2017 Smarty Jones Stakes Preview, Entries & Odds

OffTrackBetting.com - Parx Racing in Bensalem, Pennsylvania will host the G3 Smarty Jones Stakes on Monday, September 4. A purse of $300,000 will be on the line for horses three years old willing to race 1 1/16 miles on Parx's dirt track.

A field of seven will take to the track in the Smarty Jones Stakes - race 8 on Parx's Holiday Monday cared. Post time is 4:42 PM. Here is a look into the past performances of all eight entries for this competitive G3 stakes.

2017 Smarty Jones Stakes Entries at Parx Racing

Battalion Runner 2-1

Up and coming Todd Pletcher trained colt has two wins, two seconds and a third-place finish place finishes in five career starts. He made his stakes debut April 8 and finished a good second ahead of Cloud Computing in the G2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and followed that with an OK third last time out in the G3 Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park July 8. Before those results was a two-race win streak - an Allowance Optional Claiming by 1 1/4 lengths February 3 and a maiden score by 8 3/4 lengths December 31 -both at Gulfstream Park. He was second in his debut at Belmont Park in June. Battalion Runner has been seriously tending upward ahead of this weekend and will try to keep the roll going with Javier Castellano in the saddle of the morning line favorite from post 3.

Hence 7-2

Steve Asmussen trained colt has three wins, a second and a third-place finish in his 10 career starts. Last time out was a disappointing seventh in the G1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park July 30 after a nice last-to-first win in the G3 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadow July 7, a ninth in the Preakness Stakes May 20, a pedestrian eleventh in the G1 Kentucky Derby May 6 and a nice upset 3 3/4 length win in the G3 Sunland Derby March 26. Hence has been hot-or-miss so far in his career and has placed in just two of his last five starts overall - those were graded stakes wins however. Ricardo Santana will be in the reins of the slight second choice Monday as Hence attempts a huge bounceback off an unfaltering effort.

Bet Parx Racing Horse Racing with OffTrackBetting.com

Pavel 9-2

Lightly raced Doug O'Neill trained colt has just two career starts with one win. Last time out was an OK fourth in his stakes debut - also ahead of Cloud Computing in the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga July 29. He won his debut by 4 1/2 lengths at Santa Anita July 1. Pavel tries to bounce back off an underwhelming effort when he leaves from gate 4 with Mario Gutierrez guiding the third betting choice.

Colonelsdarktemper 5-1

William Fires trained colt has hit the board in six of eight career starts - three wins, two seconds and a third-place finish. He enters off his career-best effort - a win in the G3 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer August 5 which followed consecutive runner-up finishes - behind Irap in the G3 Indiana Derby July 15 and behind McCraken in the G3 Matt Winn Stakes at Churchill Downs June 17. Before that was an Allowance score at Churchill Downs May 29, an eighth in the G3 Pat Day Mile on that track May 6 and a fourth in the minor Northern Spur Stakes at Oaklawn Park in April. Colonelsdarktemper has certainly been improving ahead of this weekend, has posted two bullet works of :58.80 for five furlongs and :47.60 for a half-mile in the leadup to this weekend and hopes to build on three really nice efforts from gate 2. Jon Kenton Court gets the call on this intriguing 5-1 shot.

You're to Blame 6-1

Chad Brown trained colt has two wins, two seconds and a third-place finish in nine career starts. He enters off a fourth in the minor Curlin Stakes at Saratoga July 28, an OK second behind the very good West Coast in the listed Easy Goer Stakes at Belmont Park June 10, a fourth in the G3 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs May 6 and a third in the G3 Bay Shore Stakes at Aqueduct August 8. Before that was an Allowance Optional Claiming score on this track in February and a fifth in the G2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct in November. You're to Blame has been OK so far in his career but has yet to post a stakes win. Jockey Paco Lopez hopes to change all of that from the rail.

Bonus Points 8-1

Has 12 career starts with two wins, three seconds and two third place finishes for trainer Todd Pletcher. He enters off a disappointing ninth in the G2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes at Saratoga August 4 which followed an OK second in the minor Caveat Stakes at Laurel Park July 15, an ugly eighth in the G2 Penn Mile June 3, a nice win in the minor Parx Derby May 6, a fifth in the G2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct April 8, a fourth in the G3 Withers Stakes on that track February 4 and consecutive runner-up finishes - in the G3 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct in his graded stakes debut January 2 and the restricted Maryland Juvenile Futurity at Laurel Park December 10. Bonus Points has been a tad inconsistent in his career and chases his first graded stakes score in his sixth try from post 5. Kendrick Carmouche has the mount.

Talk Logistics 10-1

Has nine career starts for trainer Edward Plesa with a win, four seconds and a third-place finish. He enters on the heels of three straight runner-up finishes - the listed Long Branch Stakes last time out July 8, the G3 Pegasus Stakes June 18 and an Allowance Optional Claiming May 13 - all at Monmouth Park. Before that was a sixth in the G1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream April 1 and consecutive fourths - beaten by a combined 26 1/2 lengths in those races - in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes March 4 and in the G2 Holy Bull Stakes February 4 - both at Gulfstream. Talk Logistics hasn't been afraid of top company, has been just OK so far in his career and will be out to snap his string of seconds from the outside post 7 Monday. Frankie Pennington will be in the irons.

2017 Smarty Jones Stakes Odds & Entries

Race 8 on Parx Racing's Monday card with a Post Time of 4:42 PM.