Saratoga 2024: Spirit Wind sprints clear in Honorable Miss

Graded-stakes winner Spirit Wind and Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith remained perfect together with a pacesetting score in Wednesday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap, a six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares, 3 years old and up, at Saratoga.

Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for owner Miller Racing, the daughter of Bahamian Squall made every pole a winning one, adding to a stalking victory last out in the six-furlong Memorial Day Sprint on May 27 at Lone Star Park with the veteran rider in the irons for the first time. The win marked Smith’s first graded conquest at Saratoga since guiding Midnight Bisou to win the 2019 Personal Ensign (G1).

Click here for Saratoga entries and results.

"Saffie,” Smith said of what prompted his return to Saratoga. “Anytime Saffie calls, you just don't ask why. You just get on the plane.

“You know I was warming her up and she was just oozing confidence. I said I ain't going to keep her off the lead today. Sure enough that's all it was. I just kept the weight on her back. Saffie and his crew did a tremendous job, and I just made sure she kept on running."

Post-time favorite Munnys Gold broke sharply from the outermost post in a field scratched down to five contenders. Spirit Wind started evenly but quickly found her best stride to inch up between rivals and take control through an opening quarter-mile in 22.22 seconds over the fast main track.

Clearly Unhinged rode the rail under Hall of Famer Joel Rosario through the turn. Munnys Gold and Irad Ortiz Jr. loomed on the outside of Spirit Wind, who held command through the turn and cut the corner to leave room in the center of the course for Clearly Unhinged through the half-mile in 45.33 seconds.

Rosario angled his charge off the rail and into the newly formed path in the two spot. Munnys Gold was given her cue in the center of the course at the head of the stretch. Clearly Unhinged was turned loose near the eighth pole, but the main threat came from late-running Accede, who gained with every stride under Flavien Prat outside tiring Munnys Gold. However, Spirit Wind had enough in reserve to fend off the late rush and best the classy group by three-quarters of a length with a final time of 1:10.36.

Last-out Bed o’ Roses (G2) winner Accede edged Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen-trained Clearly Unhinged for place by a half-length with Munnys Gold finishing another 1 3/4 lengths back in fourth. Sterling Silver, who trailed throughout, completed the order of finish.

Freedom Speaks, who is entered in the main body of the Caress (G3) on Thursday at the Spa, and the pair of Hot Fudge and Everyoneloveslinda, who are entered for the main track only in the Caress, were scratched.

Joseph, who won his second stakes of the meet after taking the listed Schuylerville with The Queens M G on opening day, said Spirit Wind has found her calling at six furlongs. 

"It was a big performance. Six furlongs, I think she's as good as any,” Joseph said. “Unfortunately, most of the races are seven furlongs for the fillies, so that's kind of unfortunate for her. Today she made the lead pretty easy. She was able to hang on and get a big win on her resume.”

Smith explained Spirit Wind benefits greatly from communication with her rider since she cannot see oncoming rivals on her outside due to a full-cup blinker that covers her right eye.

"She didn't (see Accede), but I did. That's why I reached back and gave her a few little love reminders letting her know, hey, they are out there. I know you can't see them, but they are there,” Smith said. “She knows that when you do that that they are probably there, so she responded. Really beat them probably even easier than what it even looked."

Spirit Wind won from off the pace last out but has shown front-running tactics before, winning four other starts going gate to wire. Smith, who won his third Honorable Miss after winning with Twist Afleet in 1996 and Furlough in 1998, said he had planned on stalking the pace again as he did in Texas. He called an audible when his charge felt fresh in the preliminaries.

"On paper I thought the outside filly (Munnys Gold) and Asmussen's filly, if we all broke head and head, they would probably get it from me, which was fine,” Smith said. “That was my game plan actually, but when I was warming her up I said, I ain't going to be able to keep her off the lead. I hope I leave there really running, because she warmed up with a lot of energy today. Lot more than she did in Texas, she was a better filly today." 

Bred in Florida by Jacks or Better Farm, Spirit Wind notched her second career graded conquest after taking the Sugar Swirl (G3) in December at her home base Gulfstream Park. The consistent 5-year-old bay also boasts two additional stakes wins at the South Florida oval in 2022, and on-the-board efforts in the Princess Rooney (G2) that year and the Hurricane Bertie (G3) this year. She returned $12 for a $2 win wager.

Prat, aboard Chad Brown-trained Accede, only could tip his hat to the winner.

“We had a good trip. I thought turning for home that she was going to be a winner,” he said. “But the winner actually just fought back. It was a good run. A good effort.”