The 2025 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park is a highly anticipated race with a purse of $250,000. This race is the first leg of Oaklawn’s “Road to the Kentucky Derby,” offering valuable qualification points to the top finishers.
Key Details:
- Distance: One and one-sixteenth miles
- Age: Three-year-olds
- Purse: $250,000
- Qualifying Points: Awarded to the top five finishers for the Kentucky Derby
- Weights: 122 lbs
- Allowances: Non-winners of $60,000 twice allowed 3 lbs; $60,000 once allowed 5 lbs
Field Overview:
- Kale’s Angel (2/1): Trained by Peter Miller and ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Kale’s Angel is the favorite. He won the Advent Stakes at Oaklawn with a strong speed rating of 97.
- Hot Gunner (20/1): Trained by Steve Asmussen and ridden by Hector Hernandez, Hot Gunner has shown potential but has yet to win a stakes race.
- Optical (12/1): Trained by John K. Desormeaux and ridden by Alex Concepcion, Optical has shown promise in route races.
- Bon Temps (30/1): Trained by D. Wayne Lukas and ridden by Martin Garcia, Bon Temps is stretching out to two turns for the first time.
- Mo Quality (5/1): Trained by Chad C. Brown and ridden by Jose Alvarado, Mo Quality has shown consistent improvement.
- Hot Property (8/5): Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Flavien Prat, Hot Property is the second favorite and has won his only start at this distance.
- Curvino (12/1): Trained by Peter Miller and ridden by Florent Geroux, Curvino has shown potential in route races.
- Coal Battle (9/2): Trained by Lonnie Briley and ridden by Juan Vargas, Coal Battle has won two stakes races in a row.
Analysis:
Kale’s Angel is the standout in this field, having shown excellent tactical speed and a dominant performance in his last race. His trainer, Peter Miller, has a strong record in this race, and Kale’s Angel’s speed figures suggest he can handle the stretch out in distance.
Hot Property is another strong contender, with a pedigree that suggests he can handle the distance and a trainer, Brad Cox, who has won this race three times in the last four years. His debut win was impressive, and he has shown good early speed.
Coal Battle is also a horse to watch, having won two stakes races in a row and showing improvement in his speed figures. His late-race rally style could be effective in this race.
Conclusion:
The Smarty Jones Stakes is shaping up to be a competitive race with several strong contenders. Kale’s Angel is the favorite, but Hot Property and Coal Battle are also strong contenders who could challenge for the win. It will be interesting to see how these horses perform and who will come out on top in this important race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
