Smarty has all the answers in Derby
Smarty Jones put his connections in seventh heaven as he romped to a fairytale success in the 130th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs last night.
The home-bred colt went to post having won all six of his previous starts and duly became the first undefeated horse since Seattle Slew in 1977 to land the ‘Run for the Roses’.
On ground made sloppy by a rainstorm two hours before the start of the race, Smarty Jones powered past the Michael Tabor-owned long-time leader Lion Heart in the home straight.
He was two-and-three-quarter lengths clear at the line, with Imperialism another four lengths back in third.
Incredibly, the winner’s jockey Stewart Elliott and trainer John Servis were both competing in their first Kentucky Derby.
“I was biding my time,” said Elliott, who quit riding for over a year in the mid-80s due to weight problems.
“I knew I had a loaded gun underneath me and I was waiting. When I figured it was time to go, he went to running.”
Successful trainer Jervis added: “Lion Heart dug in, which he always does, but when they were going head-to-head, I could see that Stu had not asked him yet. I was starting to feel really good then.”
Later, talking to the Thoroughbred Times, he added: “We came here and my horse was doing so well. That takes a lot of the pressure off of you. When your horse is happy and doing everything you’re asking of him, it’s hard not to have confidence in them.
“I’m like any trainer; this has been a dream of mine for most of my life. When I saw those horses go by the eighth pole, I got this feeling. I can’t even describe it, but it will stay with me for the rest of my life. Overwhelming.”
Smarty Jones paid 10.20 for a win, 6.20 for a place and 4.80 for a show. Lion Heart paid 8.20 for a place and 5.80 for a show. Imperialism paid 6.20 for a show.
By landing the Grade One event in front of a crowd of 140,054, Smarty Jones fulfilled a lifetime ambition for his 77-year-old owner Roy Chapman, who began disbanding his breeding operation two years ago due to ill health and the murder of his trainer Bobby Camac.
A €5m (€4.2m) bonus from Oaklawn Park for having already won the Rebel Stakes and the Arkansas Derby at that track was the icing on the cake.
“To see a horse that was born on the farm that we had and look at the stall he was born in, I’m still a little nervous, but it’s an incredible feeling,” said Chapman, who revealed his wife Patricia made the decision not to sell off Smarty Jones as his string was reduced to just two.
“It was always a dream to get to the Kentucky Derby. We’ve had an awful lot of horses, an awful lot of claimers, had an awful lot of fun and you love them all. But we’ve never raced at this level.
“We had some bloodstock agents that were looking at other horses we were getting rid of and they did want to buy Smarty.
“But my wife said ‘the horse has just got that kind of look in his eye - let’s keep him’.
“We hadn’t seen him run or anything. We just liked him. He was out in the field with his mama and he just had that look in his eye.”
Of the other runners, Limehouse was fourth, The Cliff’s Edge fifth and Michael Dickinson’s runner Tapit finished a disappointing ninth.
The winning time was two minutes 04.06 seconds.
