Smarty Jones
Encyclopedia
Smarty Jones is a thoroughbred
race horse, and winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby
and Preakness Stakes
. He finished second in the Belmont Stakes
that took place on June 5th, 2004.
He is a third-generation descendant of Mr. Prospector
, and as such Smarty Jones is related to many recent Triple Crown
hopefuls including Funny Cide
, Afleet Alex
and Fusaichi Pegasus
. Also included in Smarty Jones' pedigree are Triple Crown winners Secretariat
and Count Fleet
, and such other Triple Crown race winners as Northern Dancer
, Foolish Pleasure
and the mighty Man o' War
, who is considered #1 on the list of Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
. His dam was I'll Get Along
. Only eleven horses have won all three races for the Triple Crown. The last winner was Affirmed
in 1978.
, the horse was named after Milly "Smarty Jones" McNair, the mother of co-owner Pat Chapman. The two shared a birthday, and Mrs. Chapman wanted to honor her late mother. She said the horse was a strong-willed actor from birth and her mother too was a bit of a smart aleck as a child who had gotten the nickname "Smarty."
Pat Chapman and her husband, Roy "Chappy" Chapman, had originally hired Bobby Camac
to be Smarty Jones' trainer, but in December 2001, Camac and his wife were murdered by Camac's stepson, Wade Russell, who was eventually convicted and sentenced to 28 years in prison. "It was a total shock, numbing," Roy Chapman is quoted saying, "We didn't know what to do next." This tragedy, combined with Roy Chapman's failing health, resulted in the Chapmans' decision to disband their small breeding operation, retaining only two of their horses. One of these was Smarty Jones, the product of a breeding between their winningest horse, the mare I'll Get Along
, and the stallion Elusive Quality
. Despite these influences, his Dosage Index of 3.40 suggested that he is capable of competing in the classics. In 2002, Smarty Jones was sent to Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Florida, to prepare for racing.
for training. They sold the Someday Farm property and moved into a smaller home, training only four horses. On July 27, 2003, Servis was schooling Smarty at the starting gate, when the colt spooked, reared up, and smashed his head on the top of the gate. He fell to the ground unconscious, blood pouring from his nostrils. Servis thought the horse was dead, but Smarty regained consciousness and was treated by Dr. Dan Hanf, who stopped the hemorrhaging and treated him for shock. After the bleeding stopped, Smarty's head began to swell from the middle of his forehead over to his left eye. Dr. Hanf and assistant trainer Maureen Donnelly kept watch on the colt and kept him at the barn overnight. Hanf had seen the eye before the swelling and was confident the eye itself was not damaged, but knew the horse must have sustained a fracture due to the excessive swelling. The colt was sent the next day, July 28, 2003, to the New Jersey
Equine Clinic for x-rays. There he was diagnosed with a fractured skull. The bones around his left eye were so badly damaged that the veterinarians thought they might have to remove the eye. Smarty Jones overcame his injuries after three weeks in the hospital, and spent more than a month recuperating on the farm. It seems ironic now that two of the other entrants in Saturday's Kentucky Derby were lacking sight in one eye and Smarty Jones could have been the third.
John Servis carefully led him back into training and by early November 2003, the colt had recovered completely and was ready to make his racing debut at nearby Philadelphia Park (now known as Parx Racing and Casino
), a racetrack in Bensalem, Pennsylvania
, a suburb of Philadelphia. Canadian
-born jockey
, Stewart Elliott
was hired to ride Smarty Jones initially for the Bensalem race, but took over a more permanent position when the horse began his famous winning spree. Elliot was beyond qualified to race Smarty Jones with a record of 3,300 overall horse racing wins in his career. Born from a well known jockey father, Elliott was born with natural talent. Elliott, Smarty Jones won the six furlong
0.75 miles (1.2 km) race by 7¾ lengths. Two weeks later, the horse ran away from the field to capture the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes by 15 lengths. At that point, the owners, the trainer, and the jockey were convinced that they had an extraordinary horse on their hands.
