Smarty prances to muddy victory

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Smarty Jones splashed his way past Lion Heart in the stretch and won America's premier horse race Saturday.

The victory triggered the biggest payoff in the game, with the undefeated favorite earning a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park along with the Derby winner's share of $854,800.

Smarty Jones ran his record to 7-for-7 and became the first unbeaten Derby winner since Seattle Slew in 1977. Seattle Slew went on to win the Triple Crown, a feat Smarty Jones will attempt when he heads to the Preakness in two weeks.

"He seems to be the people's horse," Derby rookie rider Stewart Elliott said.

Even over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs -- the first in 10 years -- Smarty Jones raced just behind pace-setter Lion Heart. As the 18-horse field came off the final turn, the chestnut colt moved up to challenge for the lead. Under Elliott, Smarty Jones staged his patented stretch surge and pulled away for the win.

He won by 2 3/4 lengths over Lion Heart, ridden by Mike Smith, with Imperialism, trained by 21-year-old Kristin Mulhall, third.

The winning time for the 1 1/4-mile Derby was a slow 2:04.06 over the fourth sloppy track in Derby history. While it didn't rain during the race, there was a downpour two hours earlier that left the track a muddy mess and filled the infield with small lakes.

"At the three-eighths pole I was biding my time," Elliott said. "I knew I had a loaded gun beneath me. He straightened up, switched leads and I figured it was time to go.

"When I had the chance, I took it. I was pretty confident when we passed Lion Heart. My horse was running."

Winning trainer John Servis couldn't have asked for a better first Derby: "That was a beautiful race. Picture perfect."

Mike Smith, aboard Lion Heart, concurred: "The winner was just too much for us."

Servis and Elliott, a pair of Philadelphia Park regulars, became the first trainer-jockey duo to win the Derby on their first try since favorite Spectacular Bid won in 1979 for trainer Bud Delp and jockey Rodney Franklin.

And even though the favorite won, until the gates opened, the race was considered a wide- open affair with at least a half dozen horses capable of winning.

In the stands, 77-year-old owner Roy Chapman got out of his wheelchair and shouted, "I can't believe it!" as he received hugs from Servis, friends and relatives. Chapman, hooked up to an oxygen tank because of his emphysema, then sat back down, taking deep breaths to calm himself, but smiling the whole time.

Smarty Jones has been the Derby darling ever since he arrived in Louisville two weeks ago. And that's partly because the 3-year-old colt's biography reads like a doozy: A Pennsylvania bred who nearly died when he slammed his head on an iron bar; a trainer and jockey based at a small-time park; owners who refused a blank check for the horse.

Roy and Pat Chapman will now collect a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., because their horse swept the Rebel Stakes, Arkansas Derby and Kentucky Derby. With the huge payday, Smarty Jones becomes the sixth biggest winner in racing history with earnings of $6,733,155.

The 4-1 favorite paid $10.20, $6.20 and $4.80. Lion Heart paid $8.20 and $5.80. Imperialism returned $6.20 to show. Limehouse was fourth, followed by The Cliff's Edge, Action This Day, Read the Footnotes, Birdstone, Tapit, Borrego, Song of the Sword, Master David, Pro Prado, Castledale, Friends Lake, Minister Eric and Pollard's Vision. Quintons Gold Rush did not finish.

The crowd, 140,054, was the smallest since 1994, when Go for Gin won over the last sloppy track.

Smarty Jones becomes just the second Pennsylvania-bred -- Lil E. Tee in 1992 was the first.