RACING ROUNDUP : Sky Beauty Provides Bright Spot for Smith

Favored Sky Beauty won the Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park on Sunday and salvaged some of the weekend for jockey Mike Smith.

Sky Beauty took over turning for home and drew away to a five-length victory over Dispute in the $200,000 race for 3-year-old fillies.

In the day’s previous race, Smith finished second to Star Of Cozzene aboard favored Lure in the Manhattan Handicap, preventing Lure from earning a $1-million bonus.

Smith was aboard favored Prairie Bayou when the gelding broke down during Saturday’s Belmont Stakes and was given a lethal injection. Because Prairie Bayou did not finish the race, his owners were denied a $1-million bonus.

“I know what I have to do, and when I go out there in the gate I’m not thinking about anything else but what I have to do,” Smith said. “I certainly had deep feelings for Prairie Bayou and I always will for the rest of my life. It’s hard. But did it bother my riding? None whatsoever.”

Sky Beauty covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:49 3/5 and paid $3 and $2.10. There was no show betting.

Smith had Lure in front in the upper stretch of the 1 1/4-mile Manhattan Handicap, but Star Of Cozzene took the lead 50 yards from the wire for a three-quarter-length victory. Lure had beaten Star Of Cozzene in the Early Times turf classic at Churchill Downs and the Dixie Handicap at Pimlico in the Early Times Triple Turf series.

Star Of Cozzene, trained by Mark Hennig, set a stakes record of 1:58 4/5 and paid $7.40, $2.60 and $2.20.

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Strike The Gold, the 1991 Kentucky Derby winner who finished third in Saturday’s Nassau County Handicap at Belmont, has been retired.

Strike The Gold won six of 31 starts and earned $3,457,026. He will stay at Belmont Park for 30 days while it is decided where he will stand at stud.