In January 2004, now racing as a three-year old, Smarty Jones was given his first major test against a quality field of horses in the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack
in New York
. In the home stretch, the colt pulled away from the field to win by 5 lengths. Realising that the Kentucky Derby was a real possibility, trainer John Servis chose to bring the horse along carefully and not push him before he was ready. In February, they shipped Smarty Jones to Oaklawn Park racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas
, where he won the Southwest Stakes
, the Rebel Stakes
and the important Arkansas Derby
. Despite being unbeaten in six races, Smarty Jones was nevertheless not rated as the morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Derby because racing experts believed he had not been truly tested. However, he did go off as the slight post-time favorite.
On May 1, 2004, Smarty Jones became the first unbeaten Kentucky Derby winner since Seattle Slew
in 1977. John Servis and Stewart Elliott became the first combination in 25 years to win the Kentucky Derby in their debut appearance. Smarty Jones won the most prestigious horse race in North America by 2¾ lengths, earning $854,800 for the Chapmans, along with a bonus of $5 million from Oaklawn Park
for having swept the Rebel Stakes
, the Arkansas Derby
, and the Kentucky Derby
. He also joined Lil E. Tee (1992 Derby winner) as the only Pennsylvania bred horses to win the Kentucky Derby in history. Smarty Jones' year, 2004, was also the 100th anniversary of the Triple Crown races.
On May 15, after gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated
, Smarty Jones won the second leg of the Triple Crown
with a victory at the 2004 Preakness Stakes
by a record margin of 11½ lengths. The victory set off a frenzy of excitement for the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing in the Philadelphia area.
After his Preakness victory, Smarty Jones' popularity increased and he became, arguably, the #1 fan favorite to aspire to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed
won it in 1978. Smarty Jones is the 10th horse since Affirmed to win both the Derby and the Preakness Smarty Jones' popularity increased the attendance of the races by 17,000 people and caused the highest television ratings in 14 years. Breeders made offers for the breeding rights to Smarty Jones, with the offers going as high as 40 to 50 million dollars. However, on June 5, 2004, Smarty Jones finished a heartbreaking second in the Belmont Stakes
, being upset in a late charge by the 36-1 long shot Birdstone
. Speculation arose that the loss was a result of Elliott allowing Smarty Jones to assume the lead too early. However, neither John Servis nor the Chapmans ever blamed the jockey (it was held that a careful viewing of the race video revealed that Elliott had a tight hold on the reins). In addition, careful study of the race video replays provoked accusations of unethical racing by two of the jockeys, Jerry Bailey
who rode Eddington and Alex Solis atop Rock Hard Ten, who "rode not to win"--that is, they specifically colluded to deny Smarty Jones the victory, rather than to win for themselves. Others pointed to Smarty Jones' relatively unfavorable 3.40 Dosage Index
as being a portent of his inability to successfully negotiate the 1½-mile Belmont distance (Birdstone's Dosage Index was 1.77; the lower the Dosage number, supposedly the better suited a horse is to longer races). Nonetheless, it was an impressive performance as Smarty Jones completed the first mile and a quarter of the race in a time that would have won all but three Kentucky Derbies in history and still nearly hung on for the win, 8 lengths ahead of the third place finisher.
And the 120,139 in attendance at Belmont Park that day marked the largest crowd ever to see a sporting event in New York
.
Smarty Jones carried a record high $59,000,000 betting pool for the Preakness Stakes, which only doubled in amount during the Belmont Stakes
The Belmont was Smarty Jones' only loss out of nine starts. He was defeated by Birdstone who was an underdog with 36-1 odds. Many speculated against Smarty Jones' distance abilities. Among the most brilliantly fast 2 and 3 year olds of recent years, the 1 1/2 mile distance of the Belmont might have proven too far for his miler/sprinter pedigree. Unable to relax as he had done in the Derby and Preakness, he set a blistering pace on the front end. Regally-bred Birdstone, with a more distance-favoring pedigree, rallied from well off the pace, and for the first time in his career Smarty Jones was passed in a race. In many ways, his career mirrored that of Majestic Prince
, who fell short of winning the 1969 Triple Crown. Both horses entered the Belmont undefeated, finished second, and never raced again. Although, in Smarty Jones' case, there was a conspiracy that two other jockeys competing in the Belmont in 2004 "rode not to win", but to deny Smarty Jones the triple crown title. In horse racing, this behavior is not illegal, but it is definitely frowned upon.
Smarty Jones was voted the 2004 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Male Horse.
