Within the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes held at Oaklawn Park on January 3, Strategic Danger tied early and raced as much as 4 and a half lengths.
With Saturday’s victory within the 3-year-old 1/16-mile stakes, Strategic Danger earned 10 qualifying factors on the Street to the Kentucky Derby offered by Woodford Reserve. Silent Tactic, a stablemate of Strategic Danger, completed second, gaining 5 qualifying factors.
The winner and runner-up have been owned by John Oxley and educated by Mark Cass. The outcome marks a return to the Kentucky Derby course at Oaklawn Park for Cass, who rode Sandman to victory in final yr’s Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. Oxley gained the 2001 Kentucky Derby with Monarcos.
Longshot Scarship led the quarter mile in 24.48 seconds and the half mile in 49.72 seconds, with Strategic Danger following in second with jockey Javier Castellano. Strategic Danger then mounted a sustained rally till the far flip, taking the lead across the quarter pole and pulling away on the high of the stretch.
The highest two horses have been adopted by Baytown Dreamer (3 factors) in third place, Sleeping Gon Freedom (2 factors) in 4th place and Rancho Santa Fe (1 level) in fifth place. Universe, who was favored 2.30-to-1 by the second-place finisher within the G2 Kentucky Jockey Membership Stakes at Churchill Downs, ran a good distance in the long run and completed seventh out of eight horses.
The win offers Strategic Danger his first stakes win in opposition to open firm within the $300,000 FTBOA Florida Sires in Actuality Stakes on Nov. 29 at Gulfstream Park after ending his junior season with an eye catching nine-length lead over different Florida sires. With Saturday’s victory, the No Boulevard product scored its second win in a two-corner race on filth.
