White Smoke overcame a slow start which saw her trailing the field at almost 10 lengths in the early stages of the race to sweeping past the field in the stretch to win easily by a length to win a six-furlong maiden special weight contest at Fair Grounds on Saturday, Dec. 20.
The two-year-old grey/roan filly becomes the 19th first crop winner for her sire, Essential Quality.
Making her first start for her connections, White Smoke was off a step or two slowly and gave up several lengths at the start of the race. Despite the tardy start, jockey Jose Ortiz remained confident in his filly, letting her gather herself and settle into stride while saving ground along the inside rail as Quick Kiss and Gerber Daisy led the way early.
White Smoke swung six-wide at the quarter pole and showed an impressive drive down the stretch to blow past the field and win going away by a length. Gerber Daisy got up for second with Leedu taking third.
White Smoke was bred in Kentucky by Rock Ridge Thoroughbreds LLC and is out of Mira Alta, an unraced daughter of Curlin. In addition to White Smoke, Mira Alta is the dam of Graded Stakes winner and multiple Graded Stakes-placed Promise Keeper (Constitution), Stakes winner and Graded Stakes-placed Wicked Awesome (Awesome Again) and Graded Stakes-placed War Stopper (Declaration of War). The immediate family also boasts Graded Stakes winners Great Hunter (G1 Breeders’ Futurity), Owendale (G3 Ohio Derby) and Shred the Gnar (G3 Chilukki).
Two-time Eclipse Award winner Essential Quality's other first-crop winners include Nashua Stakes winner My World, Ellis Park Debutante winner Chopsticks, Clever Trevor Stakes winner Essential Time, recent Churchill MSW winners Bohemian and Measure, plus Keeneland debut MSW winner Confessional, Saratoga debut MSW winner Aye Eye, and seven-length Gulfstream MSW winner Bull by the Horns.
Essential Quality will stand the 2026 breeding season at Jonabell Farm for a fee of $25,000, stands and nurses.
