Parx: Officer Alex foils son of Smarty Jones in Pennsylvania Nursery

Kentucky shipper Officer Alex changed tactics to upset 3-5 favorite Res Judicata in Saturday’s $76,500 Pennsylvania Nursery for 2-year-old statebred colts and geldings at Parx Racing.

Unlike his first two starts, when he dueled up front to easily win his career debut at Parx but stopped badly in his first try against winners at Churchill Downs, Officer Alex this time was taken slightly off the pace by jockey Stewart Elliott.

Res Judicata, attempting to follow in the footsteps of his sire Smarty Jones, who won the 2003 Pennsylvania Nursery as a prelude to wins in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness the following spring, looked like a winner when he blew past pacesetter Southern Honor approaching the turn for home and opened up a two-length lead after six furlongs in 1:10.84..

But Officer Alex ($19.80), a son of Officer trained by Lynn Whiting for Choctaw Racing and Winning Horses Stable, came charging hard inside the sixteenth pole to fly past the odds-on favorite and drew clear by a length. The winning time for seven furlongs on a muddy track was 1:23.94.

Res Judicata, coming off a 6 1/2-length win in a restricted stakes three weeks ago, had to settle for second, 5 1/4 lengths clear of  Siete de Oros at 9-1.