Maryland-bred champ John Jones gearing up for return

John Jones, a son of Smarty Jones, began his career by going 3 for 14 over a 15-month period. In his second incarnation, he went 5 for 6 in five months. In the near future, John Jones will begin his third act.

When trainer Lacey Gaudet claimed him for $25,000 in July 2016 on behalf of Matt Schera, John Jones was not a hot commodity. Sent off at 9-2 in that Laurel Park race, he finished fourth.

Gaudet brought John Jones back in the Mister Diz Stakes, a six-furlong turf sprint for Maryland-breds at Laurel. He turned heads with a wire-to-wire score at 43-1.

John Jones went on to win two optional-claiming races and a $35,000 starter allowance before concluding his 4-year-old season on Dec. 31 with a five-length victory in the Jennings Stakes, a one-mile race for statebreds. His only loss since the claim came in the $190,000 Claiming Crown Jewel at Gulfstream Park when he finished third in his start prior to the Jennings.

In all, John Jones has earned $222,000 for Schera. He was named the Maryland-bred champion older male of 2016.

John Jones has not started this year but has worked six times at Laurel since Aug. 1.

“He had a small injury after his last race at the end of December,” Gaudet said. “We could have had him back in three or four months, but Matt said, ‘What’s the sense in pushing him?’

“He was in Carolina for a while and then on a farm up here. He came back to me in mid-July in really good shape.”

Gaudet, 29, is confident John Jones has benefited from his time away from the racetrack and is ready to pick up where he left off.

“We can’t hold him on the ground,” Gaudet said. “He is so ready to run. He is as good, if not better, than a year ago.”

Gaudet was especially pleased with his workout last Sunday going six furlongs over the Laurel turf in 1:17.20. Although John Jones has started only three times on grass, Gaudet believes that is where his future lies.

“He can go dirt or turf, but our goal is primarily a turf campaign,” she said.

Because of the success John Jones had last year, Gaudet knows it will be more difficult to find races for him this time around. He is nominated to the Grade 2 Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup at Laurel on Saturday, but is more likely to return in a high-level allowance or optional-claiming race in Maryland or at Belmont Park.

“The key is going to be finding the same consistent races we did for him last year, to get the races to line up for him,” Gaudet said. “He was still eligible for a two-other-than when we claimed him.”