Smarty Jones Field Draws Nine for Opening Day at Oaklawn Park

HOT SPRINGS, AR – Nine horses, including four from Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, were entered Friday in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 24, a 1-mile race that is Oaklawn’s first of four Kentucky Derby points races.

The Smarty Jones will go as the eighth race on the nine-race opening-day program, with probable post time 3:52 p.m. (Central). Racing begins at 12:35 p.m.

The projected Smarty Jones field from the rail out: Lykan, Terry Thompson to ride, 115 pounds; Silver Prospector, Ricardo Santana Jr., 119; Shared Sense, Florent Geroux, 115; Nucky, Joe Talamo, 119; Jungle Runner, Ramon Vazquez, 119; Gold Street, Martin Garcia, 119; Shoplifted, Tyler Gaffalione, 119; Lynn’s Map, Miguel Mena, 117; and Three Technique, Irad Ortiz Jr., 119.

Silver Prospector, Jungle Runner, Gold Street and Shoplifted are trained by Asmussen, a 10-time Oaklawn training champion who is seeking his first Smarty Jones victory.

Shoplifted competed against many of the country’s top 2-year-olds, finishing seventh in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) Nov. 1 at Santa Anita before winning the $400,000 Springboard Mile Dec. 15 in his last start.

Silver Prospector won the $300,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 30 at Churchill Downs in his last start.

Nucky scored his biggest career victory to date in the $300,000 Del Mar Futurity (G1) Sept. 2 at Del Mar. Three Technique, owned by two-time Super Bowl winning coach Bill Parcells, will be making his stakes debut after closing his 2-year-old campaign with two dominant victories in New York.

The Smarty Jones will offer 17 points to the top four finishers (10-4-2-1) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby points series continues with the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3), Feb. 17, $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) March 14 and the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 11.