Classic of Course in a (Post) Position to Win Smile Sprint

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Amy E. Dunne and trainer Patrick Biancone’s Classic of Course drew the rail post position for Saturday’s $100,000 Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park. While other trainers might complain bitterly about getting stuck with the one post position they most wanted to avoid for a sprint race, Biancone is more than OK with his 4-year-old gelding’s luck of the draw.

For such a consistent, steady-running racehorse as Classic of Course, post position may well be the key to finding the winner’s circle in the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up that will co-headline Saturday’s Fourth of July program with the $100,000 Soldier’s Dancer Handicap, a 1 1/16-mile handicap for 3-year-olds and up on turf.

“He repeats every time the same race. We got a little bit unfortunate, I think, the last time because he had to go five wide on the turn and he got beat by [a length]. He just got tired the last 50 yards,” Biancone said.

After being shuffled back to last at the start of the seven-furlong Big Drama Handicap June 6 at Gulfstream, Classic of Course was forced extremely wide on the turn into the homestretch while entering contention before finishing evenly to check in fourth – a nose, a neck and three-quarters of a length behind victorious Rolando.

“This time we draw really well. We draw the ‘1’ and this horse loves to be on the inside. He won a couple of races like that, coming on the inside. It’s what he loves,” Biancone said. “For whatever reason, he likes to run inside horses. Some horses like to run outside. Him – he loves the inside. “

The stakes-winning son of Awesome of Course has earned more than $400,000 in 18 starts at Gulfstream, where he has won four times, finished second four times and third three times. He will be ridden for the first time by Kentucky-based jockey Keith Asmussen.

“I think he has a good chance. These horses are very close to each other. I think the trip makes the race. You can run a winning race and finish fourth and you can run a winning race and finish first,” Biancone said. “I’m sure at the end of the race there’s going to be like a length between the first four, something like that, just like last time.”

Classic of Course is rated second at 3-1 on the morning line behind Saint George’s Rolando, who is favored on the morning line at 2-1 for his attempt to go back-to-back in the Smile Sprint.

Rolando has been at his very best at Gulfstream, where he’s produced five of his six career victories, including a win in the six-furlong Hutcheson last year. The Fausto Gutierrez-trained 4-year-old son of Vekoma pressed the pace from the start of the Big Drama Handicap and fought gamely to the finish to prevail by a neck under a returning Diego Herrera.

Michael Iavarone, Jules Iavarone and TCC Stables’ Con Compania, who finished second behind Rolando in a six-furlong allowance three races back, enters the Smile Sprint off 6 ½-furlong allowance victory at Gulfstream May 23. The Bobby Dibona-trained 6-year-old gelding, who is rated third at 4-1 on the morning-line, stalked the pace under a returning Miguel Vasquez before drawing off to win by 2 ¾ lengths.

Morplay Racing LLC, Joey Platts and Lady Sheila Stable’s Guns Loaded is scheduled to make his first start for Gulfstream’s leading trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who has removed blinkers from the equipment of the 4-year-old son of Gun Runner.

Guns Loaded is coming off a last-place finish behind a victorious Con Compania in his 2026 debut. He won the one-turn mile Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream to begin his 3-year-old season but won only once in a six-furlong allowance at Churchill last fall from his five other 2025 starts.

Micah Husbands has the call on Guns Loaded, who is priced at 5-1 on the morning line.

Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s Viking is slated to make his first start for trainer David Fawkes while coming off a three-month layoff since his off-the-board finish in an Oaklawn Park allowance. The 5-year-old gelded son of City of Light, who is priced at 6-1 on the morning line, will be ridden by Edwin Gonzalez.

Mr. Pug LLC and JPG 2 LLC’s Naughty Rascal (12-1), Munoz Family Stable’s Beach Colt (15-1) and Robert Wayne Jacobs and Dwight Puckett’s To the Eastside (20-1) round out the field.