Expert Pick of the Week: 2024 Smarty Jones Stakes

Dec 29, 2023 John Mucciolo

A cast of nine sophomores will travel 1 1/16 miles on the Oaklawn dirt in Monday’s $300,000 Smarty Jones S. The 2024 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest will distribute points on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis to the top-five finishers of the qualifying tilt.

Conditioner Steve Asmussen has a pair of prospects for the race including recent Churchill Downs allowance victor Lagynos, who is 2-for-3 in his young career. The $200,000 yearling purchase commenced his juvenile campaign with a fine victory on the lawn at Kentucky Downs on September 10, when drawing off by 2 1/4 lengths under the wire. A solid third beneath the Twin Spires on the move to the dirt while facing allowance runners on November 9 was next, and the son of Kantharos followed that up with a measured win on November 25 at today’s distance.

Lagynos is proven on both the lawn and the main strip to this stage of his development, and he possesses the turn of foot to make him dangerous inside the final furlong on Monday in a race with some speed in the line up. Joel Rosario, who booted the colt home in his latest venture, will be in the silks once again aboard the Kentucky-bred colt.

#1 Lagynos breaks his maiden on debut in R7 at Kentucky Downs for trainer Steve Asmussen, and giving @cristiantorr64 a riding double! 🤩

🎥 #TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/IKwLzlWwG7

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) September 10, 2023

Kenny McPeek’s Mystik Dan was very impressive in dusting maiden runners in a dash at Churchill two back, prior to tiring late in a subsequent route race with allowance runners in his latest offering. By Goldencents, the three-year-old colt will try two turns for the initial time and has posted a pair of local morning drills to acclimate to the local surroundings. The homebred picks up Julien Leparoux for the stakes debut.

Brad Cox’s Catching Freedom gave a fine account of himself in a debut win at one-mile, and he followed that showing up with a fourth-place finish in a tough allowance event leading up to this assignment. The bay son of Constitution has displayed a solid turn of foot in each of his two performances to date, and with a nice draw near the rail, the $575,000 yearling purchase will be saving ground to the top of the lane in this race. Christian Torres inherits the ride atop the bay.

Expert Pick

An exacta with #3 Lagynos on top of #4 Mystik Dan and #2 Catching Freedom in the 2024 Smarty Jones Stakes is the Best Bet of the Week.