The track-pulled colt fights the undefeated one Santa Fe Ranch and seven others in the 1 1/16-mile race, the first of Oaklawn’s stakes on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. The $250,000 race will offer Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points on a 10-5-3-2-1 basis to the top five finishers heading into the May 2 Derby on Churchill Downs.
Appearing in last year’s Champagne Stakes (G1) and later placing in both the Street Sense Stakes (G3) and Kentucky Jockey Club, Universe is already fifth on the Kentucky Derby standings with 13 points. He can finish second behind the presumptive male youth champion Ted Noffey with a win, leaving him well-positioned to qualify four months before the first leg of the Triple Crown.
He stormed to victory Further Ad late at the Kentucky Jockey Club, but a wide trip in the second turn compromised his ability to catch that rival in a rally from 10 lengths off the pace. He then drifted inside down the track before checking in at the finish 1 3/4 lengths behind Further Ado. He galloped forward.
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A brown son of Global campaign trained by Kenny McPeek, he races for owners 4G Racing, Gregg Day, Steven Crain and Magdalena Racing. Together with other partners, 4G Racing was co-owner of the race trained by McPeek Mystical Daan the winner of the 2024 Kentucky Derby.
Mystik Dan also started his 3-year-old season in the Smarty Jones and placed fifth. He later rebounded to win the Southwest Stakes (G3), the next leg in Oaklawn’s series, before finishing third in the Arkansas Derby (G1).
Hall of Fame jockey Joel Rosario, who won the Tinsel Stakes on board with McPeek on December 20 Rattle N-Roll takes the mount on Universe.
Brian Hernandez Jr., McPeek’s usual rider and Mystik Dan’s jockey in the Derby and for much of the colt’s career, is instead aboard the trainer’s other starter, the pulled-out Sleep on freedom .
The last, a dark brown or brown son of Independence Hall owned by Dream Big Racing and Magdalena Racing, has won back-to-back at Kentucky’s first and starter allowance competition after debuting as runner-up in the Bluegrass.
Also with two wins in Kentucky is Rancho Santa Fe, which won a first 1-mile special weight in its debut on August 24. Ellis Park before repeating this against the ability to optionally claim enemies in a productive 1 1/16 mile event on October 11 at Keeneland.
Brad Cox trains Rancho Santa Fe, a chestnut son of Carpet for Gary and Mary West, who bred him in Kentucky. Of the Grade 2 winner Family Tree, Rancho Santa Fe is a half-brother to the 2024 Steve Sexton Mile Stakes (G3) winner Heroic move .
“Obviously he can handle the mile and a sixteenth,” Cox said. “He’s a mile and eighth plus. Typical Tapit, the further the better. Good stride, good movement, pretty good mind. Excited about the kick-off of his year.’
Florent Geroux rides at Rancho Santa Fe.
Other notable Smarty Jones contenders include Oscar’s hope And Strategic risk a pair of winners of unsorted bets around two turns.
Two 6-furlong sprint stakes support Saturday’s schedule at Oaklawn: the $150,000 Renaissance Stakes for 3-year-olds and the limited $135,000 Commodore Overnight Stakes for older horses. 2025 Sanford Stakes (G3) Winner Destruction faces five enemies in the Renaissance, while the double Claiming Crown Ready’s Rocket Express winner Concrete glory will be preferred over 10 others in the Commodore Overnight Stakes.
Submissions: Smarty Jones S.
Oaklawn Park, Saturday January 3, 2026, race 10
- STK
- 1 1/16m
- Filthy
- $250,000
- 3 years
- 4:25 PM (local)
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