For Immediate Release

Just Steel was just great in his last start. Now, the son of Triple Crown winner Justify gets another chance around two turns in Monday’s $300,000 Smarty Jones Stakes, Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Derby points race this season.

The Smarty Jones anchors a 10-race card, with probable post time 4:14 p.m. (CST). It is the ninth race. Racing begins at 12:30 p.m.

The Smarty Jones was extended to 1 1/16 miles in 2024 after being run at one mile since its inception in 2008. It will offer 21 points (10-5-3-2-1, respectively) to the top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby.

The nine-horse field, in post-position order: Informed Patriot (#1), Ricardo Santana Jr., to ride, 117 pounds, 8-1 on the morning line; Catching Freedom (#2), Cristian Torres, 117, 9-2; Lagynos (#3), Joel Rosario, 119, 6-1; Mystik Dan (#4), Julien Leparoux, 117, 5-1; Mo Winning (#5), Harry Hernandez, 117, 20-1; Gettysburg Address (#6), Flavien Prat, 117, 7-2; Just Steel (#7), Ramon Vazquez, 119, 9-5; Chaperone (#8), Keith Asmussen, 117, 30-1; and Fidget (#9), Martin Chuan, 117, 15-1.

Program favorite Just Steel has had a rollercoaster seven-race career for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, breaking his maiden by a nose Aug. 5 at Saratoga and posting a sharp 2 ½-length victory in his last start, the $225,000 Ed Brown Stakes Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs. Sandwiched around those sprint victories (6 and 6 ½ furlongs, respectively) were three consecutive losses, including a sixth in the 8 ½-fulrong $600,000 G1-Breeders’ Futurity Stakes Oct. 7 at Keeneland.

Just Steel, who held the lead approaching the top of the stretch, was beaten 16 lengths in the Breeders’ Futurity, his only start around two turns.

“He ran a very powerful race,” Lukas said, referring to the Ed Brown. “He had that one bad race, but he’s done well since. That last one, he finished up very well. We’re looking forward to it. I really like this horse.”

Lukas trains Just Steel, a $500,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sales graduate, for John Bellinger and Brian Coelho (BC Stables). Just Steel’s past performance lines contain top Kentucky Derby prospects such as G2-Kentucky Jockey Club winner Honor Marie; Springboard Mile winner Otto the Conqueror; Locked, winner of the Breeders’ Futurity and third in the G1-Breeders’ Cup Juvenile; and Breeders’ Futurity runner-up The Wine Steward.

“If you’ve got a 3-year-old and you get to where you’re three-other-than (allowance) or two-other-than, you’ve got your options of going in the stakes for 3-year-olds going forward or a sprint,” Lukas said. “But having said all that, I consider him a potential prospect for the Arkansas Derby.”

Trainer Brad Cox is scheduled to start three horses (Catching Freedom, Gettysburg Address and Fidget) after running 1-2 in last year’s Smarty Jones. Gettysburg Address is the most accomplished, finishing fourth in the $200,000 G3-Street Sense Stakes at 1 1/16 miles Oct. 29 at Churchill Downs. Gettysburg Address removes blinkers for the Smarty Jones.

“We need him to break well and relax,” Cox said. “It was either this or an allowance race. He’s going to have to step up.”

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen is represented by Street Sense third-place finisher Informed Patriot and Lagynos, who exits a first level, off-the-turf allowance victory at 1 1/16 miles Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs.

“Two wonderful chances,” Asmussen said. “I mean, they really are. I’ve always thought that 2 turning 3-year-olds, no matter how good you ran the last time, it’s not good enough for your next one. At this time of the year, if they don’t run better, they’re in trouble.”

The speedy Mystik Dan will be making his stakes and two-turn debut after finishing fifth in a one-mile first-level allowance Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs. Informed Patriot was third in the race.

“He came back with a lung infection, and I ran him back too quick (13 days),” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “That bullet’s on me.”

