Can Uh Oh Bango Beat Game On Dude?

Mike Smith hopes history repeats Sunday when he rides Uh Oh Bango in the Grade II, $200,000 San Antonio Stakes, a major steppingstone to the Grade I, $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 3.

Smith was aboard Uh Oh Bango for the first time on Jan. 7 when he guided the 5-year-old Arizona-bred horse to a 1 ¾-length victory in the Grade II San Pasqual Stakes at 1 1/16 miles. The San Antonio is a sixteenth further at a mile and an eighth.

“He ran great for me,” Smith said of Uh Oh Bango in the San Pasqual, “so I’m hoping the second time will even be better. His last three races were good. His ran really well finishing second to Bold Chieftain (in the Bull Dog at Fresno on Oct. 16).

“In the All American (at Golden Gate on Nov. 25), he reared up at the start and still finished fourth. It was a horrible start. It cost him the race. Then he came back and ran a bang-up race in the San Pasqual.

“I think he’s going to come back and run big again, because look at his works. I don’t think the extra distance will be a problem. He’s a stayer. He’ll have no problem with a mile and an eighth. The question will be, is he good enough?”

Trained by Kory Owens for his father, Richard, of Glendale, Arizona, who races as Triple AAA Ranch, Uh Oh Bango has a 5-5-2 record from 17 starts. The son of Top Hit has earned $532,712.

The field for the San Antonio with Santa Anita morning line oddsmaker Jon White’s revised morning line following the scratch of Tres Borrachos: Uh Oh Bango, Mike Smith, 3-1; Game On Dude, Chantal Sutherland, 3-5; El Gato Malo, Corey Nakatani, 10-1; Ashtar, Kevin Krigger, 20-1; Victory Pete, Martin Garcia, 5-1; and Skipshot, Joe Talamo, 8-1.