Favorite Tale tops Work All Week in Smile Sprint Handicap

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Hallandale Beach, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Favorite Tale went out and set the entire pace on his way to defeating champion sprinter Work All Week in Sunday's $250,000 Smile Sprint Handicap at Gulfstream Park.

Trained by Guadalupe Preciado and ridden by Edgard Zayas, Favorite Tale jumped to the lead out of the gate and proceeded to set the entire pace in the six- furlong stakes. Breeders' Cup Sprint champ Work All Week was racing third early before moving into second in the nine-horse field.

Favorite Tale, owned by PJG Stable, pulled away down the stretch to register a 4 1/4-length win over Work All Week with Wildcat Red third. Completing the order of finish were Grande Shores, Alsvid, City of Weston, Ledokol, Falling Sky and Singanothersong.

"We hoped he could run a good race here, because last year the owners wanted to go to the Breeders' Cup, but he's not eligible and it costs a lot of money. I told them let's wait a year because hopefully he could win a race and get in," Preciado said. "So this was perfect."

The time for the Smile Sprint was 1:08.85 on a fast track.

Favorite Tale, the 7-1 fourth betting choice, picked up his first win of 2015. The 4-year-old gelding earned $150,000 as he notched his sixth career win in 14 starts for $552,826.

"He's been training beautiful. For this race, he was doing unbelievable and you couldn't ask him to go better than the way he did it," Preciado said. "We gave him all winter off. He's a gelding and hopefully we keep him running for a few years."

This year Favorite Tale was second in Monmouth Park's Decathlon Stakes and fifth in Belmont Park's True North.

Favorite Tale returned $17.00, $6.60 and $4.60. Work All Week paid $2.80 and $2.40, and Wildcat Red paid $3.60 to show.