Discreetness, Gordy Florida likely to meet again in Southwest

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The rematch is on.

Discreetness and Gordy Florida, who finished a neck apart in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Monday at Oaklawn Park, are both being pointed for next month’s Southwest Stakes, according to their trainers. The Grade 3, $500,000 race for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles is Feb. 15.

Discreetness won his second consecutive stakes in the Smarty Jones, sitting much closer to the pace than he did when he captured the $250,000 Springboard Mile last month at Remington Park. His trainer, Jinks Fires, was pleased with the turn of foot Discreetness showed Monday in the one-mile race that ended at the sixteenth pole.

“He showed enough speed where we could be where we needed him to be,” Fires said. “We wanted to make sure we were just off the pace because of the short run to the wire.”

Discreetness covered the distance on a fast track in 1:38.05. The time eclipsed the stakes record of 1:38.15 set by Liberty Bull in the first running of the Smarty Jones in 2008.

Discreetness on Monday earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 83. The horse, who races for Xpress Thoroughbreds and is ridden by Jon Court, emerged from the Smarty Jones in excellent condition, said Fires.

Discreetness will attempt to give Fires his second win in the Southwest. The trainer captured the race in 2011 with Archarcharch, who went on to win the Arkansas Derby. Discreetness and Archarcharch both had a special visit before their stakes wins at Oaklawn. The Rev. James West, the pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Hot Springs, blessed Archarcharch in advance of his season at Oaklawn and did the same this year with Discreetness. Fires’s son, Doug, attended school at St. John the Baptist.

Gordy Florida dueled with 3-5 favorite Toews On Ice in the Smarty Jones and then battled to the wire for second. He had won a maiden special weight and an allowance, both sprints at Remington, in his two career starts leading up to the Smarty Jones.

“He ran a huge race,” trainer Kenny Smith said of Gordy Florida’s effort in the Smarty Jones. “We just came off the 5 1/2 [furlongs] going into a flat mile, so I think that race has got to help him. And he’s starting to learn really, really fast right now.”

Smith said Gordy Florida emerged from the race in good order, and provided he continues to train well, he likely will land in the Southwest. The horse, by Cactus Ridge, races for the Dream Walkin’ Farms operation of country music artist Toby Keith.