Legendary dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse continued to enhance his remarkable career with a victory and two additional placings in the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes for 3-year-olds on Saturday at Oaklawn. His horse, Strategic Risk, outpaced stablemate Silent Tactic by four and a half lengths, marking Casse’s fourth stakes win and 11th overall triumph of the meet. As the holiday racing season finishes up, Casse ranks 23rd overall.
Casse, based in Florida, reflected on the success, noting how carefully selecting horses suited for Oaklawn has paid off. He also remarked on the unpredictable nature of racing, mentioning that despite doing well here, results differ in other venues like Churchill Downs.
Strategic Risk earned an impressive preliminary Beyer Speed Rating of 87, the highest of his career, with the 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones serving as the first of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races at Oaklawn. The top five finishers in this race earned points towards qualifying for the Kentucky Derby.
Both Strategic Risk and Silent Tactic are owned by John Oxley, the breeder of the original Smarty Jones. Under Hall of Famer Javier Castellano’s ride, Strategic Risk set a measured pace before surging ahead to finish the race in 1:45.06 on a fast track. Notably, Strategic Risk had recently won the Florida Sire in Reality Stakes by nine lengths at Gulfstream Park.
Casse shared that he and Oxley had planned the Smarty Jones campaign shortly after that prior win. Silent Tactic took second place, followed closely by Baytown Dreamer, a surprising contender with 84-1 odds.
The Oaklawn Kentucky Derby qualifying series will continue with three upcoming races: the $1 million Southwest Stakes on January 31, the $1 million Rebel Stakes on March 1, and the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby on March 28. Casse expressed enthusiasm for the Oaklawn series and hinted that Strategic Risk would likely run next in the Southwest Stakes. Silent Tactic might also return for the upcoming benefits race.
Casse is also preparing the undefeated Group 2 winner Ewing for his 3-year-old debut, with training underway at Oaklawn. Ewing, by 2021 Horse of the Year Knicks Go, showed promising form in recent workouts.
Currently, Casse has 25 horses stabled at Oaklawn. His assistant, Kayden Arthur, confirmed that both Strategic Risk and Silent Tactic were in good shape following the Smarty Jones Stakes.
Fan Take: This victory highlights Mark Casse’s strategic excellence and the depth of talent in his barn, which continues to shape the future of top-tier horse racing. For fans, it signals exciting competition ahead in the Kentucky Derby trail and underscores Oaklawn’s rising prominence as a key venue for premier 3-year-old races.
