Saturday is the $250,000 dollar Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
The mile & 1/16th contest is a Kentucky Derby points race that offers 10-5-3-2-1 qualifying points to the top five finishers.
Here is a brief look at the field:
1. UNIVERSE [ML 3-1] Jockey: Joel Rosario. Trainer: Ken McPeek. Ran 2nd in a pair of Churchill Downs Graded Stakes races at this distance in his last two starts. Gets a jockey change in Rosario and should be a major player from this post position.
2. BAYTOWN DREAMER [ML 30-1] Jockey: Orlando Bocachica. Trainer: Paul McEntee. Pipe dream seems a better moniker for this horse with one win and one 2nd-place finish in eight starts on turf and dirt.
3. BOCA BEACH CLUB [ML 4-1] Jockey: Luis Saez. Trainer: James DiVito. Bred for distance but has yet to race beyond 5 ½ furlongs. The fractions were fast and so were the speed figures, meaning he’ll likely be on or near the lead. Tough to take at the low morning-line odds while racing around two turns for the first time.
4. SILENT TACTIC [ML 12-1] Jockey: Jaime Torres. Trainer: Mark Casse. Will try dirt for the first time after running on an all-weather surface in his first two starts. His works on dirt are not encouraging in regard to his chances here.
5. RANCHO SANTA FE [ML 5-2] Jockey: Florent Geroux. Trainer: Brad Cox. Undefeated after two starts. Last out he captured an Allowance race at Keeneland at this distance. Seemingly capable of stepping up to Stakes company and being a major player.
6. OSCAR’S HOPE [ML 8-1] Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr. Trainer: Tom Amoss. Has never ran worse than 2nd in five starts. Stretched out to 7 ½ furlongs and most recently won a Delta Downs Stakes race. Has the pedigree to handle the added distance.
7. STRATEGIC RISK [ML 6-1] Jockey: Javier Castellano. Trainer: Mark Casse. Romped by nine lengths in a Stakes race for Florida-breds last time out. That win was a big improvement. If he takes another step forward, he should be involved down the stretch.
8. SCAR SHIP [ML 12-1] Jockey: Ramon Vazquez. Trainer: Ricky Courville. Has been racing in sprint Stakes for Louisiana-breds and has yet to win. This is a big leap-of-faith even for a trainer who won the 2022 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn with UN OJO at odds of 75-1.
9. SLEEPINGONFREEDOM [ML 5-1] Jockey: Brian J. Hernandez Jr. Trainer: Ken McPeek. Has showed steady improvement in his three starts and might be a threat in his Stakes debut should that trend continue. The outside post does him no favors.
The Smarty Jones is slated as race 10 on a card of 11 with a scheduled Post Time of 5:25 Eastern Time.
Best of luck however you play it.
