Get Smokin winning last year’s FanDuel TV Kentucky Turf Cup under Fernando De La Cruz. (Coady Media)
Front-lovin’ Get Smokin returns in KY Turf Cup
“He comes and he plays hard every time,” Casse says
By Tim Wilkin
FRANKLIN, Ky. — A year ago, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse didn’t know what to expect when he ran Get Smokin in the Grade 2 FanDuel TV Kentucky Turf Cup at Churchill Downs.
Fact is, it was Harlan Malter of Ironhorse Racing Stable, which owns the horse with several partners, who floated the idea of putting Get Smokin into the 1 ½-mile race. Uncharted waters, for sure, as the son of Get Stormy had never tried it before.
All Get Smokin did that day was gun to the lead and never stop, upsetting the 11-horse field at the tune of 19-1odds.
He’s baaaaccck.
Get Smokin, now 7, is taking aim at a repeat as he will run in the $2 million Turf Cup on Saturday. The past champ did not get a ton of respect on the morning line as he is listed as 12-1 in the field of 12.
“He comes and he plays hard every time,” Casse said by phone as he and wife Tina were driving from Saratoga to Lexington this week. “We are definitely confident.”
Get Smokin will be making his 30th career start on Saturday and will be ridden by Fernando De La Cruz. He tuned up for this by winning the Grade 2 United Nations at Monmouth on July 20, his second start of 2024. Before that he was fourth in the Grade 2 Eclipse Stakes at Woodbine on June 1.
The Eclipse was his first start since the Turf Cup last year. Plans to run in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita were aborted when Casse didn’t like the way Get Smokin was training and sent him back to his farm in Ocala, Fla.
It was there where the gelding had minor surgery on both front ankles and that kept him on the equine disabled list. All the while, Casse felt sure his war horse would make it back to the races.
“Never doubted it,” he said. “We deal with this all the time. Cindy Black (head of rehabilitation at Casse’s Training Center) has been with us for over 30 years and does a great job. I was pretty confident.”
Having older horses excel in the barn is nothing new to Casse.
He has an 8-year-old, Filo Di Arianna (BRZ), who has won two straight Grade 2 races at Woodbine.
“The key to it is that we run them sparingly, we give them time,” Casse said. “I have always said they are our kids and, the longer you have them around …”
When Get Smokin and De La Cruz head to the post on Saturday, there will be no secrets. They will go to the lead and run as fast and as far as they can. Last year, it was all the way to the winner’s circle.
This year, Casse did not need any prodding from his owner to try this spot. He expects his veteran to run a big race.
“His last race (United Nations) was as good as any race he has run,” Casse said, “especially coming off only one prior start in seven months. He is good. He is a happy horse.”
FANDUEL TV U.S. Open Turf Championships
$2 million, G3 The Light & Wonder Ladies Marathon, (Race 6, post 2:27 p.m. CT)
Distance: 1 5/16 miles. Division: Fillies & Mares, 3-year-olds & up
Post horse (weight) jockey/trainer odds
1 Three Priests (JPN) (122) Velazquez/Varian 8-1
2 Chop Chop (126) Prat/Cox 5-2
3 Angel Nadeshiko (122) I. Ortiz Jr./Joseph Jr. 10-1
4 Greenfinch (118) Dettori/A.O’Brien 3-1
5 Loved Reiko (122) J. Ortiz/Leitch 30-1
6 Vergara (122) Gaffalione/Motion 7-2
7 Neecie Marie (126) Rosario/Reid Jr. 4-1
8 Forever After All (122) Beschizza/Walsh 15-1
9 Viva La Red (122) Geroux/Biancone 30-1
$2 million, G2 The AGS Music City Stakes, (Race 7, post 3:04 p.m. CT)
