March 28, 2024

Gray Attempt bids for fourth straight win against 10 in Southwest

Gray Attempt and jockey Shaun Bridgmohan hold off Long Range Toddy (inside) and Boldor (outside) to take the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park on January 25, 2019 (c) Coady Photography/Oaklawn Park

Six of the eight participants in last month’s $150,000 Smarty Jones will be joined by five “new shooters” in Monday’s $500,000 Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn Park, a 1 1/16-mile Road to the Kentucky Derby series prep which is the final one of the year to award Derby qualifying points on a 10-4-2-1 scale to the top four finishers.

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If the Smarty Jones is well represented so is Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who saddles five of the colts and geldings in the field. However, it’s veteran horseman Jinks Fires who could have the mild favorite in Gray Attempt, who on the front end gutted out a photo-finish victory in the Smarty Jones by a neck, improving his record to three wins in four starts.

There is other quality speed in the field, though. The Asmussen-trained Jersey Agenda convincingly won a one-mile allowance the day after the Smarty Jones, re-rallying after briefly losing the lead around the second turn. Also likely to be up close early is the Mark Casse-trained Olympic Runner, who splashed home a maiden winner in the Gulfstream slop by nearly six lengths in his last start.

Also in the Asmussen juggernaut are Long Range Toddy and Boldor, second and third, respectively in the Smarty Jones, and that race’s sixth-place finisher Bankit, who made little impact as the favorite after running Long Range Toddy to a head in the Springboard Mile. The longest shot of the quintet will be Ninth Street, a stakes winner at Delta Downs and runner-up to Six Shooter over that track in the $75,000 Big Drama last out.

Todd Pletcher and Keith Desormeaux have captured the last two runnings of the Southwest and both will be represented in Monday’s renewal. Shipping in from Pletcher’s Palm Beach Downs base is Cutting Humor, runner-up to Fountain of Youth (G2)-bound Bourbon War in a Gulfstream allowance last month. Desormeaux, meanwhile, sends Sueno, winner of the $75,000 Golden Gate two back and a last-out second in the Sham (G3) over a mile.

Completing the field is Super Steed, who traded decisions with Boldor in his first two starts but has finished well back of Gray Attempt in his last two outings for Larry Jones.

A trio of one-turn specialists add intrigue to the $500,000 Razorback H. (G3) over 1 1/16 miles, though potential favorite Coal Front drew poorly in post 14. The Todd Pletcher trainee stretches out after romping in the December 22 Mr. Prospector (G3) over seven furlongs, his second race back following a 13-month absence.

Breaking from the rail is Copper Bullet, a Grade 2 winner at two who captured his comeback from a 15-month layoff in November but was a fading 11th of 14 in the Malibu (G1) the following month. Another to watch out for is Tiz He the One, who rolled through his allowance conditions in a trio of one-turn miles at Laurel last fall for Jeremiah Englehart.

Others of note in the congested field are Souper Tapit, a half-length winner of the Sunshine Millions Classic last time, and Zia Park Derby winner Nanoosh, undefeated in three starts since joining the Robertino Diodoro barn.

Moonlit Garden, who ran Midnight Bisou to three-quarters of a length in last month’s Houston Ladies Classic (G3), will look to win her first start at Oaklawn in three tries in the $200,000 Bayakoa (G3) at 1 1/16 miles. Multiple Grade 3-placed Remedy could move up off a fourth-place try in the same race, while Iowa Oaks (G3) and Remington Park Oaks (G3) winner She’s a Julie gets her season started for Steve Asmussen. The latter was also a distant second in the Alabama (G1) last summer, but disappointed in the Zia Park Oaks as a 3-10 favorite in November.