2021 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Contenders and Odds

Horse Betting Online

Santa Anita Park Press Release
Updated: March 04, 2021

In what may be the best betting race of the day, trainer Michael McCarthy's Smooth Like Strait heads a deep and competitive field of 10 older horses in the Grade 1, $400,000 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (turf) at Santa Anita Park on Saturday, March 6.

A winner of the opening day Mathis Brothers Mile on Dec. 26, Cannon Thoroughbreds' homebred Smooth Like Strait is a head away from three consecutive graded stakes wins and merits top billing in a close call over recent lights-out Grade III winner Hit the Road.

With a strong local contingent in place, the Kilroe has also attracted five quality eastern shippers, headed by Chad Brown's Flavius, Todd Pletcher's Social Paranoia and Mark Casse's Ride a Comet.

2021 Frank E. Kilroe Mile Field & Odds

Race 9 at Santa Anita on Saturday, March 6 - Post 7:26 PM

Entry Horse ML Odds Jockey Trainer
1 Smooth Like Strait 4-1 Umberto Rispoli
122 Lbs
Michael McCarthy
2 Hit the Road 4-1 Florent Geroux
122 Lbs
Dan Blacker
3 Social Paranoia 8-1 Abel Cedillo
122 Lbs
Todd Pletcher
4 Royal Ship (BRZ) 15-1 Mike Smith
120 Lbs
Richard Mandella
5 Spirit Animal 12-1 Joel Rosario
120 Lbs
Chad Brown
6 Flavius 6-1 Flavien Prat
120 Lbs
Chad Brown
7 Casa Creed 6-1 John Velazquez
120 Lbs
William Mott
8 Count Again 12-1 Juan Hernandez
122 Lbs
Philip D'Amato
9 Ride a Comet 7-2 Drayden Van Dyke
122 Lbs
Mark Casse
10 Flying Scotsman 12-1 Tyler Baze
120 Lbs
Jack Sisterson

Forwardly placed in nearly all of his races, Smooth Like Strait pressed the early pace set by Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Storm the Court in the Mathis Brothers Mile and went on to a solid three quarter length win at odds of 4-5.

With Umberto Rispoli at the controls, Smooth Like Strait won three graded stakes last year, dating back to the Grade III La Jolla Handicap five starts back on Aug. 9.

Horse Racing Rebates

A gem of consistency, this 4-year-old colt by Midnight Lute out of the Flower Alley mare Smooth as Usual, has been favored in seven out of his last eight starts, including a narrow defeat two starts back in the Grade I Hollywood Derby on Nov. 28 at Del Mar. With three wins and a second from five tries at one mile on turf, Smooth Like Strait is 12-6-2-1 overall with earnings of $577,823.

Idle since winning the restricted one mile turf Oceanside Stakes July 10, trainer Dan Blacker's Hit the Road unfurled a tremendous stretch run to take the Grade 3 Thunder Road Stakes over the course by 3 ¾ lengths and left little doubt he has tremendous upside.

With a career-best 99 Beyer Speed figure in hand, Hit the Road, a 4-year-old colt by More Than Ready, seeks his fourth consecutive win on Saturday.

Owned by D K Racing, LLC, Radley Equine, Inc., Taste of Victory Stables, Rick Gold and Dave Odmark, Hit the Road, who had been ridden in his last three starts by Rispoli, will get the first time services of Florent Geroux, as Rispoli, in a very tough call for him and his agent Scotty McClellan, sticks with Smooth Like Strait.

With five wins from seven starts at one mile on turf, Hit the Road is five for eight overall with earnings of $254,751.

Second, beaten three quarters of a length at 5-2 in the Grade II Seabiscuit Handicap at Del Mar Nov. 28, Juddmonte Farms' homebred Flavius would be flattered by a fast Kilroe pace with Flavien Prat aboard for the first time.

Two for three in Ireland, this 6-year-old full horse by War Front has one win from six stateside starts, which came in a one mile turf ungraded stakes three starts back at Kentucky Downs Sept. 7.

Fourth, beaten 2 ¾ lengths at 9-1 in the Grade I Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at 1 3/16 miles Jan. 23, millionaire Social Paranoia, who will be ridden for the first time by Abel Cedillo, is unbeaten in three tries at one mile on turf and rates an upset chance as he makes his second Grade I appearance at age five.

A winner of his last four starts, three of them in graded stakes, Ride a Comet, a 6-year-old full horse by Candy Ride, will be reunited with Drayden Van Dyke, who last rode him four starts back, when he orchestrated a come-from-behind victory in the Grade II Del Mar Derby on Sept. 2, 2018.

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