Quote by Smarty Jones' stable foreman, "Big Bill" Foster: "Number one in horse racing, you have to have the horse. Number two, you have to know what to do with the horse once you have him. A lot of people in this business have a lot of horses, and never made it because they broke them down. It happens a lot. Mismanaged. Mistrained. All because people want to be in the limelight. Which is where we're different. We don't want to be in the limelight."
Smarty Jones stood at stud at Three Chimneys Farm
in Midway, Kentucky
, and at one point occupied the same stall that housed Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew
throughout his stud career until his death in 2002. "Derby winners, down on the farm"] Thoroughbred Times, Rosenberg, Dan (at thoroughbredtimes.com) Midway is also famous for once being the home of Nantura Stock Farm, where some of the first of America's great racehorses stood, among them the great Lexington
and Glencoe, and where several were born, including Ten Broeck
and Longfellow
. Smarty Jones' first foals were born in 2006, and began racing in 2008. His best runner to date is Backtalk, winner of the 2009 GIII Bashford Manor Stakes
at Churchill Downs and GII Sanford Stakes
at Saratoga Racecourse.
In 2010 Smarty Jones was moved from Three Chimneys to Ghost Ridge Farms in Felton, PA. Here he joins E. Dubai, Grand Reward, Greatness, and Jump Start for the 2011 breeding season. Ghost Ridge Farms is one of the leading stallion stations in Pennsylvania. Smarty Jones also sired leading runners: Backtalk, Gilded Gem, Rogue Romance, Japanese record holder Keiai Gerbera, Kiddari, La Equivocada, Sara Cataldo, Be Smart, Smart Coco, and Rescue Plan.
He now has an early Kentucky Derby prep at Oaklawn named in his honor, the Smarty Jones Stakes, as well as an Labor Day
race at Parx Racing and Casino which was inaugurated in 2010 as a replacement for the Pennsylvania Derby
, which moved to the final Saturday in September. In addition, a statue will stand at Parx in his honor.
For the 2011 breeding season, Smarty Jones will be relocated to Tarry Bratton’s Ghost Ridge Farms near Felton, Pennsylvania and will ship to Uruguay for the Southern Hemisphere season. Smarty Jones, whose 2011 fee is $10,000, is ranked 15th nationally on this year’s leading sires’ list. His 3-year-old son Rogue Romance is favored in the $300,000 Risen Star Stakes (gr. II) at Fair Grounds February 19th, 2011.
Read more: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/61411/smarty-jones-to-shuttle-to-uruguay#ixzz1K1t6EPxm
Read more: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/61411/smarty-jones-to-shuttle-to-uruguay#ixzz1K1slwUrq
Overall record (Starts-1st-2nd-3rd) - 9-8-1-0
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
race horse, and winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
and Preakness Stakes
Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
. He finished second in the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
that took place on June 5th, 2004.
He is a third-generation descendant of Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector
Mr. Prospector was a thoroughbred racehorse foaled in Kentucky, whose descendants have been dominant in the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing. He won half of his 14 career races.-Background:...
, and as such Smarty Jones is related to many recent Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
hopefuls including Funny Cide
Funny Cide
Funny Cide is a Thoroughbred race horse who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 2003. He is the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby and the first gelding to win since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.-Bloodlines:...
, Afleet Alex
Afleet Alex
Afleet Alex is an American thoroughbred race horse who, in 2005, won two of America's classic races, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes...
and Fusaichi Pegasus
Fusaichi Pegasus
Fusaichi Pegasus was purchased as a yearling for $4 million by Fusao Sekiguchi. His name is a combination of his owner's name, "Fusao," and the Japanese word for one, "ichi," to mean #1 or the best. The second half is the winged horse of Greek mythology. Fusaichi Pegasus won the Kentucky Derby...
. Also included in Smarty Jones' pedigree are Triple Crown winners Secretariat
Secretariat (horse)
Secretariat was an American Thoroughbred racehorse, that in 1973 became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years, setting new race records in two of the three events in the Series—the Kentucky Derby , and the Belmont Stakes —records that still stand today.Secretariat was sired by Bold...
and Count Fleet
Count Fleet
Count Fleet was born and died at Stoner Creek Stud farm in Paris, Kentucky, United States. He was a Thoroughbred racehorse and Triple Crown champion in 1943....
