LOUISVILLE – Smarty Jones, the “Philly Flash,” rode into the history books yesterday at Churchill Downs, winning the 130th Kentucky Derby by 23/4 lengths over front-running Lion Heart before a rain-soaked crowd of 140,054 to become the first unbeaten horse to wear the roses since Seattle Slew in 1977.
Ridden by 39-year-old Stewart Elliott and trained by John Servis, 45, neither of whom ever had a Derby runner before, the son of Elusive Quality was just the second favorite to capture racing’s premier prize in 25 years. Servis and Elliott are the first rookie trainer-jockey team to win since Bud Delp and Ronnie Franklin with Spectacular Bid in 1979.
With a final time of 2:04 for the mile and a quarter over a sloppy track, Smarty Jones paid $10.20. Lion Heart held for second to complete a $65.20 exacta, with Imperialism third and Limehouse fourth. The trifecta paid $987.60; the superfecta a whopping $41,380.20.
For his victory, “Smarty” took home $854,800 of the $1,154,800 purse. He also collected a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park, where he prepped for the Derby, pushing his earnings to $6,733,155 – good for sixth on the list of all-time earners.
Not bad for a Pennsylvania-bred who began his career at Philadelphia Park and almost died when he fractured his skull in a starting-gate mishap before his first race.
If Smarty Jones goes on to sweep the Triple Crown by taking the May 15 Preakness at Pimlico and June 5 Belmont Stakes, he’ll add another $5 million bonus to his treasure chest, making him the richest thoroughbred in history.
“Any horseman will tell you he’s always dreamed of winning the Kentucky Derby,” said owner Roy “Chappy” Chapman, 77, who owns a Ford dealership in Philadelphia and bred Smarty Jones on his Someday Farm.
Now 7-for-7, including the Count Fleet last January at Aqueduct, Smarty Jones was coming off a 11/2-length victory over a muddy track in the Arkansas Derby. His bullet :58 work at Churchill last Saturday was one of the fastest workouts in Derby history.
For all intents and purposes, this was a two-horse race in an 18-horse field. Lion Heart, the bet-down horse on the tote at 5-1, bounded to the lead under Mike Smith, as expected, and opened daylight into the first turn. Cruising along on a fast pace (:22.4, :46.3), he maintained that margin down the backside as Smarty Jones, running in the second flight with Pollard’s Vision and Quintons Gold Rush, inched into second.
“When we left the gate, my horse was the most relaxed he’s ever been,” Elliott said. “Right then I knew the distance wouldn’t be a problem.”
Into the far turn, the six furlongs run in 1:11.4, Smith asked Lion Heart to kick away, and he did. Stewart sat chilly till they turned for home, then let out a notch, and in the blink of an eye Smarty Jones was breathing down Lion Heart’s neck.
“At the three-eighths pole I was biding my time,” said Elliott. “I knew I had a loaded gun underneath me.”
From the top of the stretch to the eighth pole, those two locked horns, leaving the rest of the field far behind.
With a furlong to run, Smarty Jones drew off to a convincing victory.