Champion, Fan Favorite Smarty Jones Returns to Kentucky

Smarty Jones photo by Anne M. Eberhardt/Blood-Horse
By Claire Novak, @BH_CNovak
On a brisk fall morning at Calumet Farm, dual classic winner Smarty Jones stood alertly in his paddock. The 14-year-old son of Elusive Quality is settling in well at the Lexington, Ky. landmark after arriving Nov. 28 from Pennsylvania.
His shiny chestnut coat in perfect harmony with the autumn foliage around him, Smarty Jones looked off across the white board fencing toward fellow classic winner Point Given in a neighboring field. While Smarty Jones captured the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, Point Given won the 2001 Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
Smarty Jones is the ninth Kentucky Derby winner to call Calumet home, and the ninth Preakness winner the Lexington operation has stood as well. Oxbow, winner of the Preakness in 2013, joins those two as the three classic winners currently active at Calumet.

Photo by Anne M. Eberhardt/Blood-Horse (ORDER THESE PHOTOS)
Farm manager Eddie Kane said the Calumet team is still getting to know Smarty Jones, but that he has been a class act since shipping from Northview Stallion Station. Retired to Three Chimneys in Kentucky for the 2005 season, Smarty Jones stood there for six years before moving to Pennsylvania’s Ghost Ridge Farm. Two years later, when Ghost Ridge Farm announced it would be taking a step back from standing stallions, Smarty Jones was transferred to Northview Stallion Station's Pennsylvania division.
Roy and Pat Chapman's Someday Farm, which bred Smarty Jones in Pennsylvania and retains a controlling interest in the stallion, decided to relocate the fan favorite to Kentucky this year.
"Smarty Jones is doing great; so far he has worked right into the routine here at the Calumet stallion barn," Kane said. "He seems to be a horse that as long as he has grass under his feet he's happy. (He) and English Channel are side by side and they are getting on well together. 
"Like any new stallion Smarty Jones came in wanting to establish his dominance, he would not want to be caught in his stall or he would try to bite at you. But within a day or so he saw no threat from us and has been fine since."

Photo by Anne M. Eberhardt/Blood-Horse (ORDER THESE PHOTOS)
Smarty Jones has entered his new routine at Calumet without issue. He is turned out at 2 p.m. wearing a winter blanket, and comes in the following morning at 7 a.m. Breeders often stop by for inspections in the later morning hours.
"This is the year-round schedule, just add a few mares to breed during the season," Kane said. 
The plucky colt who captured the hearts of racing fans with his brave Triple Crown bid and heartbreaking loss to Birdstone in the Belmont Stakes has had an adventurous life at stud. Not only did he stand in Pennsylvania, but he was shuttled to Uruguay to produce multiple crops there. At this time, there are no plans for him to shuttle to the Southern Hemisphere again.

Photo by Anne M. Eberhardt/Blood-Horse (ORDER THESE PHOTOS)
Smarty Jones is the sire of 27 stakes winners, including Grade 1 winner Centralinteligence and champions Better Life and Smart D N A. He currently ranks third among Pennsylvania stallions and fourth among all stallions in the Mid-Atlantic region. He was represented as recently as Nov. 7 by 2012 La Jolla Handicap winner Old Time Hockey, who won the $100,000 Millions Preview Stakes at Gulfstream Park West.
"Smarty Jones fits in perfectly with the rest of our stallions," Kane said. "The current stallion roster at Calumet is focused on performance and value. We want to breed for stamina and soundness. We believe sound horses with superior pedigrees that perform in the classics will always be the mainstay for breeding. We will continue to support our stallions in the breeding shed and at the track."

Photo by Anne M. Eberhardt/Blood-Horse (ORDER THESE PHOTOS)
Follow photographer Anne M. Eberhardt on Twitter at @BH_AEberhardt & and Anne M. Eberhardt Photography's Facebook Page AnneEberhardtPhotos.