, and such other Triple Crown race winners as Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer
Northern Dancer was a Canadian-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and the most successful sire of the 20th Century. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association calls him "one of the most influential sires in Thoroughbred history"....
, Foolish Pleasure
Foolish Pleasure
Foolish Pleasure is an American bay thoroughbred race horse who was born in Williston, Florida. He was one of the top three three-year-old colts of his time....
and the mighty Man o' War
Man O' War (horse)
Man o' War, is considered one of the greatest Thoroughbred racehorses of all time. During his career just after World War I, he won 20 of 21 races and $249,465 in purses....
, who is considered #1 on the list of Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S. Racehorses of the 20th Century
In 1999, a panel for The Blood-Horse magazine was made up of distinguished horse racing people: Howard Battle, Lenny Hale, Jay Hovdey, William Nack, Pete Pedersen, Jennie Rees and Tommy Trotter. These experts compiled a list of what they considered to be the top 100 United States thoroughbred...
. His dam was I'll Get Along
I'll Get Along
I'll Get Along is a Thoroughbred Filly racehorse by Champion Sprinter Smile and out of the stakes winning Foolish Pleasure mare Don't Worry Bout Me, tracing tail female to the mother of all blue hens, La Troienne...
. Only eleven horses have won all three races for the Triple Crown. The last winner was Affirmed
Affirmed
Affirmed was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the eleventh and most recent winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing...
in 1978.
History
Born at Fairthorne Farm in Chester County, PennsylvaniaChester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
, the horse was named after Milly "Smarty Jones" McNair, the mother of co-owner Pat Chapman. The two shared a birthday, and Mrs. Chapman wanted to honor her late mother. She said the horse was a strong-willed actor from birth and her mother too was a bit of a smart aleck as a child who had gotten the nickname "Smarty."
Pat Chapman and her husband, Roy "Chappy" Chapman, had originally hired Bobby Camac
Robert W. Camac
Robert W. Camac was an American horse trainer and owner/breeder in Thoroughbred racing. He was murdered in 2001....
to be Smarty Jones' trainer, but in December 2001, Camac and his wife were murdered by Camac's stepson, Wade Russell, who was eventually convicted and sentenced to 28 years in prison. "It was a total shock, numbing," Roy Chapman is quoted saying, "We didn't know what to do next." This tragedy, combined with Roy Chapman's failing health, resulted in the Chapmans' decision to disband their small breeding operation, retaining only two of their horses. One of these was Smarty Jones, the product of a breeding between their winningest horse, the mare I'll Get Along
I'll Get Along
I'll Get Along is a Thoroughbred Filly racehorse by Champion Sprinter Smile and out of the stakes winning Foolish Pleasure mare Don't Worry Bout Me, tracing tail female to the mother of all blue hens, La Troienne...
, and the stallion Elusive Quality
Elusive Quality
Elusive Quality is a thoroughbred racehorse.Elusive Quality stands at stud at Darley America's Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. He raced in the colours of Darley's principal, Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum. Prior to standing at Darley America he stood at Gainsborough Farm in Versailles, Kentucky...
. Despite these influences, his Dosage Index of 3.40 suggested that he is capable of competing in the classics. In 2002, Smarty Jones was sent to Bridlewood Farm in Ocala, Florida, to prepare for racing.
Winning spree
In 2003, the Chapmans gave Smarty Jones to John ServisJohn Servis
John C. Servis is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer who was a relative unknown until May 2004 when his horse Smarty Jones won the Kentucky Derby. The colt then went on to win the Preakness Stakes further increasing Servis' reputation...
for training. They sold the Someday Farm property and moved into a smaller home, training only four horses. On July 27, 2003, Servis was schooling Smarty at the starting gate, when the colt spooked, reared up, and smashed his head on the top of the gate. He fell to the ground unconscious, blood pouring from his nostrils. Servis thought the horse was dead, but Smarty regained consciousness and was treated by Dr. Dan Hanf, who stopped the hemorrhaging and treated him for shock. After the bleeding stopped, Smarty's head began to swell from the middle of his forehead over to his left eye. Dr. Hanf and assistant trainer Maureen Donnelly kept watch on the colt and kept him at the barn overnight. Hanf had seen the eye before the swelling and was confident the eye itself was not damaged, but knew the horse must have sustained a fracture due to the excessive swelling. The colt was sent the next day, July 28, 2003, to the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
Equine Clinic for x-rays. There he was diagnosed with a fractured skull. The bones around his left eye were so badly damaged that the veterinarians thought they might have to remove the eye. Smarty Jones overcame his injuries after three weeks in the hospital, and spent more than a month recuperating on the farm. It seems ironic now that two of the other entrants in Saturday's Kentucky Derby were lacking sight in one eye and Smarty Jones could have been the third.
