SMITTY’S SUNSHINE (Seeking a Home) turned back the classy Nicole’s Dream
(Northern Trend) in the upper stretch of Sunday’s $116,400
Pent Up Kiss H. and
withstood the late rally of Beautiful Bets (Alphabet Soup) to win by three parts
of a length. Kept along the hedge by Robby Albarado, the Morris
Nicks-trained sophomore filly earned her first stakes win and improved her
overall mark to 7-3-1-1 when finishing five furlongs over Churchill Downs’
firm turf in :57 4/5.
Owned by Roger G. Smith, the Louisiana-bred winner paid $16, $8.40 and $4.60
as the 7-1 fifth choice in the eight-horse field of distaffers. Smitty’s
Sunshine dueled through an opening quarter-mile in :22 before asserting herself
as the clear pacesetter, getting the half-mile in :45. Nicole’s Dream loomed
large on the outside turning for home, but she lacked the necessary kick as Smitty’s
Sunshine surged clear once again in midstretch. Beautiful
Bets collared Nicole’s Dream in deep stretch, but she never seriously challenged
the winner.
The runner-up returned $9 and $4.20, capping the $125.40 exacta at 9-1.
Nicole’s Dream, an 11-time stakes winner and 8-5 favorite, wound up a neck back
in third and gave back $3.40. The trifecta tallied $576.60, and the 4-7-8-5
superfecta, with 5-1 Victory Spy (Victory Gallop) in fourth, was $3,866.40.
Bucky’s Prayer (Meadow Prayer), More Than Pretty (More Than Ready), Lady
Wrangler (El Prado [Ire]) and Golden Voice (Stravinsky) came next under the
wire. Winged Wishes (Fusaichi Pegasus) was withdrawn.
Bred in the Pelican State by J. Adcock and Neal McFadden, Smitty’s Sunshine
hails from the winning Premiership mare Dandy’s Sunshine, dam of seven-time
stakes queen Fuse It (Lite the Fuse). Smitty’s Sunshine also has a juvenile
half-sister named Fine N Dandy (Erlton), who is one for one in her career, and a
yearling half-sister named Smitty’s Shine (Leestown).
After breaking her maiden by 10 1/2 lengths over allowance rivals at
Louisiana Downs in mid-June, Smitty’s Sunshine recorded a third in the Victoria
S. two starts later. The bay miss entered the Pent Up Kiss off a 2 3/4-length
score over allowance/optional claiming rivals and has now earned $124,253.
Nicks is very excited about her future.
“I was pleased with how she won,” the conditioner explained. “I expected that
type of performance from her. She likes to go; when the gates open, she likes to
go. She broke her maiden in an other-than (allowance), and then she came back and
won again in a two other-than. She’s always been over her head. We’ve got a nice,
versatile horse. Hopefully, we’ll be able to come back up here in the spring.”
Nicks said he would point her toward the Louisiana Champions Day at the Fair
Grounds on December 9.
While Smitty’s Sunshine appears to have plenty left to offer under silks,
Nicole’s Dream made her final career start in the Pent Up Kiss. A winner in 24
of 53 starts, the six-year-old mare raced at 16 different tracks.
“She’s one of a kind,” trainer Larry Rivelli said. “I told (her
owner) that you’ll probably never get another one like her. She’s something
special, she really is.
“I hate to see her go, that’s for sure,” Rivelli said after the race. “But I
think they’re going to probably breed her to Giant’s Causeway, so hopefully in a
couple of years we’ll see some good babies out of her.”