July 13 - In Saturday's $350,000 Smile Sprint Handicap (Gr 2) at Calder Racecourse in Miami, defending champ Benny the Bull was well-backed to romp home first in the six furlong outing, but he was simply outdone by $31 longshot, Eaton's Gift, who delivered an unexpected but no less impressive victory.

Going into the Smile Sprint Handicap with Jose Lezcano aboard, Eaton's Gift had not won a race for more than a year, but clearly felt the time was ripe to make a comeback, and what a comeback it was. From the start Lezcano kept the 4-year-old gelding in contention, hot on the heels of early pacesetter, Ikagi.

Coming into the stretch, Ikagi had increased his lead. But not to be outdone, Eaton's Gift also turned up the heat and by the eight pole had snatched the lead. As Ikagi began to drop back, so Benny the Bull, with champion jockey Edgar Prado aboard, made a spirited challenge for the lead, but it was too late.

Eaton's Gift crossed the line 1 1/2 lengths clear of Benny, while Processor's Turf, who rallied all the way from the back of the pack, snatched third place. It was arguably one of the most exciting Smile Sprint Handicaps in recent years and, despite the upset, fans canny enough to back the winner were smiling.

Interestingly, Eaton's Gift's only other race this season was in a optional claiming race at Churchill Downs Racecourse in Kentucky on June 28, where he managed a third place. His previous victory before the Smile Sprint Handicap was in the Swale Stakes (Gr 2) in early February last year at Gulfstream Park.

'We knew he'd be in front of Benny, we just didn't know if he'd be good enough to hold him off,' said Dale Romans, trainer of Eaton's Gift. 'He had some surgery over the winter, which was why he was off so long. But he's come back bigger and stronger than ever, and we are thrilled at the way he ran today.'

And Romans was not the only happy camper in the Zayat Stables camp, as the victory also gave Lezcano his second stakes win of the day. His first was in the $200,000 Carry Back Stakes (Gr 2) earlier on the card, when he crossed the line first aboard three-year-old Not For Silver, trained by Michael Trombetta.

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2011/12/09 12:49:09 AM