United, Smooth Like Strait square off in contentious Eddie Read

Del Mar will present a stakes doubleheader Saturday with the 48th running of the Grade 2, $250,000 Eddie Read Stakes for older turf horses being one of the offerings.

The 54th edition of the Grade 2, $200,000 San Clemente Stakes is the other co-feature on an 11-race card that has a first post of 2 p.m. PDT.

The Eddie Read, named for Del Mar’s long-time publicity director, has drawn a field of seven solid older stakes aces, including Cannon Thoroughbred’s Smooth Like Strait and LNJ Foxwoods’ United. They’ll run a mile and one-eighth on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course in Race 8 on the program.

Smooth Like Straight, trained by Mike McCarthy, comes into the Read off a front-running tally in the Shoemaker Mile (G1) at Santa Anita on May 31. The handy 4-year-old by sprint champion Midnight Lute is a seven-time winner who has banked $933,823 and could take a bunch of catching Saturday.

United has won eight races and more than $1.5 million over a 19-race career thus far. The 6-year-old gelding by Giant’s Causeway won the Eddie Read last year.