In an impressive display of determination, Smokey Image overcame traffic trouble to win the featured $200,000 Golden State Juvenile Stakes Friday and remain unbeaten in five races.
Sent postward at 1-2 under regular rider Juan Hernandez, Smokey Image was shuffled back to seventh on the far turn before rallying along the rail entering the stretch. He collared 5-1 second choice Found Money with less than a sixteenth of a mile to travel and scored going away by three-quarters of a length in 1:22.94 for the seven furlongs.
Family Code was third, one and one-half lengths behind the runner-up and four and one-half lengths ahead of fourth-place Swiss Minister in the field of ten California-bred two-year-olds.
Smokey Image, a son of Southern Image owned by Irvin Racing Stable and trained by Greg James, won the I’m Smokin Stakes last summer at Del Mar, again defeating Found Money. First prize of $110,000 increased the chestnut colt’s lifetime earnings to $297,600.
Smokey Image paid $3, $2.20 and $2.10, Found Money returned $3.80 and $2.80, while Family Code paid $2.80 to show.
Rafael Bejarano, leading rider at the Del Mar summer meeting and fresh from another title at Santa Anita, booted in four winners, including a victory aboard odds-on Bal a Bali in the day’s supporting feature, a one-mile grass race for older horses. Bal a Bali, running for the first time since finishing fifth in the Del Mar Mile last summer, completed the mile in a fast 1:33.70 and paid $3.80. He completed his quadruple aboard Fab Four Ever in the day’s ninth and final contest.
Friday’s attendance was 3,305.
JUAN HERNANDEZ (Smokey Image, winner) -- "The trainer (Greg James) told me to take him two or three lengths back and run from there. When we came away from the gate, he stumbled a little bit and that actually made it easier. We were back in the pack. I was trying to (rate) him, but he wanted to go. He was pulling hard. Then as we headed into the far turn, I was surrounded. I had three horses in front of me and two outside. For a bit there I was really nervous; I didn't know if I'd get out. But then we got some room and he went. I had to go inside, then outside, but he's a runner. We got it done."
COREY NAKATANI (Found Money, second) -- "We had a good trip. We were more tactical with him today and he ran well. But there's a reason the winner is undefeated."
ALONSO QUINONEZ (Family Code, third) -- "No excuses. He ran his race and he ran well."
GREG JAMES (Smokey Image, winner) -- "I was nervous (seeing his horse boxed in down the backstretch). I was hoping he would get out. He doesn't like being behind at all. We haven't seen the best of him, not at all. He keeps getting better all the time. He loves this track, but then he seems to love them all."
FRACTIONS: :22.64 :45.58 1:10.35 1:22.94
This is the first time the Golden State Juvenile has been run at Del Mar.
Smokey Image now has won all five of his starts, four of them stakes.
The stakes win was rider Hernandez's third at Del Mar, including his tally on Smokey Image this past summer in the I'm Smokin Stakes.
The stakes win was trainer James' second stakes win at Del Mar, with the first being the aforementioned I'm Smokin Stakes this past summer.
The owners, Irvin Racing Stable, are Betty and Robert Irvin of Pacific Palisades, CA.