John Servis carefully led him back into training and by early November 2003, the colt had recovered completely and was ready to make his racing debut at nearby Philadelphia Park (now known as Parx Racing and Casino
Philadelphia Park Racetrack
Parx Racing and Casino is a thoroughbred horse racetrack and racino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. It currently houses 3,300 slot machines.-History:...
), a racetrack in Bensalem, Pennsylvania
Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania
Bensalem Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States which borders the northeast section of Philadelphia. The township is composed of many communities, including Bensalem, Trevose, Oakford, Cornwells Heights, Eddington, and Andalusia...
, a suburb of Philadelphia. Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
-born jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
, Stewart Elliott
Stewart Elliott
Stewart Elliott is an American thoroughbred jockey.Elliott grew up in horse racing; his father was a jockey for many years, his mother rode show horses and was a riding instructor, and his uncle owns a racing stable in Canada...
was hired to ride Smarty Jones initially for the Bensalem race, but took over a more permanent position when the horse began his famous winning spree. Elliot was beyond qualified to race Smarty Jones with a record of 3,300 overall horse racing wins in his career. Born from a well known jockey father, Elliott was born with natural talent. Elliott, Smarty Jones won the six furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
0.75 miles (1.2 km) race by 7¾ lengths. Two weeks later, the horse ran away from the field to capture the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes by 15 lengths. At that point, the owners, the trainer, and the jockey were convinced that they had an extraordinary horse on their hands.
In January 2004, now racing as a three-year old, Smarty Jones was given his first major test against a quality field of horses in the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack
Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In the home stretch, the colt pulled away from the field to win by 5 lengths. Realising that the Kentucky Derby was a real possibility, trainer John Servis chose to bring the horse along carefully and not push him before he was ready. In February, they shipped Smarty Jones to Oaklawn Park racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is the 10th most populous city in the U.S. state of Arkansas, the county seat of Garland County, and the principal city of the Hot Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area encompassing all of Garland County...
, where he won the Southwest Stakes
Southwest Stakes
The Southwest Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas in mid February during the President's Day weekend. The race is open to three-year-old horses willing to race one mile on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
, the Rebel Stakes
Rebel Stakes
The Rebel Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race held annually in March at Oaklawn Park racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Open to three-year-old horses, it is raced on dirt over a distance of 11/16 miles...
and the important Arkansas Derby
Arkansas Derby
The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
. Despite being unbeaten in six races, Smarty Jones was nevertheless not rated as the morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Derby because racing experts believed he had not been truly tested. However, he did go off as the slight post-time favorite.
On May 1, 2004, Smarty Jones became the first unbeaten Kentucky Derby winner since Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...
in 1977. John Servis and Stewart Elliott became the first combination in 25 years to win the Kentucky Derby in their debut appearance. Smarty Jones won the most prestigious horse race in North America by 2¾ lengths, earning $854,800 for the Chapmans, along with a bonus of $5 million from Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park
Oaklawn Park is an American thoroughbred racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to The Racing Festival of the South.In 2009, the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for 65 Thoroughbred racetracks in North America. Of the top Ten, Oaklawn was ranked...
for having swept the Rebel Stakes
Rebel Stakes
The Rebel Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race held annually in March at Oaklawn Park racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Open to three-year-old horses, it is raced on dirt over a distance of 11/16 miles...
, the Arkansas Derby
Arkansas Derby
The Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
, and the Kentucky Derby
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
. He also joined Lil E. Tee (1992 Derby winner) as the only Pennsylvania bred horses to win the Kentucky Derby in history. Smarty Jones' year, 2004, was also the 100th anniversary of the Triple Crown races.
