Tipsheet: 2026 Smarty Jones Stakes

A field of nine juveniles will travel 1 1/16 miles over the Oaklawn Park oval in Saturday’s $250,000 Smarty Jones S. The 2026 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest will reward the top five across the wire with qualifying points on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis. 

Smarty Jones Stakes Picks

• #4 Silent Tactic
• #5 Rancho Santa Fe
• #1 Universe
• #6 Oscar’s Hope

Smarty Jones Stakes Wagers

• $10 win and place #4 Silent Tactic
• $3 exacta key box 4 with 1,5,6
• 50-cent trifecta box 1,4,5,6

Smarty Jones Stakes Contenders

#1 UNIVERSE (3-1): Global Campaign three-year-old has a fine foundation from a solid juvenile season and is surely a win candidate in his first local appearance. The McPeek pupil comes off a trio of graded stakes placings and has shown improvement since the blinkers were removed two back. The $75,000 yearling purchase will have Joel Rosario in the irons. 

#2 BAYTOWN DREAMER (30-1): Outsider moves back to the main strip following five runs on the lawn to conclude his two-year-old campaign. The Paul McEntee trainee will need a lifetime best showing to make the frame against this talented group with Bocachica riding. 

#3 BOCA BEACH CLUB (4-1): Omaha Beach colt was a smart winner on debut and rallied for a clear second in the Advent S. on the oval in his second outing. The Jimmy DiVito trainee has flashed nice potential in advance of his first route attempt, and he will be in the mix late if he proves capable of handling 1 1/16 miles. Luis Saez has the assignment. 

#4 SILENT TACTIC (12-1): Upset pick ran two good ones on the synthetic at Woodbine to commence his career and has posted a pair of useful morning moves on this strip in anticipation of his initial dirt try. The Grey (G3) runner-up brought $500,000 in the spring; he possesses a sturdy turn of foot, and I expect the bay to be moving best of all late at a big price with Jaime Torres in the stirrups. 

#5 RANCHO SANTA FE (5-2): Brad Cox trainee is unblemished from two route tilts to begin his career and makes a lot of sense as the morning-line choice. The Tapit homebred was best in a deep allowance outing at Keeneland in his latest endeavor and has trained swiftly in the interim. Regular pilot Floren Geroux will guide the fine prospect. 

#6 OSCAR’S HOPE (8-1): Tom Amoss trainee has been first or second in each of his handful of lifetime tries in advance of Saturday. The Twirling Candy colt was a popular stakes winner at Delta Downs most recently, and the Kentucky-bred is cut out to handle the added ground in this contest, too. Ricardo Santana will have the $150,000 yearling purchase in range throughout. 

#7 STRATEGIC RISK (6-1): Second from the Casse shedrow aired in a stakes race for Florida-bred runners in his first route on the dirt at Gulfstream Park on Nov. 29. The bay son of Noble Bird has displayed big potential on a few occasions in his lifetime, and he will be an obvious factor with something close to his latest performance while moving in with open company. Javier Castellano comes in to retain the mount. 

#8 SCAR SHIP (12-1): Louisiana-bred son of Midshipman was a close second with stakes foes in a sprint last time, and the colt steps up in class while also going long for the first time. The sophomore gets blinkers for this, but he would still be something of a surprise to me with Ramon Vazquez in the saddle. 

#9 SLEEPINGONFREEDOM (5-1): Independence Hall colt has won a pair of races in succession in preparation for his stakes bow and draws widest of all in the field. The colt has shown the versatility to run from on or off the pace with equal effectiveness, and a forward move will have him in with a chance turning for home under Brian Hernandez, Jr.