigos bought him for $200,000.
Mike Smith will ride Speed Boat Beach from post five.
Smooth Cruisein looks for his first stakes victory in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship after finishing second to Citizen Bull in the $115,000 Shared Belief going a mile at Del Mar on Aug. 31.
The Karen Headly-trained son of Girvin won a first level, $50,000 optional claiming over a sloppy six furlongs at Santa Anita in April and then tried graded stakes in his next two starts. He was third in the Triple Bend (G3) won by Nysos going seven furlongs at Santa Anita on May 31 then seventh of nine in the Bing Crosby won by Lovesick Blues at Del Mar on July 26.
Smooth Cruisein has won two of seven career starts with a second and a third with earnings of $124,500 for Matson Racing, Sandra L. Brown, Elise Naify and Marsha Naify.
He too is a two-time graduate of OBS, selling first for $41,000 to Summer Mayberry as agent at the 2023 October Winter Mixed Sale where he was consigned by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck’s Summerfield. He did not meet his reserve at the 2024 OBS March Sale.
Smooth Cruisein is out of Smooth Cookie, by In Summation and was bred in Florida by J D Farms.
Kyle Frey will ride Smooth Cruisein from post four.
Set to face the two Florida-breds are Dr. Venkman and jockey Umberto Rispoli, defending Sprint Championship winner and 2024 Breeders’ Cup Sprint-winner Straight No Chaser will be ridden by John Velazquez, Awesome Rhythem will have Armando Ayuso in the irons, Wound Up will carry David Cohen, Hector Berrios has the mount on Mbagnick (Chi) and Juan Hernandez takes the call on Imagination.
Return to the September 26 issue of Wire to Wire
