Long Range Toddy Works Toward 2019 Debut at Oaklawn

Three leading local candidates for the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds Jan. 25 at Oaklawn Park had workouts over a fast track Jan. 14, including two for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

Long Range Toddy, a homebred for Willis Horton of Marshall, Ark., breezed five furlongs in 1:01, equaling the fifth-fastest of 93 works recorded at the distance. 

Long Range Toddy worked with older stablemate Limation, who made his first three career starts last year at Oaklawn before winning the Sept. 2 Super Derby (G3) for 3-year-olds at Louisiana Downs. Limation covered five furlongs in 1:01 4/5.

Previously Long Range Toddy posted a five-furlong bullet work Jan. 5 at Oaklawn (1:01). He will carry a three-race winning streak into the Smarty Jones. The Take Charge Indy colt won the Dec. 16 Springboard Mile at Remington Park in his previous start and is unbeaten around two turns. He secured 10 Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying points in the Springboard Mile and will look to add more in the Smarty Jones, which awards points to the top four finishers on a scale of 10-4-2-1.

"He's training great," Asmussen said Tuesday morning. "Unbelievable how much that horse has improved."

Long Range Toddy won the Springboard Mile by a head over stablemate Bankit, who is also pointing for the Smarty Jones, Asmussen said. 

Bankit worked five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 Monday morning, and like Long Range Toddy, had published works Dec. 28 and Jan. 5 at Oaklawn.

Bankit, a winner of the Oct. 20 Sleepy Hollow Stakes for New York-breds at Belmont Park, races for Horton and Winchell Thoroughbreds (Ron and Joan Winchell). Horton won the 2013 Smarty Jones with Will Take Charge , who went on to earn an Eclipse Award that year as the country's champion 3-year-old male.

Also working Monday morning toward the one-mile Smarty Jones was Super Steed, who went five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 under two-time Oaklawn riding champion Terry Thompson for trainer Larry Jones. Super Steed broke his maiden by six lengths against allowance company Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs before finishing fourth as the even-money favorite in his stakes debut, the Sugar Bowl Stakes Dec. 22 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in his last start.

"It was a really good work," Jones said Wednesday morning. "And, Terry said he just had his ears up the whole way. He said at the eighth pole that he just kind of picked it up on his own. He said he finished up good. We were real happy."

Sugar Bowl winner Gray Attempt, who has been based this winter at Oaklawn, is also pointing for the Smarty Jones.