Smarty Jones down to five; Pletcher colt out

The storyline in today's Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park has changed greatly since entries were drawn.

Trainer Todd Pletcher was forced to scratch Gulfstream Park maiden winner Navistar when travel plans from south Florida fell through. Trainer Bill VanMeter earlier passed on the Smarty Jones with Arkansas-owned Lone Rock, who placed fourth in an entry-level allowance/optional claimer Saturday.

Those changes reduced the field to five going one mile in the $150,000 Smarty Jones, Oaklawn's first of four stakes for 3-year-olds on the road to the Triple Crown. Points will be offered to the top four finishers on a 10-4-2-1 basis for a possible start in the May 5 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Despite losing Navistar, a Union Rags colt trained by a future Hall of Famer whose horses won last year's Kentucky Derby and two key Oaklawn preps, the Smarty Jones still possesses star quality in the trainer ranks.

Bob Baffert and Steve Asmussen, along with Pletcher, have dominated Oaklawn's 3-year-old stakes in recent years though neither Hall of Famer has won the Smarty Jones. The Baffert-trained Mourinho is the likely favorite off two stakes seconds in California, most recently in the Grade 3 Bob Hope Nov. 17 at Del Mar. Asmussen sends out the uncoupled pair of Combatant, a strong second in the Dec. 17 Springboard Mile at Remington Park, and two-time turf winner Tap Daddy.

Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC races Combatant in partnership with Marshall horseman Willis Horton and owns Tap Daddy outright, both colts sired by the late Scat Daddy with Tap Daddy a homebred.

Also entered are Bode's Maker, maiden winner and stakes-placed at Remington for trainer Allen Milligan, and maiden winner Arched Feather, trained by Edward Frederick. Post time for the Smarty Jones, race 8 on the program, is 4:38 p.m.

Lake Hamilton High School graduate Drayden Van Dyke comes home to ride Mourinho, who adds blinkers for both his first start around two turns and outside California. Baffert took blinkers off in the Bob Hope when Mourinho, a son of 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, was second to next-out Springboard Mile winner Greyvitos.

A $625,000 purchase at the March 2017 Ocala, Fla., sale of 2-year-olds in training, Mourinho was routed to Arkansas rather than oppose undefeated stablemate McKinzie in the $100,000 Sham Stakes Jan. 6 at Santa Anita. McKinzie aced that test by 3 1/2 lengths to remain unbeaten after three starts.

"I wanted to stretch (Mourinho) out, and I didn't want to run him against my other horse, McKinzie," Baffert said. "That race was pretty tough on paper. I thought I would bring him up there (Oaklawn) and see how he handles the shipping and really see if he can go two turns."

Combatant, a second-out Churchill Downs maiden winner under Ricardo Santana Jr., breaks from the rail with Oaklawn's five-time defending jockey champion aboard. Luis Contreras rides Tap Daddy, placed second through disqualification in a Grade 3 turf stake at Keeneland.

Floyd Wethey Jr. stays aboard Bode's Maker, seventh in the Springboard Mile and sired by the Baffert-trained 2012 Arkansas Derby winner Bodemeister. Jon Court keeps the mount on Arched Feather after booting home the Arch colt first at 39-1 odds in a Churchill maiden race.

A first-Sunday winner at Oaklawn two years ago, stakes winner Wilbo surprised a stakes-quality field in a $78,000 prep for next month's $125,000 King Cotton.

Rallying inside under David Cabrera, the 6-year-old Candy Ride gelding prevailed by one length over 6-5 favorite Ivan Fallunovalot. Paying $30.40 to win, Wilbo sat off the pace as Ivan Fallunovalot, a two-time King Cotton winner, set scalding early fractions from the rail post, going the half in 44.44 seconds.

Wilbo avenged a fourth-place finish to Ivan Fallunovalot in September's David Vance Stakes, which the latter horse has won four times. Trained by Chris Hartman, Wilbo had not started since Oct. 22 at Keeneland, winning Ellis Park's Don Bernhardt Stakes in July and placing second in Churchill Downs' Grade 3 Aristides Stakes in June.

Wilbo has earned $395,681, winning eight of 23 starts, since bought by Chris Wilkins for $120,000 at an Ocala, Fla. sale in April 2014.

Ivan Fallunovalot, now 8, held second by a neck over Recount with St. Joe Bay fourth. The 10-horse field also included Oaklawn stakes winners Apprehender, Storm Advisory, Rockshaw and Counterforce.

The King Cotton, won last year by Storm Advisory, is Feb. 3.

Sports on 01/15/2018

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