Distance: 6 ½ furlongs. Division: 3-year-old fillies
Post horse (weight) jockey/trainer odds
1 Crown Imperial (122) Torres/Ortiz 30-1
2 Kairyu (IRE) (124) J. Ortiz/DeVaux 6-1
3 Time to Dazzle (124) Santana Jr./Casse 6-1
4 Pipsy (IRE) (124) Rosario/Walden 6-1
5 Visually (124) Corrales/Morey 30-1
6 Amidst Waves (122) Prat/Weaver 20-1
7 Pharoah’s Wine (118) Chuan/Romans 20-1
8 Buttercream Babe (118) I. Ortiz Jr./Maker 9-2
9 Pounce (124) D. Davis/Casse 7-2
10 Simply in Front (118) L. Saez/Kenneally 15-1
11 Regulatory Risk (118) Geroux/Brown 15-1
12 Vive Veuve (122) Gaffalione/Sisterson 5-1
AE13 Gavea (GER) (118) Hernandez Jr./Stall 6-1
AE14 Uphill Dance (118) Geroux/Halden 20-1
AE15 Twirling Queen (122) L. Saez/D’Angelo 4-1
AE16 Toupie (122) Prat/Motion 8-1
$2 million, G3 The Mint Millions (Race 8, post 3:41 p.m. CT)
Distance: 1 mile. Division: 3-year-olds & up
Post horse (weight) jockey/trainer odds
1 Emmanuel (126) J. Ortiz/Maker 6-1
2 Mountain Bear (118) Dettori/A. Obrien 10-1
3 Irish Aces (126) Gaffalione/Walsh 12-1
4 Cash Equity (122) (FR) Leparoux/Joseph Jr. 15-1
5 Tuft’s Revenge (126) Santana Jr./Maker 20-1
6 Strong Quality (126) Geroux/Casse 15-1
7 Funtastic Again (122) Corrales/Ward 5-1
8 Talk of the Nation (122) I. Ortiz Jr. /Pletcher 4-1
9 Reckoning Force (122) Machado/Walsh 15-1
10 Ancient Rome (122) Spencer/Hills 5-2
11 Goliad (S) (122) Prat/Mandella 10-1
S-supplement
$2 million, G1 The Aristocrat Franklin-Simpson (Race 9, post 4:18 p.m. CT)
Distance: 6 ½ furlongs. Division: 3-year-olds
Post horse (weight) jockey/trainer odds
1 Hedwig (120) L. Saez/Harty 10-1
2 Evade (FR) (122) Torres/Maker 12-1
3 General Ledger (118) J. Ortiz/Joseph Jr. 15-1
4 Yellow Card (118) Velazquez/McCarthy 15-1
5 Bear River (118) Graham/Desormeaux 12-1
6 Apollo Ten (122) Gaffalione/Clement 6-1
7 Joe Shiesty (122) Cedillo/Foster 8-1
8 Please Advise (122) Prat/Weaver 8-1
9 Vote No (122) Corrales/Morey 20-1
10 Howard Wolowitz (118) I. Ortiz Jr./D’Angelo 9-2
11 Mansa Musa (IRE) (118) Alvarado/Mott 4-1
12 Smokey Smokey (122) Santana Jr./Maker 12-1
AE13 Barksdale (118) L. Saez/Walden 15-1
AE 14 Where Ya At Vince (118) Corrales/Rivelli 20-1
AE 15 Save The Trees (118) J. Ortiz/Maker 8-1
AE 16 How’s Ur Attitude (118) Dettori/Ennis 8-1
$2 million, G2 The Fanduel TV Kentucky Turf Cup (Race 10, post 4:55 p.m. CT)
Distance: 1 11/2 miles. Division: 3-year-olds & up
Post horse (weight) jockey/trainer odds
1 Highway Robber (124) Loveberry/Lynch 6-1
2 Integration (124) Carmouche/McGaughey 8-5
3 Cathkin Peak (IRE) (124) J. Ortiz/Maker 15-1
4 Get Smokin (124) De La Cruz/Casse 12-1
5 Sugoi (124) I. Ortiz Jr./Maker 20-1
6 King Curlin (124) Emigh/Vanden Berg 30-1
7 Tawny Port (122) Prat/Clement 8-1
8 Balladeer (122) Geroux/Papaprodromou 20-1
9 Anglophile (122) Cannon/Lynch 10-1
10 Grand Sonata (122) Gaffalione/Pletcher 12-1
11 Chief Little Rock (IRE) 118) Dettori/A.O’Brien 4-1
$2 million, G2 Ainsworth Turf Sprint (Race 11, post 5:31 p.m. CT)
Distance: 6 furlongs. Division: 3-year-olds & up.
Post horse (weight) jockey/trainer odds
1 Gear Jockey (121) Lezcano/Arnold 30-1
2 Axthelm (121) J. Ortiz/Joseph Jr. 30-1
3 One Timer (121) Loveberry/Rivelli 8-1
4 Cogburn (125) I. Ortiz Jr./Asmussen 6-5
5 Charcoal (121) Concepcion/Wisner 30-1
6 Coppola (121) Lanerie/Romans 15-1
7 Grooms All Bizness (121) D. Davis/Duarte Jr. 15-1
8 Khaadem (IRE) (125) Spencer/Hills 7-2
9 Noble Reflection (121) Dettori/Papaprodromou 20-1
10 Nobals (121) Corrales/Rivelli 6-1
11 Witty (121) Gaffalione/Merryman 20-1
12 Mo Stash (121) L.Saez/Oliver 30-1
AE13 Five O’Somewhere (118) Bermudez/Spraggins 50-1
