Oaklawn Park: Smarty Jones contender Tanzanite Cat among Autrey's top prospects

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Oaklawn leading trainer Cody Autrey has been a force in the overnight ranks for years. But this season he has more promising young horses than ever before, and on Monday will start Tanzanite Cat in the $150,000 Smarty Jones. The horse is one of two prospects Autrey currently has for the 3-year-old series at Oaklawn. The other is Paganol, an impressive debut winner now targeting the Grade 3, $300,000 Southwest on Feb. 17.

[ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays]

Tanzanite Cat put himself in position for the Smarty Jones with a four-length maiden special weight win at Fair Grounds on Dec. 8. He led throughout, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 81, the best last-race number in the Smarty Jones. The win came in Tanzanite Cat’s second career start. He debuted on a synthetic track at Del Mar last August and was third to a well-regarded winner in Rum Point.

“We liked him in California, and after I ran him on the Polytrack I thought he needed time to grow up,” Autrey said. “I planned on running him in a maiden race here, but he got ready quicker than I thought and we put him in a race [at Fair Grounds]. He ran a nice race, and ever since that race he’s told us he wanted to do some more.

“He’s a really gritty horse.”

Tanzanite Cat, a $150,000 purchase as a 2-year-old in training at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s auction last April, races for James and Ywachetta Driver. He is a son of Graeme Hall, who won the Arkansas Derby in 2000, while his dam, the Mt. Livermore daughter Gentle Wave, has produced a stakes winner in Hip Four Sixtynine. Autrey is hopeful Tanzanite Cat will handle the new distance demands when he makes his two-turn debut Monday.

“I don’t know how far he’ll go, but I think the mile is within his reach,” he said of the distance of the Smarty Jones.

Paganol, a son of Tiz Wonderful who also races for the Drivers, was a $250,000 purchase as a 2-year-old in training during OBS March. He was up for a nose win in his debut Jan. 11 at Oaklawn.

“We’re really high on him,” Autrey said. “We wanted to run two turns first time out, but the first maiden race of the meet was a mile and a sixteenth and we didn’t want to go a mile and a sixteenth [yet]. He ran a big race, and I think we’ll go straight towards the Southwest. We know he wants two turns.”

Autrey said Tanzanite Cat and Paganol have been workmates for more than six weeks.

“They’ve been virtually inseparable,” he said.

Alsvid, Apropos eye sprints

Alsvid, who worked a bullet five furlongs in 58.40 seconds Saturday, and Apropos, a dynamic allowance winner here Jan. 12, are both eyeing upcoming sprint stakes.

Trainer Chris Hartman said Alsvid is gearing up for the $100,000 King Cotton on Feb. 8. The race is one owner James Rogers has always wanted to win, Hartman said, and with that goal in mind plans are to also run the Rogers-owned Black Bear in the race. Black Bear was scheduled to run in an allowance Sunday. Alsvid is a multiple stakes winner of more than $500,000, while the stakes-placed Black Bear had won 6 of 9 career starts.

“We’ve always asked, ‘Who’s the fastest one,?’ ” Hartman. said “We’ll let them answer the question.”

Apropos, in her first start since August, cruised to a 1 3/4-length win in her Oaklawn allowance and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 98. She shipped in from Fair Grounds and has remained at Oaklawn for the time being while her connections debate a start in the $100,000 American Beauty on Jan. 25, trainer Al Stall Jr. said.

◗ Boji Moon, a stakes winner who was fifth as the favorite in the $250,000 Springboard Mile at Remington, will head to the $60,000 Van Berg on turf at Fair Grounds on Jan. 25, trainer Chris Richard said.