On May 15, after gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
, Smarty Jones won the second leg of the Triple Crown
Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
The Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
with a victory at the 2004 Preakness Stakes
2004 Preakness Stakes
The 2004 Preakness Stakes was the 129th running of the Preakness Stakes. The race took place on May 15, 2004, and was televised in the United States on the NBC television network. Smarty Jones, who was jockeyed by Stewart Elliott, won the race. Approximate post time was 6:25 p.m. Eastern Time...
by a record margin of 11½ lengths. The victory set off a frenzy of excitement for the sport of Thoroughbred horse racing in the Philadelphia area.
After his Preakness victory, Smarty Jones' popularity increased and he became, arguably, the #1 fan favorite to aspire to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed
Affirmed
Affirmed was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the eleventh and most recent winner of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing...
won it in 1978. Smarty Jones is the 10th horse since Affirmed to win both the Derby and the Preakness Smarty Jones' popularity increased the attendance of the races by 17,000 people and caused the highest television ratings in 14 years. Breeders made offers for the breeding rights to Smarty Jones, with the offers going as high as 40 to 50 million dollars. However, on June 5, 2004, Smarty Jones finished a heartbreaking second in the Belmont Stakes
Belmont Stakes
The Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
, being upset in a late charge by the 36-1 long shot Birdstone
Birdstone
Birdstone is an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2004 Belmont Stakes and is gaining notoriety as a fantastic sire....
. Speculation arose that the loss was a result of Elliott allowing Smarty Jones to assume the lead too early. However, neither John Servis nor the Chapmans ever blamed the jockey (it was held that a careful viewing of the race video revealed that Elliott had a tight hold on the reins). In addition, careful study of the race video replays provoked accusations of unethical racing by two of the jockeys, Jerry Bailey
Jerry Bailey
Jerry D. Bailey is a retired American Hall of Fame jockey. He began his racing career in November 1974. His first mount was on a horse named Pegged Rate, who ran off the board. He notched his first career win the next day on his second career mount, Fetch, at New Mexico's Sunland Park, and has...
who rode Eddington and Alex Solis atop Rock Hard Ten, who "rode not to win"--that is, they specifically colluded to deny Smarty Jones the victory, rather than to win for themselves. Others pointed to Smarty Jones' relatively unfavorable 3.40 Dosage Index
Dosage Index
The Dosage Index is a mathematical figure used by breeders of Thoroughbred race horses, and sometimes by bettors handicapping horse races, to quantify a horse's ability, or inability, to negotiate the various distances at which horse races are run...
as being a portent of his inability to successfully negotiate the 1½-mile Belmont distance (Birdstone's Dosage Index was 1.77; the lower the Dosage number, supposedly the better suited a horse is to longer races). Nonetheless, it was an impressive performance as Smarty Jones completed the first mile and a quarter of the race in a time that would have won all but three Kentucky Derbies in history and still nearly hung on for the win, 8 lengths ahead of the third place finisher.
And the 120,139 in attendance at Belmont Park that day marked the largest crowd ever to see a sporting event in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Smarty Jones carried a record high $59,000,000 betting pool for the Preakness Stakes, which only doubled in amount during the Belmont Stakes
The Belmont was Smarty Jones' only loss out of nine starts. He was defeated by Birdstone who was an underdog with 36-1 odds. Many speculated against Smarty Jones' distance abilities. Among the most brilliantly fast 2 and 3 year olds of recent years, the 1 1/2 mile distance of the Belmont might have proven too far for his miler/sprinter pedigree. Unable to relax as he had done in the Derby and Preakness, he set a blistering pace on the front end. Regally-bred Birdstone, with a more distance-favoring pedigree, rallied from well off the pace, and for the first time in his career Smarty Jones was passed in a race. In many ways, his career mirrored that of Majestic Prince
Majestic Prince
Majestic Prince was a Thoroughbred racehorse purchased by Calgary, Alberta oilman Frank McMahon at the Keeneland yearling sale in September 1967 for a then record price of $250,000...
, who fell short of winning the 1969 Triple Crown. Both horses entered the Belmont undefeated, finished second, and never raced again. Although, in Smarty Jones' case, there was a conspiracy that two other jockeys competing in the Belmont in 2004 "rode not to win", but to deny Smarty Jones the triple crown title. In horse racing, this behavior is not illegal, but it is definitely frowned upon.
