Smarty Jones Kicks off Oaklawn 3YO Series

The road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) at Oaklawn Park will begin Jan. 19 with the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes, a one-mile test for 3-year-olds which drew a group of nine.

The Smarty Jones awards points for the Kentucky Derby leaderboard (10-4-2-1 to the top four finishers, respectively), and is the first stepping stone in the Arkansas oval's 3-year-old series that also consists of the Feb. 16 Southwest Stakes (gr. III), the March 14 Rebel Stakes (gr. II), and the $1 million Arkansas Derby (gr. I) on April 11.

Remington Springboard Mile and Kip Deville Stakes winner Bayerd is co-highweight in the field with Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile winner Private Prospect, both assigned 122 pounds. The latter must rebound from a ninth-place finish last out in the Nov. 1 Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I). He won three in a row, however, before missing by just a head in the Arlington-Washington Futurity (gr. II) on Polytrack at Arlington International Racecourse, the same surface over which he broke his maiden. Alex Birzer rides the Discreet Cat   colt for trainer Michael Campbell from post 8.

Trainer Steve Asmussen sends both Bayerd, a Speightstown   runner owned by Clark Brewster, and Lucky Player, winner of the Iroquois Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill Downs in September. Bayerd took the Springboard Mile with a good drive after pressing the pace throughout under Ramon Vazquez, who returns to ride from the 7 hole. Lucky Player, a Florida-bred by Lookin at Lucky  , won the Iroquois in similar fashion for owner Jerry Durant but failed to impress in two more stakes outings—eighth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and seventh last time out in the Nov. 29 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (gr. II). He will be ridden from post 6 by Ricardo Santana Jr. as part of a 119-pound assignment.

Zayat Stables' Mr. Z, runner-up in the Delta Downs Jackpot (gr. II) and third last out Dec. 20 in the Los Alamitos Futurity (gr. I), continues his quest for a graded score for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas while cutting back under a significant weight break, carrying 115 instead of the 121 he bore when going 1 1/16 miles at Los Alamitos.

Although he has not won since breaking his maiden at first asking back in June at Churchill, the Malibu Moon   colt has run well in seven straight graded stakes. He was second in the Sanford (gr. III) and Toyota Saratoga Special (gr. II) at Saratoga Race Course, fifth in the Iroquois, second in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland, and fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile before his Delta Jackpot and Los Alamitos Futurity attempts. Jon Court rides from post 3.