Caleb’s Posse faced the distance question heading into the $100,000
Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park on Monday and he answered it emphatically
when he burst through the fog to win the one-mile race by 2 3/4 lengths
over Dreaminofthewin. It was another five lengths back in third to
Bluegrass Bull.
Caleb’s Posse ($10.40) posted his first two-turn win in the Smarty
Jones. He came into the race off a rare off-the-board finish in the
$250,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park on Dec. 11. He was making
his first start at two turns in that race, and finished seventh as the
4-5 favorite.
But on Monday, Caleb’s Posse ran to the promise he had shown in using
a powerful stretch run to take the $100,000 Clever Trevor at seven
furlongs at Remington Park in November. After sitting behind a four-way
pace duel among Grant Jack, Archarcharch, Bonaroo, and Bluegrass Bull in
the Smarty Jones, he overtook those foes under jockey Eddie Razo Jr.
Caleb’s Posse went on to win in 1:43.07, over a track rated good. The
race ended at the first wire, or the sixteenth pole, as with all
one-mile races at Oaklawn.
Donnie Von Hemel, who trains Caleb’s Posse, said the win answered
some distance questions for the horse, who is a son of the sprinter
Posse.
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