Nasa hopes to take flight in Jerome

Saturday marks the 11-year anniversary of Smarty Jones kicking off his 3-year-old season with a victory in the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct.

Nasa, a son of Smarty Jones with the same connections of the dual classic winner, kicks off his 3-year-old campaign Saturday in what is now the Jerome Stakes.

“Humongous footsteps to fill there,” said John Servis, trainer of Nasa and Smarty Jones. Nasa, like Smarty Jones, is owned by Someday Farm.

Like Smarty Jones did, Nasa comes off a victory in the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes on Dec. 6. That was Nasa’s second victory in four career starts.

“He’s got some talent,” Servis said. “He’s not a big horse, which Smarty wasn’t either, but Smarty had a little more scope to him than this horse does. That’s one of the concerns I have about him, but he seems like he’s looking for more distance the way he trains and the way he’s run.”

Nasa drew post 8 in a nine-horse field entered Wednesday for the Jerome.

El Kabeir, winner of the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs in November, drew the outside post. He will be ridden by Calvin Borel.

The remainder of the field, starting from the rail, is Mini Cosmo, Royal Burgh, Tencendur, Ostrolenka, Now We Are Free, General Bellamy, and Ackeret.