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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The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015.Kaka sounded out advice from former LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham before joining Orlando City in MLS in 2014. The two players were briefly team-mates when Beckham joined AC Milan on loan in early 2009, shortly before Kaka departed for Real Madrid.The Brazil international signed for Orlando City in 2014 for their maiden MLS season, and admitted Beckham, who now leads the Miami Beckham United ownership group, played an important role in convincing him to move to the United States. David Beckham and Kaka played together briefly in 2009 at AC Milan It was a big decision, Kaka told Sky Sports. I tried to be prepared for that. I spoke to some of the big players that had played here before like Beckham and my question for him was, What is the big difference youve found when you made the move to the MLS?He said the level of the game because we are used to playing the best of the best. When you play Champions League, the level of the game is so high. He told me that was the most difficult thing when you move to MLS. Beckham targets PSG link David Beckham targets Paris St Germain link for MLS franchise When I came to America I tried to live like an American citizen. The first time I moved from Brazil I went Italy and I saw a lot of Brazilians suffering because they were trying to live as a Brazilian in another country.I didnt think that was good so I tried to live as an Italian. That helped me a lot during my time in Italy. Kaka is one of Orlando Citys designated players The 2015 MLS season saw the arrival of two new franchises, Orlando City and New York City FC, with Kakas Florida-based team outperforming their east coast rivals by seven points in the Eastern Conference.Neither side made the MLS Cup Play-offs, but Kaka did secure his place in Orlando City history when he scored the clubs first competitive goal on his league debut against NYC FC.Orlando City kick-off their campaign this year against Real Salt Lake on March 6, and a place in the post-season is Kakas stated goal.I played in three teams and three big teams in Sao Paulo, Real Madrid and AC Milan, he added. Orlando is just a baby team.It started last season in MLS so I wanted to score the first goal for the team in the league. I was so happy when I saw that ball coming in because its part of the history of this club forever. Everybody is going to say the first goal was scored by me. David Villla (left) and Kaka (right) lead out their respective sides For us a good season would be to make the play-offs.dddddddddddd This is our goal for the season. We also want to grow as a franchise but on the field we have to arrive and make the play-offs. However, the thing I want more than anything is to win the MLS Cup. Its a huge goal for me and for my career.Our supporters are very intense. Our average last season was 32,000 so thats a big number. It was a big surprise but they are faithful and they are with us every game. We had a tough period last season when we couldnt win at home, but every time they were with us and supported us. They are awesome. Kaka scored Orlando Citys first goal in MLS Kaka has only played 15 minutes of 2018 World Cup qualification for Brazil, and was most recently part of the national team squad for their 3-0 victory over Peru in November.But he insists he has not called time on his international career, and is eager to help out manager Dunga if required.Its amazing when I can play with Brazil, but now its a different moment of my career, he continued. I spoke with Dunga and told him if he thinks I can give something good for the national team, I still want to go. I think both of us need to be sincere. The 2016 MLS season kicks off this Sunday with Chicago Fire v New York City and Portland Timbers v Columbus Crew live on Sky Sports 1 from 7:05pm. If its good for me then OK, but if its not good I can tell Dunga. That would be the moment I would leave the national team. However, in the short term I think I can give a lot.MLS returns to Sky Sports on Sunday March 6 when Chicago Fire face New York City FC from 7pm and Portland Timbers host Colombus. You can watch both match live on Sky Sports 1 HD. Also See: WATCH: Kakas archery challenge Martins off to China Beckham targets PSG link MLS video ' ' '