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On Fire Baby tests males in Smarty Jones
But Derby fever isn't the reason that On Fire Baby is kicking off her three-year-old campaign in the Smarty Jones. Hartlage indicated that he preferred the two-turn distance, rather than shortening her up for Saturday's six-furlong Dixie Belle, the opening salvo in Oaklawn's series for sophomore fillies. Still, the Smarty Jones figures to provide a useful barometer for On Fire Baby, and could stoke more ambitious ideas down the road. Her rivals include such experienced stakes competitors as the D. Wayne Lukas-trained Optimizer, Dallas Stewart's Laurie's Rocket, No Spin from the Tim Ice barn, and Jake Mo, all with graded form in the book. On Fire Baby has lost just once from four starts, when she tired to fifth in the Grade 1 Alcibiades on Keeneland's Polytrack. On dirt, however, she's a perfect three-for-three, showing tactical adaptability in each. A stalk-and-pounce winner sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Ellis Park, On Fire Baby was reserved off a taxing pace in the Grade 2 Pocahontas, then offered her bid at the perfect time. Connections observed that there was no pace to speak of in the Golden Rod. Planning to take the early initiative, On Fire Baby was even more compelling when dictating throughout and pulling away. In the process, the daughter of Smoke Glacken proved that a 1 1/16-mile trip was well within her scope. Front-running tactics might not be necessary in the Smarty Jones, with a fair amount of speed to her inside. Regular rider Joe Johnson will try to work out a sensible trip from post 10 in a 12-horse field. The deep-closing Optimizer won't be best suited by the short stretch of the mile run, but the well-bred colt has been mixing it up in the best of company. The son of turf champ English Channel logically started out on the grass at Saratoga, scoring a 27-1 upset as a rare first-out winner for Lukas. Subsequently second in the Grade 2 With Anticipation, Optimizer switched to Polytrack for the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland, where he ran a better-than-appears third. He was no factor in his first dirt attempt in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill, but showed more when a wide-trip fourth in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club over the same track and trip. Terry Thompson picks up the mount on the promising sophomore, who has been training forwardly and is well drawn in post 6. Laurie's Rocket has been unsuccessful in three graded tilts -- a fourth in the Grade 1 Hopeful, a tailed-off last in the Grade 1 Champagne and a fifth in the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot -- but he comes off a photo-finish loss to the well-regarded Exfactor in the six-furlong Sugar Bowl Stakes at Fair Grounds. The New Orleans shipper interestingly heads here rather than staying home for the Grade 3 Lecomte on January 21, suggesting that connections view this as a more viable option. So far, Laurie's Rocket has fared poorly in every start beyond 6 1/2 furlongs, but as a son of Bluegrass Cat, the mile should theoretically hold no fears for him. Laurie's Rocket projects a ground-saving passage along the rail with Brian Hernandez Jr. Jake Mo, who wired the Prairie Gold Juvenile in his stakes premiere last summer, has been unplaced versus better of late. A troubled fifth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint, he faded to sixth after chasing the hot pace in the Delta Downs Jackpot. The Giacomo colt has been working well and is entitled to improve with a more conventional trip, courtesy of new rider Cliff Berry. The Allen Milligan pupil will be joined by his stablemate King Coral, a Remington allowance winner in his final start at two. No Spin, fourth in the Grade 3 Arlington-Washington Futurity and sixth in the Champagne, was an impressive winner of the Royal Glint Stakes over the Hawthorne turf. He couldn't duplicate that performance back on dirt when fourth in the Springboard Mile at Remington, and it remains to be seen whether the Johannesburg colt is better on turf and synthetic. Also exiting the Springboard Mile is runner-up Reckless Jerry, who had won his prior two outings at Remington. The Kenny Smith trainee was not helped by drawing the far outside post 12 here. Smart Aqueduct maiden winner Junebugred makes his first start for new trainer Steve Hobby, and lures Joe Bravo in for the ride. Hawthorne shipper Fastestwhogetspaid brings a two-race winning streak into his stakes debut, while the Illinois-bred Prince Cheval exits a rough fourth in the Jim Edgar Futurity. The speedy Copus and Hard Nosed round out the field.
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