From DMTC
DEL MAR, Calif. (Oct. 30, 2015) — In an impressive display of determination, Smokey Image overcame traffic trouble to win the featured $200,000 Golden State Juvenile Stakes Friday for Golden State Series eligibles and remain unbeaten in five races.
Sent postward at 1-2 under regular rider Juan Hernandez, Smokey Image was shuffled back to seventh on the far turn before rallying along the rail entering the stretch. He collared 5-1 second choice Found Money with less than a sixteenth of a mile to travel and scored going away by three-quarters of a length in 1:22.94 for the seven furlongs.
Family Code was third, one and one-half lengths behind the runner-up and four and one-half lengths ahead of fourth-place Swiss Minister in the field of ten California-bred two-year-olds.
Smokey Image is by Southern Image, out of the Free House mare Special Smoke, was bred by C-Punch Ranch, is owned by Irvin Racing Stable and trained by Greg James. He has won all five starts with earnings of $297,600 and was coming off a win in the Sept. 4 I’m Smokin Stakes.
Smokey Image paid $3, $2.20 and $2.10, Found Money returned $3.80 and $2.80, while Family Code paid $2.80 to show.
Rafael Bejarano, leading rider at the Del Mar summer meeting and fresh from another title at Santa Anita, booted in four winners, including a victory aboard odds-on Bal a Bali in the day’s supporting feature, a one-mile grass race for older horses. Bal a Bali, running for the first time since finishing fifth in the Del Mar Mile last summer, completed the mile in a fast 1:33.70 and paid $3.80. He completed his quadruple aboard Fab Four Ever in the day’s ninth and final contest.