Kentucky Derby trail: Look for Smarty Hardy at Oaklawn

Saying that Smarty Hardy is headed for Kentucky Derby 2026 might be a little strong at this point.

After all, even his owner didn’t know the gelding was included in Caesars Sportsbook’s Derby futures, where he opened at 66-1.

“Ain’t that something,” Don Hansen said when told.

“We've had so many offers to get him bought, but we're going to keep him. I just haven't thought about it. I didn't know there was any talking about the Kentucky Derby or any of the other races. …

“Maybe I'd better talk to my wife and start thinking about it and see what we're going to do with him.”

Smarty Hardy is a son Stroll out of of Smarty Party, a Smarty Jones mare also owned by Hansen. He’s 3-for-3 for Hansen and trainer Todd Jordan, with all his starts at Prairie Meadows. He had a chance to go 4-for-4 but was scratched from a start last month after he flipped over in the paddock, Jordan said.

Now he’s getting a break ahead of a 3-year-old campaign that will begin at Oaklawn.

“I just thought he was too young to start battling those bigger horses and stuff,” Hansen said. “I just thought we better give him a little break. I think it really worked for him. I mean, he's happy and he's looking really good.”

Jordan isn’t shying away from the Derby trail.

“I think he fits in with the big boys,” the Iowa-based trainer said. “I think he needs to come to Hot Springs. I think he's good. He ain't been tested yet, really.”

Smarty Hardy has “got a brain on him, and he's quiet and he's calm,” Hansen said. “I took him back out to (breeder Dave) Anderson's, where he was born. Anyway, he came right over out of the round pen, put his head on my shoulder, and we had a good visit.”

Hansen said he’s never had a horse with a 3-for-3 start, but he did have a gelding named Dark Magic who put together three- and four-win streaks.

“He put one kid through college, I'll tell you that.”