Discreetness Takes the Smarty Jones

Discreetness earned his first stakes victory in Remington Park's Springboard Mile just over a month ago Dec. 13 and got his sophomore season off to a rousing start with a hard-fought score in Oaklawn's Smarty Jones S. Never far back as heavily favored Toews on Ice (Archarcharch) and Gordy Florida (Cactus Ridge) sparred through a half-mile in :47.81, the 9-1 shot made his move to the front on the far turn and grinded away to score by a neck over a determined Gordy Florida. Toews on Ice faltered on the turn and did not factor in the finish. The final time for a mile was 1:38.05. The winner, a $105,000 OBSMAR juvenile purchase, is out of a dam who is a half to MGSW Strong Hope (Grand Slam) and G1SW Bahamian Pirate (Housebuster).

“Going a mile here, if you're not 1-2-3, or very close at the three-eighths pole, it's hard to make that up,” said winning trainer Jinks Fires. “We decided to ask him a little early because if you get shuffled back around that turn, it's hard to make it up down that short stretch going a mile.”

SMARTY JONES S., $150,000, OP, 1-18, 3yo, 1m, 1:38.05, ft.

1–DISCREETNESS, 119, c, 3, by Discreet Cat

1st Dam: Fondness, by Elusive Quality

2nd Dam: Shining Through, by Deputy Minister

3rd Dam: Solar, by Halo

($67,000 Ylg '14 KEESEP; $105,000 2yo '15 OBSMAR). O-Xpress

Thoroughbreds LLC.; B-Trackside Farm & Tenlane Farm (KY);

T-William H. Fires; J-Jon Kenton Court. $90,000. Lifetime

Record: 6-4-0-0, $282,122.

2–Gordy Florida, 115, c, 3, Cactus Ridge–Indianella, by Indian

Charlie. O/B-Dream Walkin' Farms, Inc. (KY); T-Kenny P. Smith.

$30,000.

3–Synchrony, 117, c, 3, Tapit–Brownie Points, by Forest

Wildcat. O/B-Pin Oak Stud, LLC (KY); T-Donnie K. Von Hemel.

$15,000.

Margins: NK, 1 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 9.10, 21.70, 3.10.

Also Ran: Luna de Loco, Gray Sky, Toews On Ice, Charming Deputy, Shogood, Force It, Black Ops, Back Togetheragain. Scratched: Whitmore, Cutacorner, Knights Key.

Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.