Meet the Contenders: 2025 Smarty Jones Stakes
Coal Battle (Photo by Hodges Photography)
January 2nd, 2025
Meet the horses running in the 2025 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park. For each horse, we're listing a pro, a con, and a rating of potential. The star rating of 1 to 5 represents opportunity to perform well. Be sure to follow these contenders by adding them to your Stable Alerts.
Kale's Angel wins the Advent Stakes at Oaklawn Park. (Photo by Coady Media / Credit to Renee Torbit)
#1 Kale’s Angel ****
Pro: Successfully handled turf-to-dirt with big win in Advent S.
Con: Remains to be seen whether he can be as effective routing as he is sprinting.
TwinSpires
#2 Hot Gunner *
Pro: Son of a Preakness (G1) winner, so step up in distance might suit.
Con: Outrun in soft allowances at Remington so looks up against it.
Optical wins at Churchill Downs (Photo by Coady Media)
#3 Optical **
Pro: Form has picked up of late and dug in well to win last time.
Con: Draw a line through lone stakes try but looks a cut below on class.
#9 Optical dominates in R9 at @churchilldowns at 6/1 under @james_d_graham for trainer Keith Desormeaux! 👀💪
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) September 18, 2024
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/Muw0qZtqDT
TwinSpires
#4 Bon Temps *
Pro: Barn has won this before, with eventual champion Will Take Charge.
Con: Hard to endorse after two unplaced efforts in maiden company.
Mo Quallity wins at Churchill Downs. (Photo by Coady Media)
#5 Mo Quality ***
Pro: Showed more tactical foot second out to earn diploma at Churchill.
Con: Simultaneous jump up in class and distance might present some difficult hurdles.
Mo Quality exits the maiden ranks in R7 at @churchilldowns for trainer @chdavisracing with @juniorandkellya in the saddle! 🤩
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) November 23, 2024
Play the G3 Chilukki next: https://t.co/A47vSgyufX
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/PBH2qg2rIp
Hot Property wins at Fair Grounds. (Photo by Hodges Photography)
#6 Hot Property *****
Pro: Stole Fair Grounds debut while earning 100 Brisnet Late Pace figure.
Con: Hard to dismiss Cox barn, though it’s off to an unusually cool start this meet.
🔥 Hot Property is a debut winner at 4/1 for the @bradcoxracing barn in the fifth race at @fairgroundsnola! @jockeypedrozajr was up.
— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) November 24, 2024
🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/DMMhonMp7I
Curvino wins at Oaklwan Park. (Photo by Coady Media)
#7 Curvino **
Pro: Took to this track right away with maiden win over this distance.
Con: Needed seven starts to graduate and for a $100,000 tag.
Coal Battle winning the Remington Springboard Mile at Remington Park (Photo by Dustin Orona Photography/Remington Park)
#8 Coal Battle ****
Pro: Undefeated on dirt and enters on two stakes win streak
Con: Had to work a bit to take Springboard Mile; this perhaps a deeper field.
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