Gary and Mary West’s Expansion made his stakes debut a winning one, rallying from last to first to upset the 50th running of the Grade 2, $150,000 Red Smith Handicap Saturday afternoon at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Making his first start for new trainer Chad Brown, who was in California to saddle Silver Timber in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, the 4-year-old son of Maria’s Mon relaxed towards the back of the pack as Operation Red Dawn took the field of seven through fractions of 25.99, 51.66, and 1:18.33.

Last on the turn, Expansion was swung widest of all by jockey Channing Hill as they straightened for home and he responded with a rousing late run to hit the wire 1¼ lengths ahead of multiple graded-stakes winner Grand Couturier.

His winning time for the 1 3/8ths mile over a firm turf course was 2:18.93.

“With Chad being in California, I really didn’t get a chance to discuss much beforehand,” said Hill. “I was just trying to be as patient as I could and wait. Coming around the turn, I figured someone was going to have to be really running to outkick us because I had a ton of horse.”

Spice Route was a head back in third, closely followed by Mr.Universo and favored Jambalaya, the 2007 Arlington Million winner who was making only his second start off a more than two-year layoff.

Further back, Operation Red Dawn and Wheels Up At Noon completed the order of finish.

Sent off at 12.80-1, Expansion returned $27.60 for a $2 win bet as he extended his record to 4-7-1 from 16 starts. The winner’s purse of $90,000 increased his earnings to $251,110.