Caleb's Posse Rolls in Smarty Jones

Caleb’s Posse faced the distance question heading into the $100,000 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park on Monday and he answered it emphatically when he burst through the fog to win the one-mile race by 2 3/4 lengths over Dreaminofthewin. It was another five lengths back in third to Bluegrass Bull.

Caleb’s Posse ($10.40) posted his first two-turn win in the Smarty Jones. He came into the race off a rare off-the-board finish in the $250,000 Springboard Mile at Remington Park on Dec. 11. He was making his first start at two turns in that race, and finished seventh as the 4-5 favorite.

But on Monday, Caleb’s Posse ran to the promise he had shown in using a powerful stretch run to take the $100,000 Clever Trevor at seven furlongs at Remington Park in November. After sitting behind a four-way pace duel among Grant Jack, Archarcharch, Bonaroo, and Bluegrass Bull in the Smarty Jones, he overtook those foes under jockey Eddie Razo Jr. Caleb’s Posse went on to win in 1:43.07, over a track rated good. The race ended at the first wire, or the sixteenth pole, as with all one-mile races at Oaklawn.

Donnie Von Hemel, who trains Caleb’s Posse, said the win answered some distance questions for the horse, who is a son of the sprinter Posse.