Caddo River went into Oaklawn Park opening day as a 3/5 favorite to win the Smarty Jones; and he certainly lived up to his pre-race billing. Under a hand ride the entire way; Caddo River won by over 10 lengths; making you wonder just how wide the margin would have been had jockey Florent Geroux really allowed him to open up
Trainer Brad Cox has his horse Essential Quality sitting atop the Road to the Kentucky Leaderboard right now; with many believing that he is the current Derby favorite. It is still a little early in the game to be picking a winner; and that was highlighted by a stellar performance by another Cox horse over the weekend; with Caddo River turning in a brilliant display in the Smarty Jones Stakes.
While the win was; in and of itself, an impressive one, it also shakes up the standings a little in the Road to the Kentucky leaderboard, with Caddo River sliding into the top 10 after his win. There were 10 points available for the winner of the Smart Jones; as well as 4, 2, and 1, for the other horses finishing in the top four.
It took Caddo River three attempts to break his maiden
Which he did at Churchill Downs, but he now looks to be on an upward trajectory. The thing that stands out from his win at Oaklawn Park this past weekend was that it was the first time he had run two turns; with his previous races all falling in the 7 furlongs to a mile category. That bodes well for him, as he is going to need to run that distance in the Derby.
Cox now has some decisions to make with his horses. It is unclear at this point whether Caddo River will run another stakes race at Oaklawn Park or go elsewhere. For now; Cox is looking at what is next for Essential Quality, He seems to be torn between a pair of upcoming stakes races, including the Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds on Feb. 13 and the Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn on Feb. 15. We will keep you up to date on all the graded stakes races coming your way, in the next few months.
Be sure to check back Jazz Horse Racing for all the latest horse racing news; previews, and results, as well as up to the minute reports from our experts at JazzSports.ag on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
