Flower Alley grandson lands US feature


Wilgerbosdrift’s resident G1 winning sire Flower Alley is showing promise as a broodmare sire, and the son of Distorted Humor was back in the spotlight as a broodmare sire this weekend.

Flower Alley’s daughter Smooth As Usual is the dam of promising US two-year-old Smooth Like Strait, who made it two wins from just four starts when capturing the G3 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes at Del Mar racecourse on Sunday.

A son of Midnight Lute, Smooth Like Strait sprinted to the lead out of the gate and never looked back in scoring a wire-to-wire victory in Sunday’s mile grass race.
Trainer Michael McCarthy said after his colt’s two and a half length win, “He had a good work at Del Mar this summer before he ran on Pacific Classic day on the dirt and just spun his wheels. It was always in the back of my mind to try him on the grass because he acts like a grass horse. Obviously, today he was able to get himself on an easy lead, put them to sleep and the rest is history.”

Herself a winner at Santa Anita, Smooth As Usual was covered once again by Midnight Lute this year.

Flower Alley, whose 40 black type performers include US champion and Kentucky Derby winner Flower Alley, is also broodmare sire of Japanese star Lucky Lilac-a likely runner in the upcoming G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase this month.