Wilgerbosdrift’s Travers Stakes winning sire Flower Alley is the broodmare sire of a very high-class galloper in the former of Smooth Like Strait.
The latter claimed his fourth graded stakes win when he won Saturday’s $201,000 G2 Mathis Brothers Mile Stakes at Santa Anita, handing a three-quarters-of-a-length defeat to 2019 champion juvenile male Storm The Court in the process.

Runner up in the G1 Hollywood Derby, Smooth Like Strait went off as the 4-5 favorite in the Mathis Brothers Mile and duly lived up to expectations.

Storm the Court broke on top and showed the way in the event for 3-year-olds. With John Velazquez in the irons for the first time, he set fractions of :23.02, :46.49, and 1:10.12 through six furlongs. Smooth Like Strait had that margin down to a half-length at the half-mile pole and continued to stalk close as they approached the quarter pole. After applying pressure, Smooth Like Strait gained command in upper stretch and held strong to win over Storm the Court.

A son of Midnight Lute and the Flower Alley mare Smooth As Usual, Smooth Like Strait has now won six of 12 races, and has earned over $577 000 in stakes.  Winner of the G3 Cecil B. Demille Stakes at two, and the G2 Twilight Derby and G3 La Jolla Handicap in 2020, 3yo Smooth Like Strait could be aimed at the G1 Frank E.Kilroe Mile and G1 Shoemaker  Mile next year.

His broodmare sire Flower Alley has some exciting 3yos himself this year, headed by G1 World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas runner up Princess Calla and brilliant debut winner Reunion.