Coal Battle and Juan Vargas capture the Smarty Jones (Coady Media)
Remington Springboard Mile Victor Strikes Again on Kentucky Derby Trail
Robert Yates/Oaklawn Park
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Different tactics, same result.
Norman Stables’ Coal Battle added to his Kentucky Derby war chest with a front-running romp in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn.
Ridden by Juan Vargas and trained by Lonnie Briley, Coal Battle finished four lengths ahead of Mo Quality, with 6-5 favorite Kale’s Angel another neck farther back in third.
The 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones marked the third career stakes victory for Coal Battle ($11) and second in a Kentucky Derby qualifying race. The son of Oaklawn stakes winner Coal Front collected 10 points for his Smarty Jones victory. Coal Battle also earned 10 points for a half-length victory in the $300,000 Remington Springboard Mile Stakes Dec. 13 at Remington Park.
Unlike the Springboard Mile, when Coal Battle came from off the pace to edge Speed King, he led at every point of call in the Smarty Jones. Boosted by pedestrian fractions (:24.11 for the opening quarter, :49.03 for a half-mile and 1:15.64 for 6 furlongs), Coal Battle had plenty left in the tank in the stretch after being shadowed much of the race along the inside by Kale’s Angel.
Carrying top weight of 122 pounds, Coal Battle’s winning time over a fast track was 1:46.43. Kale’s Angel finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Bon Temps, a maiden for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Hot Property and Hot Gunner finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Curvino and Optical were late scratches, reducing the starting field to six.
Coal Battle won for the fourth time in six starts to raise his career earnings to $453,875. In addition to the Smarty Jones and Springboard Mile, Coal Battle won the $100,000 Jean Lafitte Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs Nov. 8 at Delta Downs.
The Smarty Jones was Oaklawn’s first of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races, a series that continues with the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 25.