Oaklawn’s Kentucky Derby points series continues with the 1 1/16-miles $800,000 G3-Southwest Stakes Jan. 27, $1.25 million G2-Rebel Stakes Feb. 24 and the nine-furlong $1.5 million G1-Arkansas Derby March 30.

For Immediate Release

Like father, like son.

Apprentice jockey Joseph Bealmear recorded his first career victory when We Miss Arlington broke his maiden by 1 ½ lengths in Saturday’s second race at Oaklawn.

We Miss Arlington ($20.40) represented the 11^th career mount for Bealmear, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization, and came almost 44 years after his father, retired jockey Ben Bealmear, recorded his first career victory at Oaklawn.

Joseph Bealmear, 19, rode his first race Nov. 30 at Turfway Park in Kentucky. An emotional Bealmear celebrated his first victory by pumping his right arm twice after crossing the finish line.

“I just couldn’t contain it,” Bealmear said Sunday morning. “I just let it out. A lot of people asked me if I was nervous. But honestly, from the post parade, to the gate, to the finish line, that’s the most confident I’ve ever been in a race. I think the horse felt that. I felt it and it all just worked out great.”

Bealmear grew up near Lexington, Ky., and said he’s been around horses his entire life. Bealmear’s father won 66 races as a jockey in 1979-1982 and his mother, Laura, saddled 50 winners as a trainer during her career (2007-2020), according to Equibase.

Before becoming a jockey, Joseph Bealmear said he regularly galloped horses for nationally prominent trainer Wesley Ward. Bealmear began laying the groundwork for his riding career approximately 18 months ago when he met retired jockey Robby Albarado, Oaklawn’s leading rider in 1996 and 1997. Albarado, who won more than 5,000 career races, is an exercise rider at Oaklawn trainer for Kenny McPeek and is also Bealmear’s agent.

“Hopefully, everything goes well here and kind of piggyback on to Kentucky,” Albarado said. “That’s the hope. I think he’s going to be that kind of rider.”

Bealmear rode We Miss Arlington for co-owner/trainer Jimmy DiVito in the maiden-claiming sprint for 2-year-olds. We Miss Arlington was Bealmear’s third mount at Oaklawn. He also has eight mounts at Turfway Park. Bealmear rides with a 10-pound weight allowance.

Ben Bealmear’s first career riding victory was aboard Tailback Todd ($8.20) March 24, 1980, at Oaklawn. He was also a 10-pound apprentice at the time.

 Skelly Scores Again Saturday

Skelly stretched his winning streak to six with a front-running 1 ¼-length victory in Saturday’s eighth race at Oaklawn, a $143,000 allowance sprint for 3-year-olds and upward. It marked the gelding’s first start since late May.

Favored at 4-5 under regular rider Ricardo Santana Jr., Skelly covered 6 furlongs over a fast track in a meet-best 1:09.66.

“We’re just extremely fortunate to be associated with him,” Steve Asmussen, Skelly’s Hall of Fame trainer, said following Saturday’s victory. “That’s (six) in a row. He went (1:09) and change or something crazy. Just a very fast horse. The racetrack’s not yielding those sort of times. I guess that’s because Skelly ain’t been running.”

Skelly developed into Oaklawn’s top older male sprinter last season after being gelded and adding blinkers. He won his final four starts of the meeting, including the $500,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (G3) and inaugural $150,000 Lake Hamilton Stakes. Skelly was making his first start since the $100,000 Speightstown Sprint Stakes May 29 at Lone Star Park. All five of those victories were at 6 furlongs.

Asmussen said he decided to freshen Skelly following the Speightstown Sprint and point for the 2023-2024 Oaklawn meeting that began Dec. 8.

“It was quite obvious with how well he ran here last year, how much sense it made to target this meet, with him being a gelding and with how much money we run for,” Asmussen said.

Asmussen said the $150,000 King Cotton Stakes for Jan. 27 comes up “too quick” for Skelly. Oaklawn’s sprint stakes series for older horses continues with the $250,000 G3-Whitmore March 16.

