Gary and Mary West's homebred Rancho Santa Fe (Tapit), unbeaten in a pair of lifetime starts, is expected to make his stakes debut in the Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park Saturday. The 3-year-old colt debuted with a victory going one mile at Ellis Park Aug. 24 and added a 1 1/16-mile allowance win at Keeneland Oct. 11. He had four published works at Payson Park in December, most recently going five furlongs in 1:02.00 (2/11) Dec. 27.
“He's doing great,” trainer Brad Cox said. “His last work at Payson was really good. I think he's physically developed a bit since his last run at Keeneland. It was kind of by design to space his races a little bit and to point him for the Smarty Jones for a while. Here we are.”
Rancho Santa Fe is out of multiple graded stakes winner and Grade I-placed Family Tree (Smart Strike) and is a half-brother to graded winner Heroic Move (Quality Road).
“Typical Tapit, the farther the better,” Cox said of the colt. “Good stride, good mover, pretty good mind. Excited about getting his year kicked off.”
The 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones is Oaklawn's first of four GI Kentucky Derby qualifying races and will offer 21 total points (10-5-3-2-1) toward starting eligibility for the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Cox will saddle 2024 Smarty Jones winner Catching Freedom (Constitution) in a 1 1/16-mile allowance contest at Oaklawn Park Sunday. The newly turned 5-year-old is winless in seven starts since winning the 2024 GII Louisiana Derby, but finished fourth in that year's Kentucky Derby and third in the GI Preakness Stakes. He was most recently third in a Churchill Downs allowance Nov. 21 and worked four furlongs in :48.40 (4/16) at Fair Grounds Dec. 30.
“Obviously, it's no secret he's been a little bit inconsistent in his career with some of his runs,” Cox said. “But he's doing well. He seems to always be doing well. It's just getting him back in the winner's circle. Hopefully, we've got the right spot for him. He seems to be training well. When he puts it all together, he's very good. It's just about getting everything to click for him on race day.”
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