Millionaire Smooth Air, who won or placed in a dozen stakes as a homebred for Mount Joy Stables, has been retired from racing for stallion duty. The 5-year-old son of Smooth Jazz was a stakes performer all three years he raced.
“Smooth Air has been fantastic to us and deserves to be turned out to stud,” said Mount Joy’s Brian D. Burns, who said Smooth Air was retired because of a foot injury.
At 3, Smooth Air won the Ohio Derby (gr. II), the Hutcheson Stakes (gr. II), and the Needles Stakes on turf. At 4, he captured the Gulfstream Park Handicap (gr. II).
Smooth Air ran second in the 2008 Florida Derby (gr. I) to subsequent champion 3-year-old male Big Brown and was second in the 2009 Shadwell Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I). In the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), Smooth Air was beaten 5 1/4 lengths while seventh.
Smooth Air won or placed in 14 of 17 races and earned $1,117,200. A Florida-bred, he is out of the winning French Deputy mare Air France.
Breeding plans are undecided.