Smarty Jones was voted the 2004 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Male Horse.
Quote by Smarty Jones' stable foreman, "Big Bill" Foster: "Number one in horse racing, you have to have the horse. Number two, you have to know what to do with the horse once you have him. A lot of people in this business have a lot of horses, and never made it because they broke them down. It happens a lot. Mismanaged. Mistrained. All because people want to be in the limelight. Which is where we're different. We don't want to be in the limelight."
Retirement
The end of his racing career was announced August 2, 2004 due to chronic bruising of his ankle bones. He finished his career with 8 wins and one place in nine starts, earning $2,613,155. He also earned an addition $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park. His total earnings were $7,613,155.Smarty Jones stood at stud at Three Chimneys Farm
Three Chimneys Farm
Three Chimneys Farm is an American thoroughbred race horse breeding farm in Midway, Kentucky established in 1972 by Mr. & Mrs. Robert N. Clay. Widely known as one of the world's preeminent horse farms, Three Chimneys has been home to a number of famous horses including U.S. Triple Crown champion...
in Midway, Kentucky
Midway, Kentucky
Midway is a city in Woodford County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 1,620 at the 2000 census. It is located midway between Frankfort and Lexington along the single-track railroad between them. It is part of the Lexington-Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town is home to a...
, and at one point occupied the same stall that housed Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew was an American Thoroughbred race horse who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing in 1977, the tenth of eleven horses to accomplish the feat. He remains the only horse to win the Triple Crown while undefeated. In the Blood-Horse magazine List of the Top 100 U.S...
throughout his stud career until his death in 2002. "Derby winners, down on the farm"] Thoroughbred Times, Rosenberg, Dan (at thoroughbredtimes.com) Midway is also famous for once being the home of Nantura Stock Farm, where some of the first of America's great racehorses stood, among them the great Lexington
Lexington (horse)
Lexington was a United States Thoroughbred race horse who won six of his seven race starts. Perhaps his greatest fame came however as the most successful sire of the second half of the nineteenth century; he was the Leading sire in North America 16 times, and of his many brood mare and racer...
and Glencoe, and where several were born, including Ten Broeck
Ten Broeck
Ten Broeck was an American U.S. Racing Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse whose 1878 match race win in Louisville against the great California mare, Mollie McCarty was immortalized in the Kentucky folk song commonly called Molly and Tenbrooks.Bred by John Harper at his farm near Midway,...
and Longfellow
Longfellow (horse)
Longfellow was one of America's first great Thoroughbred racehorses and the sire of great racehorses. A legend in his own time, he was out of the first crop of the outstanding imported English stallion Leamington....
. Smarty Jones' first foals were born in 2006, and began racing in 2008. His best runner to date is Backtalk, winner of the 2009 GIII Bashford Manor Stakes
Bashford Manor Stakes
The Bashford Manor Stakes is a six furlong sprint for two-year-old thoroughbred horses run each year during the Spring meet at Churchill Downs. It is a Grade III race on the dirt and offers a purse of $150,000, . It was named in honor of the Bashford Manor Stable owned by George J...
at Churchill Downs and GII Sanford Stakes
Sanford Stakes
The Sanford Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually during the third week of July at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York. A six furlong sprint race, the Grade II event is open to two-year-old horses....
at Saratoga Racecourse.
In 2010 Smarty Jones was moved from Three Chimneys to Ghost Ridge Farms in Felton, PA. Here he joins E. Dubai, Grand Reward, Greatness, and Jump Start for the 2011 breeding season. Ghost Ridge Farms is one of the leading stallion stations in Pennsylvania. Smarty Jones also sired leading runners: Backtalk, Gilded Gem, Rogue Romance, Japanese record holder Keiai Gerbera, Kiddari, La Equivocada, Sara Cataldo, Be Smart, Smart Coco, and Rescue Plan.
He now has an early Kentucky Derby prep at Oaklawn named in his honor, the Smarty Jones Stakes, as well as an Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
race at Parx Racing and Casino which was inaugurated in 2010 as a replacement for the Pennsylvania Derby
Pennsylvania Derby
The Pennsylvania Derby is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Parx Racing and Casino each year. The track's premiere event is open to horses, age three, willing to race on the dirt and as of 2007, offers a purse of $1 million...
