Oaklawn Park Stakes Preview – Smarty and Mockingbird

Compiled by Robert Yates

Whether it’s run at Oaklawn or Parx, the Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds has been kind to trainer Brad Cox.

Cox has won Parx’s version – a major local prep for September’s Pennsylvania Derby (G1) – two times in the last four years. His recent numbers are even better at Oaklawn. Cox has captured three of the last four runnings of its Smarty Jones, which begins Oaklawn’s “Road to the Kentucky Derby.”

“It’s been a good race,” Cox said. “I like the name of it.”

Cox tries for his record-extending fourth (Oaklawn) Smarty Jones victory Saturday with unbeaten Hot Property, a son of Medaglia d’Oro who races for his breeders, Gary and Mary West.

The Smarty Jones is one of Oaklawn’s four Kentucky Derby qualifying races and will award 21 total points (10-5-3-2-1, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the first leg of the Triple Crown. Mystik Dan, last year’s fifth-place Smarty Jones finisher, went on to win Oaklawn’s Southwest Stakes (G3) and the Kentucky Derby (G1).

Probable post time for the Smarty Jones, the ninth of 10 races, is 4:22 p.m. (Central). Racing begins at 12:30 p.m. (Central). The card also features the $150,000 Mockingbird Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 6 furlongs.

The eight-horse Smarty Jones field from the rail out: Kale’s Angel, Ramon Vazquez to ride, 119 pounds, 2-1 on the morning line; Hot Gunner, Harry Hernandez, 117, 20-1; Optical, Axel Concepcion, 117, 12-1; Bon Temps, Martin Garcia, 117, 30-1; Mo Quality, Junior Alvarado, 117, 5-1; Hot Property, Flavien Prat, 117, 8-5; Curvino, Francisco Arrieta, 117, 12-1; and Coal Battle, Juan Vargas, 122, 9-2.

Hot Property (1 for 1) will be the least experienced horse Cox has started in the Smarty Jones. Hot Property exits a 3 ¾-length victory at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 24 at Fair Grounds.

“Look, he’s definitely a two-turn horse,” Cox said. “Glad the race is a mile and a sixteenth, as opposed to the old distance of one mile. I think it will suit him. Ran really well the first time. Took a little pressure on the front end, fought it off and finished up well. Once again, looks like a horse, the farther the better. It is a step up with having only the one race, but not a lot of options. I think the timing fits well. Pretty smart horse. I think he’ll handle the ship and, hopefully, gets a good trip.”

Hot Property was a front-running debut winner, but Cox said he doesn’t believe the colt is a need-the-lead type.

“I think it (race) is the way it played out,” Cox said. “Obviously, he’s a young horse, still figuring things out. I don’t think he needs to be labeled as a front-end horse or anything, but I think he’ll be close to the pace, if not on the pace. We’ll just play the break. See what happens.”

Connections alone would stamp Hot Property a contender.

Cox is a two-time Eclipse Award winner (2020 and 2021) as the country’s outstanding trainer. Prat should land his first Eclipse Award after a 2024 resume punctuated by North America highs in purse earnings ($37,274,176), stakes victories (82) and graded stakes victories (56), according to Equibase, with the latter two figures single-season records.

Hot Property also packs plenty of pedigree. Medaglia d’Oro is one of the world’s most influential stallions. Hot Property’s dam, millionaire Milwaukee Appeal, won a Sovereign Award in 2009 as Canada’s champion 3-year-old filly.

Hot Property is a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Actress, a West homebred who concluded her racing career with a runner-up finish in the $350,000 Azeri Stakes (G2) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles in 2018 at Oaklawn. Actress is the dam of Hit Show, a 2022 Oaklawn allowance winner who ran fifth in the 2023 Kentucky Derby for Cox and the Wests.

“He’s probably a little bit longer horse than Hit Show is,” Cox said of Hot Property. “Once again, based off pedigree and his physicals, you’d think the farther, the better.”

Cox won the Smarty Jones in 2021 with Caddo River, 2023 with Victory Formation, who was ridden by Prat, and last year with Catching Freedom.

The most accomplished 2025 Smarty Jones entrant is multiple stakes winner Coal Battle for trainer Lonnie Briley.

Coal Battle exits a half-length victory in the $300,000 Remington Springboard Mile Stakes Dec. 13 at Remington Park and is unbeaten in three dirt starts.

Kale’s Angel, in his dirt debut, won the $150,000 Advent Stakes at 5 ½ furlongs Dec. 6 at Oaklawn for trainer Peter Miller.

Lightly raced Mo Quality (1 for 2) will be making his stakes and two-turn debut for trainer Chris Davis. Mo Quality exits a 1 ½-length maiden special weight victory at 6 ½ furlongs Nov. 23 at Churchill Downs.

“I would like to see him, probably, just off the pace, stalking,” Davis said. “He’s naturally fast. He pressed the pace in his last race, after breaking poorly in his first start, which was kind of expected.”

Optical has done his best work in one mile races for trainer Keith Desormeaux and owner Kirk Godby (Don’t Tell My Wife Stables 2023), who teamed for an upset victory with Confidence Game in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) in 2023 at Oaklawn. The Rebel is Oaklawn’s third Kentucky Derby qualifying race.

Optical broke his maiden by 14 lengths Sept. 18 at Churchill Downs and exits a starter-allowance victory Nov. 24 there. Both races were one-turn miles.

Bon Temps, a supplemental nominee and two-race maiden, will be making his stakes and two-turn debut for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas.

Lukas won the $400,000 Honeybee (G3) last year at Oaklawn with Lemon Muffin, a maiden who was making her stakes and two-turn debut.

MOCKINGBIRD STAKES

Lightly raced Chatter will make her stakes debut in the Mockingbird, which drew a field of nine.

Trained by John Ortiz, Chatter (1 for 2) exits a front-running half-length maiden special weight victory at 6 ½ furlongs Oct. 24 at Keeneland. Chatter is by Vekoma, North America’s leading first-crop sire of 2024.

“Obviously, she was a very impressive winner at Keeneland,” Ortiz said. “We decided to opt out and gave her time and saved her for here, Oaklawn, to begin her 3-year-old year. She’s been a very finicky filly. She’s not easy to train, but she’s come a long way. We’re really, really excited to get her started again.”

Chatter (9-2 on the morning line) is scheduled to break from post 9 under Ramon Vazquez.

Shisospicy, the 4-5 program favorite, exits a third-place finish in the $225,000 Fern Creek Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs Nov. 30 at Churchill Downs. A daughter of champion and multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Mitole, Shisospicy was a front-running 16 ¼-length debut winner at six furlongs Oct. 18 at Gulfstream Park. Prat has the mount on Shisospicy for trainer Jose F. D’Angelo.