Son of Roadster earns FSRI $25,000 FSRI Bonus

BY BROCK SHERIDAN

It’s Smoking was off a step slow but rolled to a seven-and-a-quarter length victory at odds of 30-1 to win a five-furlong, $70,000 maiden special weight for seven 2-year-olds at Gulfstream Park Friday.

Making his first career start, the Florida-bred son of Ocala Stud’s freshman sire Roadster earned the $39,000 first-place money plus a $25,000 Florida Sire Racing Incentive from the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association with $20,000 going to owner Kenneth H. Davis and Ortega Stable and $5,000 allocated to Davis and the late Sherry R. Mansfield as breeders. While written with open conditions, all seven starters were bred in Florida, five of which were FSRI-eligible.

Florida-bred juveniles eligible for the $1 million FSRI program have won all five races for 2-year-olds held at Gulfstream Park this summer including two stakes. The capped program rewards eligible Florida-sired 2-year-old winners of maiden special weight, allowance and stakes run at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs in 2026.

Longshot Win Jet Win burst out of post four to take a quick early lead but was joined by 1-5 favorite Strike in the run into the first turn. It’s Smoking and jockey Edgar Perez went on the attack three wide, quickly passing the two leaders with three-eighths of a mile to run. It’s Smoking was two lengths clear turning for home and continued to draw off in the stretch, finishing in :59.39 on the fast track. X G Man was second, a length faster than third-place finisher Mitts. Win Jet Win, Awesome Noah, Strike and Astrogem completed the order of finish.

Trained by Ramon Minguet, It’s Smoking paid $62.60 to win.

 

It’s Smoking is out of Kantharos mare Tackarous, who now has three winners from as many starters and five foals. She has an unnamed yearling filly by Roadster and was bred to Ocala Stud’s Colonel Liam in 2025.

Return to the May 22 issue of Wire to Wire