BENSALEM, Pa. -- The gate was full for the Grade 3, $300,000 Smarty Jones at Parx Racing on Monday as 14 3-year-olds went to the post in the 1-1/16-mile stakes. But when the gates opened, Paco Lopez quickly turned the race into a one-horse affair as he smoothly put Awesome Slew on the lead from post 14.I used to ride Quarter Horses, you know, Lopez joked after the race.Once Awesome Slew made the front, the race was basically over. He ran his rivals off their feet, held an eight-length lead at the furlong pole, and coasted home under mild urging to win by seven lengths. He paid $23.80 and was timed in 1:42.92.Wild About Deb finished second, four lengths ahead of Seeking the Soul.Awesome Slews performance has been a long time in the making. A son of Awesome Again owned by the Live Oak Plantation of Charlotte Weber, he has had to overcome a lot of adversity for trainer Eddie Plesa Jr., who has made quite clear this summer how highly he thinks of the colt.Awesome Slew came out of a fourth-place finish last year in the Sanford Stakes at Saratoga with an ankle chip, then got very sick over the winter in Florida with colitis. Since recovering, he has had to play catch-up all season.Plesa finally thought he had Awesome Slew at his best for the Haskell Invitational, but the track came up sloppy, and the horse didnt handle it, losing by 32 lengths.Its like you cant keep coming up with excuses, Plesa said. This win is very gratifying. Paco deserves a ton of credit, and so does the horse and my entire crew, especially the head of the team, Charlotte Weber.The Smarty Jones win was especially meaningful, Plesa said, because the race is named after Smarty Jones, whom his brother-in-law John Servis, sent out to win the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness.Awesome Slews win didnt appear to take much out of him, but Plesa said he most likely wouldnt wheel him back in 19 days in the Grade 2, $1 million Pennsylvania Derby.My gut feeling is probably not, Plesa said, but I will listen to him extra hard and see what he tells me. Its a little quick to come back against that caliber of horses.The win capped a big weekend at Parx for Lopez, who on Saturday guided Cathryn Sophia to an easy victory in the $150,000 Princess of Sylmar Stakes for Servis. The race was a prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Cotillion, where Cathryn Sophia is expected to meet the still-undefeated 2-year-old filly champion of 2015, Songbird. 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Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistans Test captain, has expressed confidence in international cricket returning to the country soon, and said it was ironic his teams rise to No. 1 in the ICC rankings had to be accomplished without home-crowd support.The ICC chief executive David Richardson presented Misbah with the Test mace at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday, after Pakistan had risen to No. 1 for the first time since the current Test rankings were introduced in 2003, by virtue of their 2-2 draw in England this summer. Pakistan are the fifth side after Australia, England, India and South Africa to top the ICC Test rankings.There is nothing better than being No. 1 in the Test rankings, Misbah said. Its one of the best days in my life; the happiest day in my cricketing career. And there cant be a better location to receive the ICC Test Championship mace than this ground where we last played a home Test seven years ago. It is ironic for both the players as well as the fans that the journey to the No. 1 position has been outside Pakistan.The players have missed on the crowd support, while the spectators have been unable to watch live some magnificent team and individual performances. But I am confident that things will change and international cricket will soon return to Pakistan.I would like to congratulate everyone who has been part of this achievement and part of this journey; every individual, every coach, every selector who has worked hard for this No. 1 position.The families of the players have really sacrificed a lot too. We have to spend almost six to seven months out of the country without them and thats difficult [for both parties]. Credit should be given to the families. Its a proud moment for all of us and I hope we can go together at the top for a long period.Apart from a visit by Zimbabwe in 2015, no Full Member country has toured Pakistan since March 2009, when gunmen attacked the bus transporting the Sri Lankan team to Gaddafi Stadium on a morning of the Lahore Test.dddddddddddd Since then, Pakistan have had to host their home fixtures at neutral venues, primarily the UAE.Being part of a team that is ranked No.1 in Test cricket is a pinnacle achievement for any cricketer. Pakistan is a deserving recipient of the mace, Richardson said. It is all the more impressive that it has reached the number-one Test ranking despite not being able to play a series in front of its home crowd since March 2009.Today is all about the team, today its all about Misbah. One of the things that makes Pakistan one of the most watchable teams in the world is the fact that theyve got a man for all occasions. Theyve got batsmen who can deal with a tight situation, and on the bowling side, you cant prepare seaming wickets against them because theyve got the seamers to exploit those conditions, left-arm and the right-arm and of course youve got a world class legspinner, so youve got all the ingredients for a top team and we are looking forward to Pakistan if not staying at No. 1 then certainly challenging for good many years to come. A strong Pakistan side is good for international cricket.Pakistan face a challenge to hold on to their No. 1 Test ranking. India, presently No. 2, will displace Pakistan if they beat New Zealand in the upcoming three-Test series at home. Pakistans next Test series is in October against West Indies in the UAE. The team that is No. 1 on April 1, 2017, will receive $ 1 million from the ICC.The next target we have set for ourselves is to finish as the No. 1 Test side at the April 1 cut-off date, Misbah said. It is not going to be easy as we have series against formidable sides like the West Indies, New Zealand and Australia. But instead of getting overawed by our opponents, we need to trust in our abilities, focus on our strengths and try to be as consistent as possible. ' ' '