Oaklawn Barn Notes: Local Contenders Work towards Smarty Jones

By Jennifer Hoyt —-

Local Contenders Work towards Smarty Jones

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

Long Range Toddy, a homebred for Willis Horton of Marshall, Ark., breezed 5 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 $300,000 Super Derby (G3) for 3-year-olds Sept. 2 at Louisiana Downs. Limation covered 5 furlongs in 1:01.80.

Long Range Toddy posted a 5-furlong bullet work Jan. 5 at Oaklawn (1:01) and will carry a three-racing winning streak into the Smarty Jones. The Take Charge Indy colt won the $400,000 Springboard Mile Dec. 16 at Remington Park in his last start and is unbeaten around two turns.

“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 5 furlongs in 1:01.20 Monday morning, and like Long Range Toddy, had published works Dec. 28 and Jan. 5 at Oaklawn.

Bankit, a winner of the $256,875 Sleepy Hollow Stakes for New York-breds Oct. 20 at Belmont Park, races for Horton and Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (Ron and Joan Winchell). Horton won the 2013 Smarty Jones with Will Take Charge, who would earn an Eclipse Award that year as the country’s champion 3-year-old male.

Also working Monday morning toward the 1-mile Smarty Jones was Super Steed, who went 5 furlongs in 1:00.80 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 $74,250 Sugar Bowl Dec. 22 at Fair Grounds 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 Gary Attempt, who has been based this winter at Oaklawn, is also pointing for the Smarty Jones.

Post positions for the Smarty Jones will be drawn Friday. It closed Jan. 10 with a record 49 nominees. The previous record was 44 in 2015 and 2016.

Oaklawn’s first of four major Kentucky Derby preps, the Smarty Jones offers 17 points to the top four finishers (10-4-2-1) toward starting eligibility for the first leg of racing’s Triple Crown. The race was first run in 2008.

New Face

Agent Jay Fedor said Saturday afternoon that he will represent perennial Arlington Park riding champion Jose Valdivia Jr. at the 2019 Oaklawn meeting that begins Jan. 25.

Valdivia, 43, hasn’t ridden regularly in Hot Springs since 1997 when he won 18 races, including the $50,000 Hot Springs Stakes aboard Virtuous Regent for trainer Randy Morse. Valdivia rode regularly that year for the late Bob Holthus, Oaklawn’s all-time leading trainer.

Valdivia’s scored his biggest Oaklawn victory to date aboard Buzzards Bay in the $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) in 2006.

Fedor was scheduled to represent Luis Contreras this year at Oaklawn, but the agent said he isn’t sure the jockey will ride in Hot Springs because of “personal issues.” Contreras won 15 races at the 2018 Oaklawn meeting.

“He’s tried to get me before; I’ve tried to get him before,” Fedor said of Valdivia. “It’s been an ongoing process for a few years. With Luis and his situation, I was trying to find somebody.”

Valdivia has ridden 1,815 career North American winners since 1994, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. He won the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) in 2001 aboard Val Royal and the Belmont Stakes (G1) – the final leg of racing’s Triple Crown – in 2011 aboard Ruler On Ice.

“It’ funny, I’ve never worked for Jay, but I’ve known him for a long time,” Valdivia said Saturday afternoon. “I always felt that if I had the opportunity to work together with him, it would be great. I can see the kind of job that he’s done with his past riders, you know (Corey) Nakatani, Gary Stevens, coming in. I’m excited. Haven’t been to Oaklawn in a while, since I rode for Mr. Bob Holthus – may he rest in peace.”

Valdivia has been riding recently at Golden Gate Fields in northern California for trainer Larry Rivelli, but he had been wintering at Fair Grounds. Rivelli is Arlington’s perennial leading trainer.

Fedor also represents Stewart Elliott, best known as the rider of champion Smarty Jones.

Dallas in Hot Springs

Trainer Dallas Stewart annually winters at Fair Grounds, but the former D. Wayne Lukas assistant has a 10-horse string this year at Oaklawn.

Beau Chapman, Stewart’s Oaklawn-based assistant, said about “three-quarters of the barn” is newly turned 3-year-olds, adding it should be active early in the meeting.

“Just opening weekend, we’ve got like four or five that we’re going to run,” Chapman said Tuesday morning. “Dallas is going to ship some up from Fair Grounds and see how they do. But, they’ve been doing everything right.”

Stewart’s unstarted 3-year-olds, Chapman said, are Hidden Ruler (a Gemologist colt), Munnings Soul (a Perfect Soul filly) and Tale of La Comete (a Tale of Ekati filly).

An older horse to watch is M G Warrior, a 4-year-old Majestic Warrior colt who has won three of his last four starts, including two allowance events last fall at Churchill Downs.

M G Warrior, who worked 5 furlongs in 1:01.20 over a fast track Wednesday morning, is pointing for an opening weekend allowance race, Chapman said, with the hope that he can develop into a candidate for the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 13.

Finish Lines

The track was rated fast for workouts Wednesday morning. … Multiple stakes winner Amy’s Challenge recorded a sizzling 5-furlong bullet move from the gate (:59.20) Wednesday morning in advance of a scheduled start in the $100,000 American Beauty Stakes for older female sprinters Jan. 26 at Oaklawn. Amy’s Challenge had splits of :34.80 for 3 furlongs, :46.80 for a half-mile and galloped out 6 furlongs in 1:1260. Trained by Mac Robertson, Amy’s Challenge won the $125,000 Dixie Belle Stakes for 3-year-old fillies last year at Oaklawn. … Also working Wednesday morning was multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Weast Hill, who went 5 furlongs in 1:02.40 for trainer Shea Stuart. … Zia Park Derby winner Nanoosh worked 5 furlongs in 1:03.80 Sunday morning at Oaklawn for trainer Robertino Diodoro, who said he’s pointing the 4-year-old for the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) Feb. 18. The Razorback is the first major local prep for the $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 13. … Bravazo is scheduled to ship Friday morning from his Oaklawn base to Florida for the $9 million Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 26 at Gulfstream Park, Hall of Fame of trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Monday morning. Lukas said he will personally van the 2018 Oaklawn allowance winner to Florida. … In addition to 2018 leading apprentice and Eclipse finalist Edgar Morales, agent Julio Espinoza said he will represent Julio Felix at the 2019 Oaklawn meeting. Felix won 13 races at last year’s Oaklawn meeting. … Multiple Oaklawn stakes winner and 2018 Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up Whitmore arrived Thursday at Oaklawn, trainer Ron Moquett said. Moquett said his stakes-winning 3-year-old Frosted Ice and Petrov, his stakes-placed older sprinter, arrived Tuesday.