The Kentucky Derby and Preakness trophies will be at the track for the fans to see.
``I’ve wanted to do this for so long, but then I had the concern that: Is he going to get so excited that he’s going to be difficult to handle? But I think everything’s going to be all right, so I’m looking at the positive side of it a lot more than the what-ifs.’’ at Parx Racing, 15 years after his last appearance, Smarty Jones will reprise that ``final’’ day from 15 years ago. Well, the horse’s owner, Pat Chapman, always wanted to give them another look. Most anybody who was there that Saturday afternoon when Smarty was paraded in front of the fans, took a tour of the walking ring, and stopped in the winner’s circle for a brief ceremony, had to figure they would never see the horse again. The next evening at what was then known as Philadelphia Park, the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner walked onto a van that would be headed for Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Ky. Lewis came close to winning Triple Crowns with Silver Charm in 1997 and Charismatic two years later.Smarty Jones left the race track for what certainly seemed like the final time on Saturday, Aug.
"Roy Chapman will always be an inspiration for those who pursue the dream of winning the Kentucky Derby, and were all better for having known him," Meeker said.Īnother prominent horse owner, Bob Lewis, also died Friday. They eventually bought show horses and then got into thoroughbred racing.Ĭhapman "was the very embodiment of the Kentucky Derby dream," said Churchill Downs chief executive officer Tom Meeker. The pair, who shared a love of horse, married a few years later. Roy spotted her and struck up a conversation. The Chapmans met when Pat walked into his car dealership in the mid-1970s looking for a Granada. The Chapmans retired him in the summer of 2004 and he now stands at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky. Less than two months after the race, Smarty was diagnosed with bone bruises in his hooves. John Servis, a trainer at Philly Park also waiting for his shot at the big time, guided Smarty Jones to wins in the Derby and Preakness the next year. The accident fractured his skull, shattered orbital bones and nearly caused him to lose an eye. Smarty Jones survived a brush with death when he slammed his head on an unpadded iron bar while practicing in the starting gate at Philadelphia Park in July 2003. The horse went on to a remarkable career in which he won eight of nine starts and more than $7 million. They sold off Someday Farm and nearly all their horses except for two, one of which was Smarty Jones. But a few months later Camac and his wife were slain at their farm in New Jersey, prompting the Chapmans to consider getting out of horse racing for good. The colt was named after Pat Chapman's mother, who was nicknamed "Smarty." Camac saw early signs the horse could be something special. The Chapman's trainer Bob Camac suggested breeding I'll Get Along with the stallion Elusive Quality, and on Feb. The Chapmans, who owned auto dealerships around the Philadelphia area, got into thoroughbreds in the 1980s and owned Someday Farm in Chester County.
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