During the final days of 2015, several contenders for the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes turned in workouts at Oaklawn Park as they gear up for the first Kentucky Derby prep race of the Oaklawn meet.
The most prominent worker was Discreetness, winner of the $250,000 Remington Springboard Mile last time out. Trained by Jinks Fires, Discreetness breezed five furlongs in 1:01.40 on December 29th. Also on the work tab that day was D. Wayne Lukas’ recent maiden winner Gray Sky, who went five furlongs in an easy :50.20.
Five days earlier, on Christmas Eve, the promising maiden winner Whitmore went four furlongs in :49 seconds, his second workout since finishing fifth in the Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes (gr. III) on November 21st.
“He’s doing great,” trainer Ron Moquett was quoted as saying in the Oaklawn Report for December 29th. “Just a little maintenance work.”
On the same morning, trainer Donnie K. Von Hemel sent out the two-time winner Synchrony to work five furlongs in 1:01.40 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:15 flat.
“I was happy with him,” Von Hemel was quoted as saying. “Finished up nice. Looked good doing it.”
The Smarty Jones Stakes, a one-mile race that offers a total of 17 Kentucky Derby qualification points to the top four finishers, will be held on January 18th.
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