Grand Slam Smile romps in the Golden State Juvenile Fillies (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)
Golden Gate Fields-Based Specht & Alvarado Team for Emotional Seven Furlong Score
Race Is Part of Lucrative CTBA-Sponsored Golden State Series
Mike Willman/Santa Anita Press Box
ARCADIA, Calif.— Based for decades at Golden Gate Fields, trainer Steve Specht and jockey Frank Alvarado teamed for an emotional 7 ¼ length score in Friday’s $175,000 Golden State Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita, as Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Williams’ homebred Grand Slam Smile steamed to a huge 7 ¼ length score, getting seven furlongs in 1:24.55.
The Golden State Juvenile Fillies is part of the lucrative CTBA-sponsored Golden State Series for eligible California-bred or sired horses.
Breaking from post position seven, Grand Slam Smile was in hand early as Recalcitrant and heavily favored Mirinda traded punches on the front end. Confidently handled by Alvarado, Grand Slam Smile engaged the top pair a half mile out and raced as a team with Mirinda to the quarter pole, with the winner gaining the advantage shortly thereafter in a huge effort.
Idle since recovering from a foot issue following a second place finish in Del Mar’s CTBA Stakes Aug. 6, Grand Slam Smile was the second choice among a field of 10 California-bred fillies at 5-2 and paid $7.80, $5.20 and $3.00.
By Smiling Tiger out of the Grand Slam mare Royal Grand Slam, Grand Slam Smile, who took the Fasig Tipton Debutante at Santa Anita in her second start on June 17, is now a two-time stakes winner with three wins from four starts. With today’s winner’s share of $99,750 she increased her earnings to $206,900.
Based at Los Alamitos, Petit Filet was off at 45-1 with Ricardo Ramirez and paid $26.80 and $8.00.
Finishing 1 ½ lengths back in third was 1-5 favorite Mirinda. Ridden by Mike Smith, she returned $2.20 to show while finishing 2 ¼ lengths in front of Prancingthruparis.
Fractions on the race were 21.91, 45.03, 1:10.79 and 1:24.55.
$175,000 GOLDEN STATE JUVENILE FILLIES
JOCKEY QUOTES
FRANK ALVARADO, GRAND SLAM SMILE, WINNER: “I’ve been working my filly up north and she’s been super. We knew we had something special here. We broke great and when I got to the three-eighths pole, I knew we had the race. She just took off. What a great feeling.”
TRAINER QUOTES
STEVE SPECHT, GRAND SLAM SMILE, WINNER: Did you think she was going to win this easily?: “Yes I did. She’s been training super and she’s a nice horse. She can do it all. She has speed if I need to send her, and she will rate kindly. She is a very versatile horse.
“Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Willams, have been very good clients and have been very good to me. They send me nice horses and it is an easy job when you have nice horses. After the race in Del Mar, she got an infection in her leg and that set her back about 10 days. I just didn’t want to try. I had this race in mind for the last two months. It all worked out, I had her plenty fit coming into this race. Me and her will be on the highway at about 3:30 tomorrow morning.”
NOTES: The winning owner/breeders are Mr. & Mrs. Larry D. Williams.
