Sunday, May 20, 2018 |
Smash Williams showed determination and grit winning his seasonal debut by a neck going gate-to-wire over a sloppy-sealed main track at Gulfstream Park yesterday afternoon VIDEO
Racing in Stonestreet Stables colors, Edgrad Zayas and Smash Williams popped from the outside stall to quickly grab the early lead. Racing down the backstretch, Smash splashed through an opening quarter mile in :23.53 with Deputy Czar (3) adding pressure to his inside.
Still with a head in front around the far turn, the field took aim at Smash with less than a quarter mile to go. Coming out of the turn, Zayas asked our three-year-old by More Than Ready for run as a dogfight loomed with Deputy Czar and a closing Tiz Morning (2).
Set down for the stretch, Smash sustained a determined drive to the wire never relinquishing the lead to a stubborn foe in Deputy Czar while Tiz Morning made his bid to the outside. Zayas showed strength late to keep Smash at task crossing the finish line with a neck in front. The final time was 1:24.96 CHART
Getting hooked with 3/8 of a mile to go, Smash dug in to best a winning effort from Deputy Czar. This was a solid comeback for Smash after an 11-month layoff, and we're hoping he can build off this effort and take the next step.
Photo Credit: Lauren King