Saturday’s victory, Skelly’s seventh in 11 lifetime starts, raised his career earnings to $787,413. Skelly, a 4-year-old son of Practical Joke, is owned by Chris Hicks.

For Immediate Release

HOT SPRINGS, AR (Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023) – Trainer Kenny McPeek’s magic touch with 2-year-olds at Oaklawn continued Sunday when Ice Cold overhauled heavily favored Denim and Pearls in deep stretch to win the one-mile $200,000 Year’s End Stakes for fillies.

In the companion feature, the $150,000 Renaissance for sprinters, heavily favored Valentine Candy became the meet’s first two-time stakes winner and was among four winners on the card for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

Sunday’s 10-race program marked the second exclusively for 2-year-olds in Oaklawn history. McPeek won four in last year’s inaugural format, including the Year’s End with future Grade 1 winner Defining Purpose. McPeek added two more victories Sunday. The biggest came with Ice Cold ($8.80), who was ridden to her three-quarter length victory by Julien Leparoux. She covered the mile over a fast track in 1:38.97.

Ice Cold, from the first crop of champion Mitole, raised her career earnings to $190,129 following her second victory from five starts.

Valentine Candy ($3.40) was in traffic on the turn before taking command in midstretch after finding running room. Ridden by Joel Rosario, Valentine Candy’s winning time for six furlongs over a fast track was 1:11.29.

Valentine Candy also won the $150,000 Advent Stakes Dec. 8 at Oaklawn. The son of Triple Crown winner Justify has a 3-1-1 mark from six starts and earnings of $263,925.

Sunday’s estimated attendance was 15,000.

Racing continues Monday with 10 races, highlighted by the $300,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles. The Smarty Jones is Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Derby points race.

Year’s End Stakes quotes:

Winning jockey Julien Leparoux: “Actually, I got the trip that I wanted. Stayed pretty close to the Brad Cox filly (Denim and Pearls). From the three-eighths pole to the quarter pole, it looks like (Denim and Pearls) is going to go away from me. But she kept digging. When I got to the straight, she switched leads and re-broke. She won nicely today.”

Winning trainer Kenny McPeek (via phone): “She just grinds it out. She’s really figured it out going two turns. Just a really hard-knocking filly. Tom Mc Greevy and Dan (Mc Greevy), the main owner and his brother, are fun guys to work for, too. Those kind are always great. It’s good (last two years on Oaklawn’s cards exclusively for 2-year-olds).”

Renaissance Stakes quotes:

Winning jockey Joel Rosario: “Very tough trip. The inside post is sometimes not easy. Looked like there was a lot of speed in the race. He broke really well, but a couple kind of fooled me. They went a little bit away from me. Looked like it was best to just let him settle a little. He did great. He was always there for me. Turning for home, I was able to work my way out and he did the work.”

Winning trainer Steve Asmussen: “Looked like it (he was a promising prospect) when he broke his maiden this summer at Saratoga. Two quick stakes to start off the meet here at Oaklawn. Great purses. Just lovely to have an extremely fast horse for a very good ownership group. It was good to see him overcome something, it really was. Obviously, his two victories were gate-to-wire. Settled in the middle there and I think Joel (Rosario) did a good job of getting him out into the clear. I loved how steady he looked to the wire. Just a quality horse.”

Finish Lines

Jockey Luis Fuentes recorded his first career Oaklawn riding double Saturday, winning the first race aboard Priddis ($11.80) for trainer Matt Williams and the third race aboard Music Mistress ($50) for trainer Joe McKellar. Priddis was the first career Oaklawn victory for Williams, the older brother of trainer Sean Williams (two victories earlier in the meeting). … Jockey Nik Juarez recorded his 985^th career North American victory aboard Backyard Money ($9.80) in Saturday’s 10^th race at Oaklawn, according to Equibase, racing’s official data gathering organization. … Grade 3 winner Hot and Sultry returned to the work tab Sunday morning at Oaklawn, covering a half-mile in :50 for trainer Norm Casse. The track was fast.