2025.01.04 OP Stakes Recap Smarty Jones – Mockingbird

Photo Credit: Coady Media

Coal Battle; Kurtis Coady Photo

by Robert Yates

HOT SPRINGS, AR – Different tactics, same result.

Norman Stables’ Coal Battle added to his Kentucky Derby war chest with a front-running romp in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn.

Ridden by Juan Vargas and trained by Lonnie Briley, Coal Battle finished four lengths ahead of Mo Quality, with 6-5 favorite Kale’s Angel another neck farther back in third.

The 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones marked the third career stakes victory for Coal Battle ($11) and second in a Kentucky Derby qualifying race. The son of Oaklawn stakes winner Coal Front collected 10 points for his Smarty Jones victory. Coal Battle also earned 10 points for a half-length victory in the $300,000 Remington Springboard Mile Stakes Dec. 13 at Remington Park.

Unlike the Springboard Mile, when Coal Battle came from off the pace to edge Speed King, he led at every point of call in the Smarty Jones. Boosted by pedestrian fractions (:24.11 for the opening quarter, :49.03 for a half-mile and 1:15.64 for 6 furlongs), Coal Battle had plenty left in the tank in the stretch after being shadowed much of the race along the inside by Kale’s Angel.

Carrying top weight of 122 pounds, Coal Battle’s winning time over a fast track was 1:46.43. Kale’s Angel finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Bon Temps, a maiden for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Hot Property and Hot Gunner finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Curvino and Optical were late scratches, reducing the starting field to six.

Coal Battle won for the fourth time in six starts to raise his career earnings to $453,875. In addition to the Smarty Jones and Springboard Mile, Coal Battle won the $100,000 Jean Lafitte Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs Nov. 8 at Delta Downs.

The Smarty Jones was Oaklawn’s first of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races, a series that continues with the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 25.

G W’s Girl; Kurtis Coady

MOCKINGBIRD STAKES

It was a successful dirt debut for G W’s Girl, who took advantage of a hot early pace to win Saturday’s $150,000 Mockingbird Stakes.

G W’s Girl ($12.80) finished a length ahead of 2-5 favorite Shisospicy in the six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies. Francisco Arrieta was aboard for trainer Greg Compton, who notched his first career Oaklawn stakes victory.

Shisospicy finished 5 ¼ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Chatter, who was followed, in order, by Flash Master, Helen’s Revenge, Piggy Tales Up, Battleshipper, Lady Crush and Clapping Trees.

Shisospicy broke on top, but longshot Lady Crush rushed up along the inside to grab the lead, tearing through an opening quarter in :21.60. Shisospicy took command turning for home and held a 3 ½-length advantage in midstretch. G W’s Girl, fourth early, began advancing toward the leaders late on the turn and rode the momentum to her second victory in three starts.

The winning time over a fast track was 1:10.44.

A daughter of Munnings, G W’s Girl races for Mag Racing Stables of Greg Massanelli & Margaret Molleston. G W’s Girl was exiting a fifth-place finish in the $250,000 Indian Summer Stakes at 5 ½ furlongs Oct. 6 at Keeneland. She now has $110,475 in career earnings.

SMARTY JONES QUOTES

Winning jockey Juan Vargas (Coal Battle): “This time, he kind of surprised me because I never expected he was going to the lead that easy. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do in the moment. Sometimes, plans change. And this time, that’s what happened. I can say this is the best race he’s run. He’s getting better and better. He surprised me the way he won. I never expected him to take the lead that easy and then my plan changed because we were trying to run like last time (Springboard Mile).”

Winning trainer Lonnie Briley (Coal Battle): “Today, he went to the front and was pricking his ears. When he stayed up there, I’m thinking: ‘I’m going to steal it, jockey.’ He ran big, big. Every time we run him, he just seems to surprise us. He’s a neat little horse. I don’t know if it’s set in yet (having a Kentucky Derby candidate). No, it’s crazy for the little guy.”

Second-place trainer Chris Davis (Mo Quality): “I still think he’s just got a little bit of learning to do. The pace wasn’t kind of what we thought it would be. He didn’t break super sharp. In fact after the race, Junior (Alvarado) just said: ‘If he jumps, we probably wire them.’ He goes: ‘He didn’t get tired, just a little green still.’ New place, but overall not a bad effort. You can’t take anything away from the winner. He won the Springboard Mile. He’s won some two-turn races already. So, (Mo Quality) going 6 1/2 (furlongs) to a mile and a sixteenth, Junior doesn’t think distance is an issue, nor do I. I think he just needs a little bit more seasoning and growing up to do and, hopefully, we still have some fun.”

MOCKINGBIRD QUOTES

Winning jockey Francisco Arrieta (G W’s Girl): “He (trainer Greg Compton) worked her on the dirt and said he liked her. I did work her on the dirt. I liked her, too. Looked like there was going to be a lot of speed, which was going to be good for me. But she jumped. She was sitting right there. Flavien Prat’s horse (Shisospicy) was running. When I took a look, he was like three (lengths) in front of me and going. When I hit her with the whip, she reached forward quickly. When I hit her left-handed, she exploded. She did a great job.”

Winning trainer Greg Compton (G W’s Girl): “She’s a classy filly. She showed it today. Surface doesn’t matter. Hopefully, she can stretch out at the mile and a sixteenth next time. Actually, what was going through my mind is a just a picture-perfect scenario. We had somebody (Lady Crush) go up and pressure the 7 (Shisospicy) and we were able to sit back and get a nice trip.”