SMARTY JONES Biography - Famous Sports men and women

 
 

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SMARTY JONES

Name: Smarty Jones                                                                   
Born: 28 February 2001                                                               
                                                                                     
Smarty Jones (born February 28, 2001) is a thoroughbred race horse, and winner       
of the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes.                                     
                                                                                     
He is a third-generation descendant of Mr. Prospector, and as such Smarty Jones     
is related to many recent Triple Crown hopefuls including Funny Cide, Afleet         
Alex and Fusaichi Pegasus. Smarty Jones's own sire, Elusive Quality, holds the       
world record for a mile on turf. Also included in Smarty Jones' pedigree are         
Triple Crown winners Secretariat and Count Fleet, and such other Triple Crown       
race winners as Northern Dancer, Foolish Pleasure and the mighty Man o' War, who     
is considered the top race horse of the 20th Century. His dam was I'll Get Along.   
                                                                                     
Born at Someday Farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the horse was named after     
Milly "Smarty Jones" McNair, the mother of co-owner Pat Chapman. The two shared     
a birthday, and Mrs. Chapman wanted to honor her late mother. She said the horse     
was a strong-willed actor from birth and her mother too was a bit of a smart         
aleck as a child who had gotten the nickname "Smarty."                               
                                                                                     
Pat Chapman and her husband, the late Roy "Chappy" Chapman, had originally hired     
Bobby Camac to be Smarty Jones' trainer, but in December 2001, Camac and his         
wife were murdered by Camac's stepson, Wade Russell, who was eventually             
convicted and sentenced to 28 years in prison. This tragedy, combined with Roy       
Chapman's failing health, resulted in the Chapmans' decision to disband their       
small breeding operation, retaining only a few of their horses. One of these was     
Smarty Jones, the product of a breeding between their winningest horse, the mare     
I'll Get Along, and the stallion Elusive Quality.