Churchill Downs Press Release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Smoken Wicked, the odds-on 4-5 favorite and winner of the Grade II Amsterdam at Saratoga in July, tracked pacesetter Semper Primus in the early stages of the sprint before he grabbed the lead with three-sixteenths of a mile to run and rolled home to a half-length score over a chasing Jimmy’s Dailys in Saturday’s fifth running of the $269,000 Harrods Creek for 3-year-olds at Churchill Downs.
Smoken Wicked, a Louisiana-bred son of Bobby’s Wicked One, clocked seven furlongs over a fast track in a stakes record 1:21.73 under Brian Hernandez Jr., who rode the winner for trainer Dallas Stewart and owner Murray Valene’s Valene Farms LLC. The previous race standard was Henro’s 1:21.84 one year ago.
The winner’s share of $155,000 increased Smoken Wicked’s earnings to $711,392 with a record of 6-3-1 in 16 starts.
“All the credit goes to this horse and owner Murray Valene,” Stewart said. “What a horse. He’s just such a professional. Brian rode him perfectly.”
Semper Primus, an 8 ¼-length maiden special weight winner at Ellis Park in his last start, broke fastest from post No. 2 in the compact field of five but Smoken Wicked tracked in second in the clear just off the leader’s right hip through fractions of :23.10 and :45.41 with Jimmy’s Dailys, the Ellis Park Derby runner-up, just behind in third.
Leaving the turn, Smoken Wicked engaged the tiring Semper Primus with a wide move as Jimmy’s Dailys came up the inside. Smoken Wicked jumped to a 1 ½ length advantage at the top of the stretch and had plenty left down the lane as Jimmy’s Dailys grinded away to cut into the margin late.
“All the credit goes to Dallas and his team,” Hernandez said. “He just showed his class today. What a special horse he is.”
Smoken Wicked, who collected his fourth stakes victory and second against open company, returned $3.68, $2.40 and $2.10. Jimmy’s Dailys, under Jose Ortiz, paid $2.72 and $2.36 at odds of 2-1. It was another 2 ½ lengths back to Optical in third, who returned $2.94 to show under James Graham at 14-1.
U Devil You and Semper Primus completed the running order. Faster Gator was scratched.
Smoken Wicked, who finished seventh of eight in the Grade I H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga in his previous start, is out of the Street Boss mare Street Smoke and was bred by Tom Curtis and Wayne Simpson.
The race honors the neighborhood of Louisville centered near Harrods Creek at the intersection of River Road and Wolf Pen Branch Road. It is roughly bordered by the Ohio River to the west and US 42 to the east. Formerly an unincorporated community, it was designated a neighborhood of Louisville when the city merged with Jefferson County in 2003.
