One year ago, the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park served as the introduction to the Kentucky Derby (G1) trail for eventual winner Mystik Dan . Eight newly turned 3-year-olds will attempt to embark on the same path in the $250,000 race Jan. 4.
Mystik Dan finished fifth that day behind Catching Freedom , who would finish fourth in the Derby and third behind Seize the Grey and Mystik Dan in the Preakness Stakes (G1). Mystik Dan would bounce back with a victory in Oaklawn’s Southwest Stakes (G3) and a third in the Arkansas Derby (G1) before he wore the roses.
The 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones is the first of four Oaklawn races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, and it offers qualifying points on a 10-4-3-2-1 scale to the top five finishers.
The 10 points for victory would elevate Norman Stables’ Coal Battle to second on the leaderboard after snagging an initial 10 points in a Dec. 13 victory in the Remington Springboard…
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