Fabulous Strike can ship, has speed, and best of all, he knows how to find the winner’s circle. The 3-year-old Smart Strike gelding did it again Nov. 21, taking the Sophomore Sprint Championship Stakes at Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort by his biggest margin yet.

Under Dana Whitney, Fabulous Strike took his competition out of the six-furlong race from the start, controlling the pace from the outset and widening down the lane to a domineering 83/4-length victory. He ran the distance in 1:09.67 after posting fractions of :22.29, :45.22, and :57.

The stakes was the first race at Mountaineer for Fabulous Strike, who in his nine-race career has also run at Tampa Bay Downs, Penn National, Philadelphia Park, Belmont Park, and Monmouth Park. He has won five races, also taking the Romano Cucci and Ziggy’s Boy Stakes at Belmont this spring for trainer Todd Beattie.

Fabulous Strike is the first foal out of the Lost Code mare Fabulous Find, who made just three starts but broke her maiden in her first outing impressively at Aqueduct, drawing off to win by 61/4 lengths. She was bred in Pennsylvania by her owner, Victoria Racing Stable.

Fabulous Find has just one other registered foal, an unraced juvenile colt by Eastern Echo named Now I’m Found.

Fabulous Strike is also a homebred, bred in Pennsylvania by his owner, Tea Party Stable.

The second dam of Fabulous Strike, the Fire Dancer mare Dial a Babe, was bred in Florida by Mr. and Mrs. William Turner Jr. She made 20 starts and won four races and $38,755.

Dial a Babe has not produced any stakes winners but has had several durable runners, such as $225,684-earner Sweet Talkin Babe (by Judge Smells), $120,502-earner Slewzy Floozy (by Slew City Slew), and Shark River (by Hay Halo), who made 71 starts in his career.

Dial a Babe has an unraced juvenile filly by Clash by Night named Good Night Babe, did not produce a foal in 2005, and this year foaled a colt by Quarry.

Fabulous Find is inbred, 4x4, to the mare Minnetonka, so the mating to Smart Strike inbred Fabulous Strike 3x5 to Raise a Native.

Raise a Native is the grandsire of Smart Strike and Fabulous Strike’s third dam is by Tonkaton, who is by Raise a Native and out of Minnetonka.

Fabulous Strike is just one of the reasons why Smart Strike is having such a “fabulous” year. He is one of 11 stakes winners Smart Strike has out in 2006, four of them graded, led by three-time grade I turf winner English Channel. Smart Strike stands at Will Farish’s Lane’s End Farm near Versailles, Ky., where his 2007 fee will be $75,000.—D.M.L.