Smash Tunes Up for Tom Fool
Smash, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, tuned up for the Grade 3 Tom Fool with a brisk half-mile breeze in 48.69 over the Belmont Park training track on Saturday, a day after arriving at trainer John Terranova’s barn. Accomplished in company with Terranova’s Gotham candidate West Hills Giant, the move was the seventh-fastest of 45 at the distance.
A lightly raced son of Smart Strike, the 5-year-old Smash carries a record of 3-2-0 from seven starts into the Tom Fool. With a pair of allowance wins and a second in the Grade 2 Carry Back at Calder Race Course as a 3-year-old, Smash returned to the races in December after a year off and finished a close-up fifth in the Grade 3 Vernon O. Underwood at Betfair Hollywood Park.
* * *
Claimed for $100,000 out of a one-mile, 70-yard race on January 4, Johannesburg Smile finished second in the Grade 3, six-furlong Toboggan in his first start for trainer Todd Pletcher and owner Mike Repole. The effort was impressive enough to keep the 6-year-old New York-bred running short with his next start in Saturday’s Tom Fool.
“He came out of that race in super order; thumbs up,” reported Pletcher assistant Michael McCarthy, who said Johnnesburg Smile will have his final breeze for the six-furlong Tom Fool on Monday morning. “Turning him back to sprints seemed to work well last time and he certainly ran well enough. Hopefully the Tom Fool sets us up for something a little longer, distance-wise, in his next start after that.”
The multiple stakes-wining son of Johannesburg will be making his 31st career start in the Tom Fool, having compiled a record of 8-6-9 with earnings of $464,370.