, which moved to the final Saturday in September. In addition, a statue will stand at Parx in his honor.
For the 2011 breeding season, Smarty Jones will be relocated to Tarry Bratton’s Ghost Ridge Farms near Felton, Pennsylvania and will ship to Uruguay for the Southern Hemisphere season. Smarty Jones, whose 2011 fee is $10,000, is ranked 15th nationally on this year’s leading sires’ list. His 3-year-old son Rogue Romance is favored in the $300,000 Risen Star Stakes (gr. II) at Fair Grounds February 19th, 2011.
Read more: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/61411/smarty-jones-to-shuttle-to-uruguay#ixzz1K1t6EPxm
Read more: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/61411/smarty-jones-to-shuttle-to-uruguay#ixzz1K1slwUrq
Racing record
- 1st - MAIDEN TWO-YEAR-OLDS, Philadelphia Park, November 9, 2003
- 1st - Pennsylvania Nursery, Philadelphia Park, November 22, 2003
- 1st - Count Fleet StakesCount Fleet StakesThe Count Fleet Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run at Aqueduct Racetrack, located in Jamaica, New York, at the beginning of January each year...
, Aqueduct, January 3, 2004 - 1st - Southwest StakesSouthwest StakesThe Southwest Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas in mid February during the President's Day weekend. The race is open to three-year-old horses willing to race one mile on the dirt and currently offers a purse of $250,000...
, Oaklawn Park, February 28, 2004 - 1st - Rebel StakesRebel StakesThe Rebel Stakes is an American Grade II Thoroughbred horse race held annually in March at Oaklawn Park racetrack in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Open to three-year-old horses, it is raced on dirt over a distance of 11/16 miles...
, Oaklawn Park, March 20, 2004 - 1st - Arkansas DerbyArkansas DerbyThe Arkansas Derby is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt....
, Oaklawn Park, April 10, 2004 - 1st - Kentucky DerbyKentucky DerbyThe Kentucky Derby is a Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses, held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The race is one and a quarter mile at Churchill Downs. Colts and geldings carry...
, Churchill Downs, May 1, 2004 - 1st - Preakness StakesPreakness StakesThe Preakness Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held on the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs on dirt. Colts and geldings carry 126 pounds ; fillies 121 lb...
, Pimlico, May 15, 2004 - 2nd - Belmont StakesBelmont StakesThe Belmont Stakes is an American Grade I stakes Thoroughbred horse race held every June at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is a 1.5-mile horse race, open to three year old Thoroughbreds. Colts and geldings carry a weight of 126 pounds ; fillies carry 121 pounds...
, Belmont Park, June 5, 2004
Overall record (Starts-1st-2nd-3rd) - 9-8-1-0
Further Reading
- In 2008, Middle Atlantic Press published Barbaro, Smarty Jones & Ruffian: The People's HorsesBarbaro, Smarty Jones & Ruffian: The People's HorsesBarbaro, Smarty Jones and Ruffian: The People’s Horses is a 2008 book written by Linda Hanna about thoroughbred racing.-Summary:...
written by Linda Hanna. (ISBN 978-0-97058045-0) - In 2004, Sports Publishing published "Smarty Jones: America's Horse" written by Peter Bannon. (ISBN 1-58261-9123)
- In 2004, BookSurge published "Quips, quotes & oats: Smarty Jones Talks" written by Robert L. Merz (ISBN 1-59457-673-4)
- In 2009, Greenwood Press published "Encyclopedia of Sports in America, Volume 2, 1940-Present" edited by Murry R. Nelson
- In 2004, Braveheart Press published "Smarty Jones: Forever a champion" written by Billy Valentine (ISBN 0-9763935-1-4)
External Links
- Smarty Jones's pedigree
- Smarty's website
- Smarty at Three Chimney, pedigree, racing record, conformation and photo album
- The Kentucky Derby of Smarty Jones
- Preakness winners
- Smarty Jones: Three-year-old Male of the Year
- Every horse that has ever participated in a classic: Kentucky Derby, Preakness, or Belmont
- Classic career history
- Smarty Jones information and merchandise, HorseHats.com
- http://www.horse-races.net