In equestrian sports, horses are the main stake around which the whole industry revolves. There have been many horses who have graced the racing track and shaped the game with their performances over the years.

Recently, Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC, decided to retire its six-year-old horse from racing and transfer him to breeding for a future potential racing ace. The horse’s name is Smooth Like Strait, and he had an illustrious career that spanned over five seasons. The horse had not been active lately and had raced only once this year.

Smooth Like Strait retires from equestrian race

Smooth Like Strait, the turf specialist, has retired and, starting next year, will stand for a $3,500 stud fee at War Horse Place in Lexington. He is said to be in sound health and good to breed. The son of Midnight Lute was owned and bred by Cannon Thoroughbreds, LLC, in Kentucky. He started racing in 2019, and his first race was a Maiden Special Weight at Del Mar, where he finished in ninth position. His maiden victory came in his third career start in a turf sprint at Santa Anita Park in October of that year. Smooth Like Strait won his first stakes win at the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar in December of that year. Appearing in the race at 15.60-1 odds, he managed to create an upset by winning the race by two and a half lengths.

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Trained by Michael McCarthy, the horse has won from five and a half furlongs to one one-eighth mile race track. He has raced at all the prestigious race tracks, like Churchill Downs, Del Mar, Keeneland, and Santa Anita, and won at many of them as reported by Horse Racing Nation. Smooth Like Strait graded stakes wins were the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile in 2021, the Grade 2 Mathis Mile in 2020, the Grade 2 Twilight Derby in 2020, the Grade 3 La Jolla Stakes in 2020, War Chant in 2020, and the Grade 3 Cecil B. DeMille in 2019. His last race was in March of this year, when he took part in the Cotton Fitzsimmons Handicap at Turf Paradise and finished in fifth position.

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In his entire career, he had 26 starts in which he won seven races, placed second in nine, and was third in three. His total career earnings at the time of retirement were $1,813,863. During his career, the trainer had always been appreciative of his efforts and achievements.

Smooth Like Strait was easy to judge

Last year, in an interview, the trainer, Michael McCarthy, said that the horse was easy to judge about how he was doing. He further said that Smooth Like Strait always took great care of himself, and he considered him a model of consistency in running exceptionally well. When he was asked about his key to success, Michael said it could be timing or the race shape, but the jockey John Velazquez knows better because he spent more time with the horse during the pandemic and was happy with his performance on returning to the track.

Smooth Like Strait was an incredible horse who remained on top of the game consistently over a long period of time. He was a winning horse, and let’s see what the future holds for him in breeding.

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