Breeders’ Cup Juvenile entrant Shoplifted, trained by Steven M. Asmussen, exercises in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park
The Oaklawn racing office listed seven horses late Thursday morning as probable for the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 24, a 1-mile race that kicks off the local road to the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) April 11.
Post positions for the Smarty Jones will be drawn Friday. The race will offer 17 points to the top four finishers (10-4-2-1) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby.
Expected to be entered in the Smarty Jones are Lykan (Ingrid Mason, trainer), Lynn’s Map (Mark Casse), Nucky (Peter Miller), Shared Sense (Brad Cox), Shoplifted and Silver Prospector (Steve Asmussen) and Three Technique (Jeremiah Englehart). Several other horses were under consideration for the race late Thursday morning, which could push the starting field to around 10.
Shoplifted competed against many of the country’s top 2-year-olds, finishing seventh in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Nov. 1 at Santa Anita before winning the $400,000 Springboard Mile Dec. 15 in his last start. A son of Into Mischief, Shoplifted completed major preparations for the Smarty Jones by working 5 furlongs over a fast track in 1:01.20 Thursday morning. Stablemate Silver Prospector exits a victory in the $300,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 30 at Churchill Downs.
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 Mr Speaker colt, who has been favored in all four career starts, finished second to Basin in his second career start. Basin, also trained by Asmussen, is scheduled to make his 3-year-old debut in the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) March 14. The Rebel is Oaklawn’s final major prep for the Arkansas Derby.
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