Among Five Stakes Worth $500,000 on Christmastide Day Card

LAUREL, MD – John Servis enjoyed some of the finest days of his career with 2004 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) winner Smarty Jones. Now the veteran trainer is enjoying a multiple stakes-winning ride with a son of Smarty Jones.

Main Line Racing and Alexandria Stable’s Someday Jones, already a two-time stakes winner over fellow Pennsylvania-breds, matched the feat against open company with a two-length triumph over Alwaysmining in Saturday’s $100,000 Native Dancer Stakes at Laurel Park.

The 1 1/8-mile Native Dancer for 3-year-olds and up was the third of five stakes worth $500,000 in purses on a nine-race Christmastide Day program that closed out Maryland’s 2019 stakes schedule.

Someday Jones ($7.60) crossed the wire in 1:49.23 over a fast main track for his 10th career victory and the third of five on the day for jockey Trevor McCarthy. He has now earned more than $585,000 from 25 lifetime starts.

Saturday’s win by the 6-year-old Someday Jones came over a solid field that included Alwaysmining, a five-time stakes winner including last year’s Heft; graded-stakes winner Monongahela, trained by Servis’ brother, Jason; and 2017 Maryland Million Classic winner Bonus Points.

“It’s nice that he’s by Smarty. There’s not too many of them out there that are really good and he’s a really good one,” Servis said. “He beat some good horses today.”

The past three Heft winners have been multiple graded-stakes winning Irish War Cry; Diamond King, also trained by John Servis; and Alwaysmining. Both Diamond King and Alwaysmining went on to run in the Preakness Stakes (G1), the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.

In the Native Dancer, McCarthy and Someday Jones found themselves racing in fourth as shipper Major Cabbie established the early lead through a quarter-mile in 24.18 seconds and a half in 47.94, with Monongahela on his right flank and Alwaysmining another path out. The top three maintained their position after going six furlongs in 1:11.91 when Someday Jones took aim at the trio nearing the quarter pole, angled to the far outside once straightened for home and ran down Alwaysmining in the final sixteenth of a mile.

Alwaysmining, making his second start off a five-month layoff, was a decisive second by 2 ¾ lengths over Monongahela. It was another half-length back to Bonus Points in fourth, with Stadium and Major Cabbie completing the order of finish.

Someday Jones avenged a three-length loss when second to Monongahela in their previous meeting, the 1 1/16-mile Swatara Stakes Nov. 27 at Parx. It was just the second time racing at Laurel for Someday Jones, who ran seventh in the Fire Plug Stakes to open his 2018 campaign.

“My brother’s horse beat him last time but he got left just completely flat-footed and made up a lot of ground,” Servis said. “After looking at this race, I thought it might set up a little better for him with the speed. He got away good and Trevor rode him perfect. At the head of the lane, I knew he was going to be tough. I know the horse he beat is a solid horse from last year, when he got really good. It looks like he’s starting to get good again. My horse ran great. He’s been such a good horse for us.”