Smarty Jones gets Philly Classic
Smarty Party July 28 at Philly Park to Honor state's Derby Winner
In 2004 the Smarty (Jones) Party grew to a record crowd at Belmont Park for the third leg of the Triple Crown. Smarty now will be Philly's most honored horse.
He was the nation's scintillating horse racing hero in 2004. Now Smarty Jones will be his home state's most honored thoroughbred when the Smarty Jones Classic gets its first running on July 28.
As a two-year-old, Smarty Jones reared unexpectedly and crashed his head into an unpadded starting gate bar during an errant schooling session. He suffered a fractured skull and shattered orbital (eye socket) bones. He recovered nicely, impressing his veterinarian caregivers with his cool and patient demeanor.
Belmont Tears from Winners and Losers
In 2004, those caregivers were part of the cheering numbers when Smarty Jones barreled through the lane at Belmont Park, well ahead of the pack and looking to become the 12th Triple Crown champion in history. Then came Birdstone, with Edgar Prado up, to scoot by Smarty just before the wire. The party wasn't over. It was trashed.
In the winner's circle, tears were shed and the winning team, including trainer Nick Zito, who had just won his first Belmont Stakes, apologized, a first in racing lore. For the shot in the arm that Smarty had given to thoroughbred racing, everyone had been on his bandwagon to win.
Philly's Smarty Jones Inaugural
As Smarty Jones stands at stud at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky, his racing legacy and his two-race win in the Triple Crown will go on at Philadelphia Park Casino & Racetrack. The Smarty Jones Classic will run as an inaugural $125,000 stakes race that will lead the card on the "Pennsylvania's Day at the Races" event for state-bred thoroughbreds.
The Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association, administrator of the Pennsylvania-bred schedule, directs the new 33-event stakes calendar. The Keystone State will run a schedule of stakes this season that are worth $2.35 million. Three-year-olds and up will be hosted on dirt and turf.
The state's racing hero, Smarty Jones, is honored as champion of the Kentucky Derby (gr. l) and the Preakness Stakes (gr. l) in 2004. His second place finish in the Belmont Stakes (gr. l) marked the third straight year that a three-year-old couldn't close the Triple deal. In the fall of 2004, Philly Park sponsored a Smarty Jones Day, giving the Pennsylvania-bred champ a send-off into retirement.
This year's inaugural event at Philly Park will be followed by state-bred stakes on September 29 at Presque Isle Downs and by a related event at Penn National Race Course on October 18. The Blue Mountain Juvenile Stakes is included on the 18th.
The Presque Isle track is owned and operated by MTR Gaming. It will sponsor six $90,000 events. Philly Park will host the $75,000 Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes for two-year-olds on November 24. Smarty Jones won that race in 2003. Hard Spun, a 2007 Triple Crown nominee, captured the event last season.
Among the PHBA stakes are many named for Pennsylvania-bred winners. Among them are the new Will Wank Stakes. From 1981 to 1984, Willy Wank triumphed in nine stakes events at the old Keystone Race Track that is now Philly Park. The Willy Wank Stakes is set for running at Presque Isle Downs.
Expanded Stakes from Slots
The key to the Keystone State's expanded stakes calendar is slot machines. Revenues from the slots generated funds to extend this season's racing schedule in Pennsylvania. Slots began operating at Philly Park last fall and at Presque Isle in February of 2007.
Twelve percent of the slots revenue gross is turned back to racetrack purses and breeding development. Some six percent of the gross from casinos off track is included in the funds distribution. A number of casinos involved in the extra six percent haven't been built yet, but are commited to returning that percentage to racing.
Presque Isle Downs is near Erie, Pennsylvania, and Penn National Race Course is at Grantville, Pennsylvania. Penn National is currently undergoing a rebuilding program that includes its grandstand and clubhouse building.
Philly Park expects a big day on July 28 for the initial Smarty Jones Classic.
