Intriguing Smarty Jones Field Kicks Off Oaklawn Meet
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Lauren King
Big Thorn wins the Nov. 22 off-the-turf Juvenile Turf Stakes at Gulfstream Park West
A salty group of allowance and won-by-daylight maiden winners will help kick off Oaklawn Park's opening day Jan. 22 in the one-mile $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes that attracted seven 3-year-olds.
The Smarty Jones is Oaklawn's first of four Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) points races and highlights the day's nine-race program. Probable post time for the Smarty Jones, which goes as the eighth race, is 4:11 p.m. CT. It is the first of 33 scheduled stakes races during the 57-day meeting that ends May 1.
Trainer Brad Cox will saddle Caddo River, a John Anthony homebred racing in his Shortleaf Stable colors. The son of Hard Spun comes into the Smarty Jones off a 9 1/2-length romp in a one-mile $85,000 maiden special weight Nov. 15 at Churchill Downs. The colt was ridden by Florent Geroux who has the mount in the Smarty Jones.
Caddo River broke his maiden in his third start, having finished second in his first two efforts. The colt has been working at Oaklawn Park since Dec. 27. He went a half-mile in :48, the third-fastest time out of 88 working at that distance, Jan. 3 and followed up with a six-furlong bullet work Jan. 9 in 1:13 4/5.
Key challengers in the field include Novogratz Racing Stables' Martini Blu. The son of Maclean's Music already owns a victory around two turns after winning his Dec. 27 career debut at Hawthorne Race Course by 5 1/4 lengths when under the care of trainer McLean Robertson's father, trainer Hugh Robertson. Martini Blu, who stalked the leader, covered a mile and 70 yards in 1:42.70 over a fast track to earn a Beyer Speed Figure of 64.
"He was kind of a speed-crazy horse this summer and I didn't want to run him," McLean Robertson said. "He was showing too much speed, just go to the front. Sometimes it takes longer than you would like for them to tone down a little, even their first time. Once you run them, it's hard to slow them down. But he rated some the first time, passed horses and probably got something out of the race."
Robertson said Martini Blu was green-lighted for the Smarty Jones after working a half-mile in :49 4/5 over a fast track Jan. 14 morning at Oaklawn. He had previously been breezing at Hawthorne.
"He worked good over this surface, and it's not like there's a two-turn race any time soon," Robertson said. "It just made practical sense."
Allowance/allowance-optional claiming winners add intrigue to the mix.
Arnaldo Monge's Hardly Swayed comes into the Smarty Jones off a smart win by 2 1/2 lengths at Mahoning Valley Racecourse, where he opened up a six-length lead before powering down to cruise across the wire unchallenged. The son of Bernardini has now won two of four stats for trained by Rey Hernandez and will be ridden by Martin Garcia at Oaklawn.
Sonata Stable and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. have entered the Liam's Map colt Moonlite Strike, who has won two of three starts so far and comes into the race off a win in a $75,000 one-mile allowance race at Gufstream Park where he held tough to win by a head. He will be ridden in the Smarty Jones by Joe Talamo.
Trainer Steve Asmussen has two entries in the field, which include four-time stakes-placed Cowan, a son of Kantharos campaigned by Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt, Madaket Stables, and Spendthrift Farm. Cowan has been runner-up in his last three starts: the Remington Springboard Mile Stakes, Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2T), and Indian Summer Stakes Presented by Keeneland Select. He last worked Jan. 12 at Oaklawn where he rolled through five furlongs in a bullet :59 2/5, the fastest of 63 working at the distance. Cowan will be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr.
Asmussen's other entry is Big Thorn, an Alex and JoAnn Lieblong homebred by The Big Beast that won an off-the-turf running of the Juvenile Turf Stakes at Gulfstream Park West. He comes into the Smarty Jones off a sixth-place finish in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
Oaklawn Park, Friday, January 22, 2021, Race 8Entries: Smarty Jones S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Martini Blu (KY)
Francisco Arrieta
115
McLean Robertson
6/1
2
2Lawlessness (KY)
David Cohen
115
Ingrid Mason
12/1
3
3Cowan (KY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
115
Steven M. Asmussen
9/5
4
4Big Thorn (FL)
David Cabrera
117
Steven M. Asmussen
9/2
5
5Hardly Swayed (KY)
Martin Garcia
115
Rey Hernandez
12/1
6
6Moonlite Strike (KY)
Joseph Talamo
115
Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.
4/1
7
7Caddo River (KY)
Florent Geroux
115
Brad H. Cox
5/2
