Smarty Jones Looks For Triple Crown

This weekend, Smarty Jones will look to become the 12th horse to complete the elusive Visa Triple Crown of horse racing by winning the 136th running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes. Jones, a three-year-old chestnut colt bred at Someday Farm in Pennsylvania and foaled on February 18, 2001, won the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs by two-and-a-half lengths on May 1 and the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course by elleven-and-a-half lengths on May 15.If he completes the trifecta, Jones would become the first winner since Affirmed in 1978. Jones is the only undefeated winner the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes have seen since Seattle Slew in 1977. He is a perfect eight-for-eight in races, with earnings of $7,413,155. He received a $5 million bonus from Oakland Park for winning the Rebel Stakes, the Arkansas Derby and the Kentucky Derby. He would also receive another $5 million bonus for winning the Belmont Stakes, and would become the all-time top earner with a victory.
Jones is currently fourth on the all-time earnings list behind Cigar (19-4-5 from 33 starts with earnings of $9,999,815), Skip Away (18-10-6 from 38 starts with earnings of $9,616,360) and Fantastic Light (12-5-3 from 25 starts with earnings of $8,486,957).
Jones has made one previous appearance in New York, winning the Count Fleet Stakes at the Aqueduct Inner Track on January 3.
He was named after Owner Patricia Chapmans mother, Mildred, since he was born on her birthday, February 28. One of Mildreds nicknames growing up was "Smarty Jones."Someday Farm is the breeding and racing name used by Roy and Patricia Chapman. The name reflects the many things the Chapmans hoped to accomplish in their lives. One of those things was a tripwith a horseto the Kentucky Derby. The Chapmans have never previously started a horse in the Belmont Stakes. They entered the thoroughbred business in the 1980s and at one time owned the 100-acre Someday Farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, where Smarty Jones was foaled. They have since sold the farm, and moved to a new home on an 11-acre plot, but continue to breed and race in the farms name.
Jones jockey is Stewart Elliott, who has never ridden in the Belmont Stakes. He is the only jockey to have ridden Jones during his perfect career, and has won more than 3,000 races in his career. Elliot is a regular in the Philadelphia Park Jockey Room, having been the leading rider there in 2001. He comes from a horse racing family: his father, Dennis, was a rider for 22 years and his mother rode show horses and was an instructor. Elliott considers retired Hall of Fame rider Angel Cordero his idol because "he was a smart rider and rode with great style," he said. Jones trainer, John Servis, called Elliotts ride in the Kentucky Derby an "absolutely masterful ride."
Servis is a second-generation horseman normally headquartered at Philadelphia Park.
He decided to take Smarty Jones to Arkansas this past winter because he felt the three-year-old program fit him. Smarty Jones won the Southwest Stakes, Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby. The Arkansas route was risky because of the lack of opportunity to earn graded-stakes money necessary to make the Derby, which ended up oversubscribed. The Arkansas Derby, according to Servis, was the "do-or-die" race.
Servis names La Grande Pos as his favorite horse to train because "he was a warrior and had such a long career."