Reddam Racing's 'TDN Rising Star' Pavel (Creative Cause) delivered an ultra-impressive debut performance at Santa Anita July 1 and was asked to tackle some of the country's best 3-year-olds in the July 29 GII Jim Dandy S. The gray ran respectably that day–beaten just 5 1/4 lengths by Good Samaritan (Harlan's Holiday) after making a menacing move turning for home–and he finds shallower waters at Parx Racing Monday in the GIII Smarty Jones S. The traditional prep for the newly minted Grade I Pennsylvania Derby Sept. 23, the Smarty Jones pits the relative inexperience of Pavel against more seasoned rivals such as 2-1 morning line favorite Battalion Runner (Unbridled's Song), two-time graded stakes winner Hence (Street Boss) and recent GIII West Virginia Derby hero Colonelsdarktemper (Colonel John).
Favored Battalion Runner enters Monday's affair off a third in the GIII Dwyer S. July 8 and stretches back out to two turns at Parx. The gray teams with recently inducted Hall of Fame pilot Javier Castellano for the first time. Hardway Stables' Talk Logistics (High Cotton) is an intriguing longshot off a pair of good runner-up efforts in the June 18 GIII Pegasus S. and July 8 Long Branch S. at Monmouth Park. The colt has shown steady improvement throughout his career and could fall into a stalking trip from the outermost post in a field of seven.
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