Grand Slam Smile digs in and fends off challengers, Benoit Photo
Santa Anita Park Press
ARCADIA, CA —The ever-consistent mare Grand Slam Smile collected her 10th stakes win on Saturday when rolling to a front-running victory in the $100,000 Fran’s Valentine Stakes for California-bred fillies and mares going one mile on turf at Santa Anita.
Ridden by William Antongeorgi III, favorite Grand Slam Smile (1-2) outfooted several other rivals soon after the start to grab the lead. She proceeded to set comfortable fractions of 24.03, 48.25 and 1:12.66 for six furlongs before having enough left in reserve late to hold off a late charge from Take Another Card (5-1) by a half-length. Quick Kate, a 43-1 longshot ridden by Kazushi Kimura, finished another neck back in third.
Grand Slam Smile, trained by Sean McCarthy, won in a time of 1:35.94.
Grand Slam Smile is a homebred for owners Larry D. Williams and Marianne Williams. She improved to 21: 12-6-3 with more than $980,000 in earnings. In three previous starts this year, the 6-year-old mare by Smiling Tiger won the Irish O’Brien Stakes sprinting on Santa Anita’s hillside turf course and was third in both the GII Buena Vista and GIII Royal Heroine at one mile on turf.
Grand Slam Smile paid $3.00, $2.10 and $2.10. Take Another Card, with Antonio Fresu aboard for trainer Simon Callaghan, returned $3.60 and $2.40. Quick Kate, ridden by Kazushi Kimura for trainer Craig Lewis, paid $6.80.
