Gray Attempt to Stretch Out in Smarty Jones
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Photo: Hodges Photography/Lou Hodges, Jr.
Gray Attempt wins the Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds
After closing out last season with a frontrunning, clear victory in the six-furlong Sugar Bowl Stakes Dec. 22 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, Dwight Pruett Gray Attempt will try two turns for the first time in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 25 at Oaklawn Park.
The Smarty Jones figures to be a good race for the first try at two turns for Gray Attempt as it features a one-mile distance and Oaklawn's "short" stretch, a configuration in which the finish line shifts to the sixteenth pole.
Trained by William "Jinks" Fires, Gray Attempt earned his initial win in his second start, leading at every call in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden race Nov. 22 at Churchill Downs. The son of Graydar then followed with the Sugar Bowl win, where he enjoyed a clear lead at every point-of-call on his way to a one-length victory.
Since the six-furlong Sugar Bowl, Gray Attempt has completed a pair of works at Oaklawn, including a five-furlong breeze Jan. 18 in 1:00 1/5, the fastest of 55 moves at the distance.
"Very good work," Fires said. "Very pleased with it."
Gray Attempt will start from post 8 in the expected field of nine as Oaklawn launches its lucrative 3-year-old stakes series on opening day. The Smarty Jones offers Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers on a scale of 10-4-2-1.
Looking to extend a three-race win streak will be Willis Horton Racing's Long Range Toddy, who closed out 2018 with a pair of stakes wins at Remington Park: the Nov. 2 Clever Trevor Stakes and the Dec. 16 Remington Springboard Mile Stakes. With the latter win, Long Range Toddy picked up 10 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby series.
Long Range Toddy is trained by Steve Asmussen, who will also send out Bankit—who was second by a head to his stablemate in the Remington Springboard Mile—and maiden winner Boldor.
Campaigned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Horton, Bankit defeated other New York-breds in the Oct. 10 Sleepy Hollow Stakes at Belmont Park before rallying from 11th early in the Remington Springboard Mile to finish a close second. Ed and Susie Orr's Boldor won his maiden debut at the Keeneland fall meet and finished second in a Nov. 24 allowance-optional claiming race at Churchill Downs.
The field's most experienced runner is Dundalk 5, N P H Stable, and Wes Herek's Six Shooter, who opened the season with a clear victory in the Jan. 5 Big Drama Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs at Delta Downs. That effort gave the son of Trappe Shot his third win in seven starts.
Rounding out the field will be Super Steed, who will need to bounce back from a fourth-place finish as the favorite in the Sugar Bowl; Forloveofcountry, who won an allowance-optional claiming race in November at Churchill; maiden winner Jack Van Berg, and Sleepy Eyes Todd, who rallied from ninth to win his maiden debut in October at Remington.
Oaklawn Park, Friday, January 25, 2019, Race 8Entries: Smarty Jones S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Long Range Toddy (KY)
Richard E. Eramia
122
Steven M. Asmussen
4/1
2
2Sleepy Eyes Todd (KY)
David Cabrera
115
Miguel Angel Silva
30/1
3
3Super Steed (KY)
Terry J. Thompson
119
J. Larry Jones
9/2
4
4Six Shooter (KY)
Stewart Elliott
122
Paul E. Holthus
6/1
5
5Boldor (VA)
Ramon A. Vazquez
115
Steven M. Asmussen
8/1
6
6Forloveofcountry (VA)
Joe Bravo
119
James P. DiVito
12/1
7
7Bankit (NY)
Ricardo Santana, Jr.
119
Steven M. Asmussen
7/2
8
8Gray Attempt (KY)
Shaun Bridgmohan
119
William H. Fires
5/2
9
9Jack Van Berg (KY)
Jon Kenton Court
115
Thomas L. Van Berg
20/1
