Western Smoke wins Sapling (G3) Bill Denver photo

Western Smoke showed again why he is one of the fastest 2-year-olds in the country when the gray colt picked up his third straight stakes win and first career graded stakes win in the $150,000 Sapling S. (G3) at Monmouth Park.

Coming in as the odds-on favorite off two stakes wins by a combined 19 ¼ lengths, the speedy Western Smoke stalked the early pace in the six-furlong Sapling before easily taking command on the far turn and breaking the race wide open in the stretch. He finished a measured 1 ¾ lengths on top at the wire, stopping the clock in another fast time – 1:09.55.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Western Smoke ran his growingly-impressive resume to four wins from six starts with earnings of $226,687 for owners Kirk and Judy Robison. The colt was bred in Kentucky by Hopewell Investments LLC from the Boston Harbor mare Echo Harbor. His sire Smoke Glacken has been a perennially leading juvenile sire with more than 40 stakes winners lifetime.