Hot Property steps up versus Coal Battle, Kale’s Angel in Smarty Jones

Dec 29, 2024 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Hot Property dominated his Fair Grounds debut

Hot Property dominated his Fair Grounds debut (Photo by Hodges Photography)

Oaklawn Park’s series of Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifiers begins with Saturday’s $250,000 Smarty Jones S. The 1 1/16-mile prize offers points on the 10-5-3-2-1 format to the top five finishers, with the points increasing in the ensuing legs – the Jan. 25 Southwest (G3), Feb. 22 Rebel (G2), and March 29 Arkansas Derby (G1).

Trainer Brad Cox has won three of the last four runnings of the Smarty Jones, including the past two years in a row, and Hot Property will try to keep the streak intact. The Gary and Mary West homebred wired his career debut over this distance at Fair Grounds by an impressive 3 3/4 lengths. Now record-setting jockey Flavien Prat flies in to pick up the mount.

Hot Property also has pedigree power as a son of Medaglia d’Oro and Canadian champion Milwaukee Appeal. That makes him a close relation of millionaire Hit Show, who was on the 2023 Triple Crown trail for the same connections. The winner of the Withers (G3) and near-misser in the Wood Memorial (G2), Hit Show finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby and dead-heated for fourth in the Belmont (G1).

But Hot Property will be facing more seasoned rivals as he steps up into stakes company. Coal Battle already has 10 points on the leaderboard as the winner of the Remington Springboard Mile on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, and Kale’s Angel sports a sharp victory over this track in the Advent S.

Coal Battle is most accomplished member of the field with a pair of stakes scores to his credit. Unbeaten in his three starts on dirt, the Lonnie Briley trainee captured the Nov. 8 Jean Lafitte S. at Delta Downs before uncorking a stout rally to prevail at Remington Park in his latest.

Kale’s Angel began his career on the Southern California turf for trainer Peter Miller. Breaking his maiden in a five-furlong dash at Del Mar, he had mixed results going a grassy mile. Kale’s Angel was a useful fourth in the Zuma Beach (G3), but faded to 11th in the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance S. on the undercard of Breeders’ Cup Friday.

Switching to dirt at Oaklawn, however, brought out the best in Kale’s Angel. The son of successful first-crop sire Complexity romped by 5 3/4 lengths in his dirt debut in the Advent. He’ll try to repeat that performance while stretching out from a 5 1/2-furlong sprint to a route. Stablemate Curvino is a recent winner at this track and trip, but that came in a $100,000 maiden claimer.

Mo Quality aims to answer the class and two-turn question after landing a sprint maiden at Churchill Downs. But the Christopher Davis pupil was a good runner-up in his first start to well-regarded Touchy in a Keeneland maiden, and he’s bred to handle the distance. Mo Quality’s name reflects his pedigree as a son of the Uncle Mo stallion Mo Town and a Quality Road mare.

Other contenders include the Keith Desormeaux-trained Optical, a starter allowance winner at Churchill in his latest; Hot Gunner, who needs to improve from his series of losses at Remington; and Bon Temps, a twice-raced maiden for iconic Calumet Farm and living legend D. Wayne Lukas.

The Smarty Jones will go off as the ninth race at 4:55 p.m. ET Saturday, and you can watch and wager at TwinSpires.com.

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