Net Par © Benoit Photo
The final 2-year-old stakes race of the meet is set for Monday’s special holiday card at Del Mar. The $100,000 I’m Smokin Stakes pits Cal-bred Juveniles in a six-furlong sprint. Six colts and a gelding are set to go in the closing day showdown.
Net Par will be out to win his third straight race, all at Del Mar this summer. He broke his maiden by 7 ¾ lengths opening weekend and followed that with a nose victory in the $100,000 Graduation Stakes.
“He was a little lost out there,” trainer Antonio Garcia says. “It took him a little bit to switch leads. When that other horse came next to him he dug back in to get the win.”
While Net Par wired the field in his maiden victory, in the Graduation he came from off the pace.
“He’s a pretty tactical horse,” Garcia notes. “I know there’s some speed in there so I’d hate to see him get into a speed duel if we don’t have to. We’ll just play the break again. Juan (Hernandez) knows him so if we need to sit off the pace again and come with a nice run we will and if nobody goes and he takes the lead on his own we’ll just let him cruise out there.”
Garcia has always been high on Net Par and sees a bright future for the son of Pavel.
“He’s still young, kind of figuring things out,” Garcia admits. “I think the distance is going to be good for him because I think the longer he goes the better he’s going to get. It’ll be nice to have a nice little Cal-bred through next year. I think as a 3-year-old he’ll be more mature and show us a little more.”
Starting alongside Net Par and seeking a little redemption in the I’m Smokin is the horse who was the favorite in the Graduation Stakes. Early Encore ended up third, 1 ¼ lengths behind Net Par.
“He didn’t seem to grab the track right,” trainer John Sadler reveals. “He was fighting with the track. He came out okay and we’ve trained him back. Since he’s spent more time over the track he’s been better so we expect a much-improved effort.”
The two favorites start side by side in the gate and Sadler likes his draw on the outside. Early Encore finished 8 ¼ lengths better than the fourth-place finisher in the Graduation Fumano’s Fire, who is back for the I’m Smokin as is the sixth-place finisher in the Graduation Prime Splash.
Fumano’s Fire is one of two entries for trainer Edwin Alvarez, who says the speedball has one purpose in the I’m Smokin’, to insure an honest pace.
“He’s got a lot of speed and that’s the reason we’re running them together,” Alvarez explains. “I want to send him to the lead to keep the speed so the other horse can catch him from behind.”
That other Alvarez horse is Cupid Cowboy, who broke his maiden last time out at Del Mar, beating Little King by a neck. Little King is also running in the I’m Smokin.
It’s the 37th running of the I’m Smokin and will go off as Race 6 on the 11-race closing day card. Probable post time is 4 p.m.
Here’s the field from the rail with the jockeys and the morning line odds: Little King (Joe Bravo, 6-1); Prime Splash, (Francisco Monroy, 20-1); Cupid Cowboy (Abel Lezcano, 8-1); Fumano’s Fire (Cristobal Herrera, 15-1); Empire of Ash (Antonio Fresu, 6-1); Net Par (Juan Hernandez, 8/5), and Early Encore (Emisael Jaramillo, 9/5).