Texas Mile Stakes
by Patricia Woo | Apr 20 2009
The $300,000 Gr. 3 Texas Mile Stakes is the highlight of the card on Saturday, April 25, and is our race of the week. Three-year-olds and up will cover a mile at
Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, TX., and among those expected include Gulfstream Park Handicap winner Smooth Air, Potrero Grande Handicap runner-up Halo Najib and third-place finisher in the Oaklawn Handicap, Jonesboro.
After completing his campaign as a 3-year-old in seventh place in the 2008
Breeders' Cup Classic, Smooth Air is finally coming into his own as a 4-year-old. Better suited to conventional dirt than a synthetic track, Smooth Air won the $300,000 Gr. 2 Gulfstream Park Handicap on March 14 under the watchful eye of 71-year-old trainer Bennie Stutts and has racked up $932,000 in career earnings for owner Brian Burns. Look for the Smooth Jazz colt to race from off the pace before making a big move, the same way he won the Gulfstream Park Handicap; he will be using this race to prep for the Gr. 1 Met Mile in New York in May.
Unlike Smooth Air, 7-year-old Jonesboro will likely make the field chase him. The Kentucky-bred horse won the Tiznow Stakes in 2008 by finding a higher gear in the stretch, and trainer Randy Morse has cut back his charge's distance to take full advantage of his speed. In his latest outing, the $500,000 Gr. 2 Oaklawn Handicap on April 4, the son of Sefapiano was overtaken by It's a Bird on the final turn and was nipped for second by a mere neck. Jonesboro's career earnings currently sit at $943,575 and could exceed $1M with a good finish in the Texas Mile Stakes.
Halo Najib will be looking to end a graded stakes losing streak with a win on Saturday. In 12 previous attempts, the 4-year-old son of Halo's Image has been unsuccessful in his bid for a graded stakes title. This year, he came in third in the Gr. 2 Palos Verdes Handicap on Jan. 25 and was runner-up in both the Gr. 2 San Carlos Handicap on Feb. 21 and the Gr. 2 Potrero Grande Handicap, all on the synthetic track at Santa Anita Park. Trained by Mike Mitchell, Halo Najib will be returning to dirt, a move that may finally be the solution to his losing streak.
Other possible starters include Catmantoo, Tricky Causeway and Upstream.
Last year, Monterey Jazz coasted to an easy 8-length victory in the Texas Mile Stakes. Who will win this year's title?
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