DEL MAR, CA – J. Kirk and Judy Robison homebred Good With People made good on his 4/5 favoritism, winning Friday’s $100,000 I’m Smokin Stakes at Del Mar.
Breaking alertly from post 5 under Abel Cedillo, Good With People raced outside of Tacoflavoredkisses on the lead, posting opening fractions of :22.48 and :45.59. Touchdown Brown closely chased them in third, with a long gap back to Pappy Boyington at the rear.
Straightening for home with an extended lead, Good With People began to grow leg-weary in the final 1/16 but still had enough left to hang on for a 1/2-length victory against his fellow California-bred juveniles.
The Peter Miller trainee, running without blinkers for the first time, completed the 6-furlong fast dirt sprint in a final time of 1:10.37.
“The last time I rode him, we had an easy lead and he got real tired,” Cedillo said. “I suggested to Peter that we take the blinkers off to help him relax. That’s just how it worked today. We went to the front, but he did it easily. He had enough late this time to get the job done.”
Touchdown Brown’s valiant stretch fight ultimately came up short, but he did finish 4 1/4 lengths clear of Tacoflavoredkisses.
Pappy Boyington was a step slow out of the gate and never factored into the race before completing the order of finish.
Alpine Thunder, Jazz Hands, Positivity, Scooby, Found My Ball, and Doc Adams were scratched.
Good With People’s win improved his record to 3-2-1-0, with all 3 starts coming over the local dirt and his lone defeat coming in the Graduation Stakes last time out. The Curlin to Mischief colt has now accumulated $106,000 in earnings.
“We took the blinkers off and I think that made the big difference,” Miller said. “He was a little too aggressive last time with the blinkers and he couldn’t see the horses coming at the end. We worked him without the blinkers and he did really well, and Abel did a good job. It got a little close at the end. He looked like a winner last time, too, at the 1/8 pole and the 1/16 pole, so I wasn’t counting my eggs before they were hatched.”
Good With People returned $3.80 to win and $2.40 to place, while Touchdown Brown brought back $2.80 to place. There was no show betting.
