Trainer Mac Robertson became the first trainer in Canterbury Park and Canterbury Downs history to win 1,000 races at the Shakopee, Minnesota. racetrack when Magic Glass won the first race Saturday evening.
Caddo River makes stakes debut in Smarty Jones Jan 17, 2021 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com Churchill maiden romper Caddo River shown training at Oaklawn Park in December (Coady Photography)
On Friday, Oaklawn Park kicks off its racing season and series of Kentucky Derby (G1) preps. The opening day feature, the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes, serves as a stepping stone to the Feb. 15 Southwest (G3), Mar. 13 Rebel (G2), and finally the Apr. 10 Arkansas Derby (G1).
The one-mile Smarty Jones marks the stakes debut of the Brad Cox-trained
Caddo River, a flashy maiden winner when last seen at Churchill Downs Nov. 15. The Hard Spun colt dominated the one-turn mile in front-running fashion by 9 1/2 lengths, and now tackles the same distance around two turns. A homebred for the Shortleaf Stable of prominent Arkansan John Ed Anthony, Caddo River had finished second in a pair of key maidens at Saratoga and Belmont Park before his breakthrough. Caddo River is drawn in the outside post 7