Smoken Wicked glides. (Adam Coglianese/NYRA)
NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Valene Farms’ Smoken Wicked returned to the site of his Grade 2-placing to impress at that level in Friday’s $200,000 Amsterdam presented by Albany Med Health System, a 6 1/2-furlong sprint for sophomores, at Saratoga Race Course.
Trained by Dallas Stewart, the Bobby’s Wicked One chestnut finished third in last year’s Grade 2 Saratoga Special ahead of fourths in the Grade 1 Hopeful here and the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont at the Big A. The dual Louisiana-bred stakes-winner entered Friday’s score from a second to well-regarded Verifire in the Listed Maxfield on June 29 at Churchill Downs, and his last win came in the state-bred Louisiana Futurity in December at Fair Grounds Race Course.
“The horse has been very solid. His last race was solid – he got beat by a pretty dominant horse. He’s trained very well since, we know he likes this track,” said Stewart. “He’s a good shipper and held his weight good. He looked very dominant in the paddock, to me. He showed up today.”
Piloted by Brian Hernandez, Jr., Smoken Wicked exited post 3 alertly and tracked the favored Macho Music, who beat him 11 1/2 lengths in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile in May at Churchill, with Gunmetal to their outside through an opening quarter-mile in 22.09 seconds on the fast dirt.
“It was pretty textbook. He left there sharp, we had the big favorite to our inside and the whole way around there he seemed to be traveling better than him,” said Hernandez, Jr. “Our horse is so naturally sharp that he is able to just put you in those spots and that’s kind of what Dallas and I talked about. Our biggest thing was we thought he was one of the better horses today, so we didn’t just want to go after the favorite too early.”
Macho Music maintained a narrow advantage over Smoken Wicked and Gunmetal entering the turn, with T Kraft and Gate to Wire stalking the front trio around the bend as Garamond retreated. After a half-mile in 44.76, Smoken Wicked took over from Macho Music, and at the top of the lane Gunmetal loomed the main danger under Luis Saez.
“We were just a little conservative around the turn but when I called on him, he was there for me,” Hernandez, Jr. said. “Turning for home he just showed his dominance. I just had to be a good passenger and let him show his stuff.”
Smoken Wicked kicked strongly when straightened for home to draw off to an impressive 5 3/4-length victory over Gunmetal in a final time of 1:15.64.
Gate to Wire was three-quarter lengths back in third, with Macho Music holding fourth. T Kraft, Mati Gol and Garamond rounded out the order of finish. Uncaged was scratched.
“I was impressed the way he got out of the gates. Macho in the one-hole – he’s a dominant horse – looked like we got him right away, which I liked,” said Stewart. “We let him do his thing down the backside and then Brian moved up to him on the turn and challenged him a little bit – not too much – and then he pushed the buttons. He rode him beautiful.”
Stewart indicated he’d evaluate how Smoken Wicked exits the win before circling his next target. A local option could be the seven-furlong Grade 1, $500,000 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on Saturday, August 23.
Saez said the dual Eclipse Award-winner Brad Cox-trained Gunmetal improved from an off-the-board finish last out in the muddy seven-furlong Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun on June 7 here.
“They went pretty quick. He broke good, he was in a great spot, but the winner was too good – he kept going. For a second, I thought we were going to get by, but that’s how it is,” Saez said. “He tried. He ran big.”
Bred in Louisiana by Tom Curtis and Wayne Simpson, Smoken Wicked, out of the winning Street Boss mare Street Smoke, was a $38,000 purchase at the 2023 Breeders Sales of Louisiana Yearlings and Mixed Sale. He banked $110,000 in victory while improving his record to 13-5-3-1 and returning $7.50 for a $2 win bet.
Live racing resumes Saturday with a 12-race card, featuring the Grade 2 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun [Race 10] and the Grade 3 Lake George presented by Surfside [Race 9]. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.
