Show B4 — The Herald Journal Logan Utah Sunday May 2 2004 TDb© By Jim Utke AP Sports Writer gam© fimsily paws foaieEs ftlto© LOUISVILLE Ky (AP) — They are the guys who make horse racing go the other 364 days of the year scrappers who fill out the programs at gritty little racetracks all around the country and love the game more than it could ever love them back Until Saturday that is “I hoped one day I'd be here" trainer John Servis said “1 didn't nine months later That combined with owner Roy Champman’s failing health was nearly discouraging enough to drive the Philly car dealer and his wife out of the business Last July not long after Servis was entrusted With Smarty Jones and he took the colt to the starting gate to be schooled the horse reared up and struck his head against an iron bar knocking himself out Servis saw the colt lying unconscious in a heap in the dirt and howled “Oh my God '“ the horse killed himself” The extent of the damage was a fractured skull a setback to be sure but hardly something that couldn’t be overcome Even as Servis nursed the horseback to health he began plotting a course that would get all of them to the Derby The road went through Arkansas where Smarty Jones won the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby a fortuitous decision since any horse that wins those two races and the Kentucky Derby gets a $3 million bonus But that was hardly what generated the most suspense for' S many’s connections when they arrived in Louisville almost two weeks ago The last time a horse won the Kentucky Derby with both a rookie trainer and jockey was 1979 when Bud Delp and Ronnie Franklin turned the trick with a nice little runner named Spectacular Bid The temptation for the Chapmans to replace Servis or Elliott ' know if I ever would" “I'm thankful for the chance" jockey Stewart Elliott said “They could have rode anyone in the world in this race" The 130th Kentucky Derby was won by two rookies who watched the race on television from their living rooms just a year ago and an undersized chestnut colt whose hardscrabble past practically makes him their - brother-in-ar- If it seems as if America fell in love with the Smarty Jones story just wait until it gets to know the people behind him Servis and Elliott are kings at tiny Philadelphia Park just north of the nation’s city But in the horse racing world it barely merits a spot on the map Since they first crossed paths nearly two dozen years ago Elliott has won more than 3200 races in a career that has taken him up and down the Atlantic seaboard Servis has won more than 900 covering much of the same territory But it wasn’t until they wrapped their arms around the biggest prize in thoroughbred racing that anybody outside the game had an inkling of how really good the two of them were “After this Derby unfortunately I might not get Stewart back at fifth-large- st AP photo Smarty Jones with Stewart Elliott aboard drives for the finish line at the 130th Kentucky Derby Saturday Park” Servis said “When people see how good of a rider he is he can go anywhere” Testimonials to Servis ran into the hundreds as bettors howled their thanks while he made his way from the grandstand to the winner ’s circle The two that mattered most to him came even before Servis met his adoring public As he sped down a hallway along- e side the owners’ boxes Derby winnerBob Baffert flashed a wide smile mouthed “Cpngratula-- : Philadelphia three-tim- iions” and gave Servis a thumbs-u- p Just before he turned down a back stairway that would take him down e the track Derby winner D Wayne Lukas grabbed Servis in a bear hug "Thanks for your support’’ said Servis getting choked up “I really appreciate it” Despite the absence of racing’s two most recognizable faces this Derby never lacked for star power Lukas never had an entry and Baf- -' fert was forced to scratch his horse four-tim- ' ' $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs Ark because their horse swept the Rebel Stakes Arkansas Derby and Kentucky Doty With the huge payday Smarty Jones becomes the sixth biggest winner in racing history with earnings of $6733133 The 1 favorite paid $1020 $620 and $480 Lion Heart paid $820 and $380 ' Imperialism return $620 to show Lime- house 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 Cas- tledale Friends Lake Minister Eric and Pollard’s Vision Quintons Gold Rush did not finish The crowd 140034 was the smallest since 1994 when Go for Gin won over the ' lastsloppy track Last year Funny Cide became the first d to win the Derby Smarty New Jones becomes just the second Pennsylvania-bred — Lil E Tee in 1992 was the first e ' Derby Funny Cide also had a trainer and owners but any other similarities end there Indeed any horse would be to come up with a story to match Smarty’s And it all started just months after he was bom at the Chapmans’ Someday Farm in Chester County Pa the lush countryside outside Philadelphia First original trainer Bob Camac and his wife were murdered at their farm in New Jersey and the Chapmans nearly got out of the business altogether They sold off most Continued firomBl beautiftil race Picture perfect” Mike Smith aboard Lion Heart con- curred: “The winner was just too much for v::' ' US - : ? s Servis arid Elliott a pair of Philadelphia Park regulars became the first trainer-jocey duo to win the Derby on their fust try since favorite Spectacular Bid won in 1979 '' for trainer Bud Delp and jockey Rodney V k- - ' 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 owner Roy In the stands and his but wheelchair of Chapman got 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 Deity darling ever since he arrived in Louisville two weeks ago And that’s partly because the colt's biography reads like a soap-opedoozy: A Pennsylvania bred who nearly died whei he slammed his head on an iron bar a trainer and jockey based at a small-tim- e park owners who refused a blank check for the horse Roy and Pat Chapman will now collect a : - ' York-bre- : : first-tim- made-for-T- V third Preston Continued from B2 looked dead for six innings vs the Diggers but they woke up in the top of the seventh to take the by Madsen tied while a two-ru- n the game at ll single up the middle by Spradlin three batters later gave Preston its second lead of the contest — it led 1 0 after the first — albeit a short one “We were all down after (that)" admitted Madsen “I just came over here (to the jayvee field) and tried to get everybody up If we’re gonna play we might as well play to win" Which the Indians did They scored two runs in the first and two more in the second to grab a 4-- 0 lead then watched in horror as the Cougars rallied runs in the with seven two-obottom of the third Rawlings easily retired the first two batters he faced in the inning on a total of six pitches However Blair Rhodehouse and Cody Long ignited the rally by hitting back-to-basolo home runs to cut the lead in half Eight more South Fremont batters would reach safely before Preston reliever Jake Bartholomew got Rhodehouse to fly out to right to end the inning Hansen didn't like what he saw from his team in the bottom of the RBI-doub- hard-press- ed : ra lead An 4-- le -- ut ck “Not mentioning names but mentioning the concept of this ' we had some kids that gave up that quit ” the veteran coach said “That’s what's maddening about this You've seen enough games I’ve coached enough games to know that you’re gonna have sit- uations that happen that aren't good" Spradlin got things rolling for the Indians again in the top of the fourth though The senior who leads the valley in home runs belted his eighth of the season — two-ru- n blast to right-cent- er a two-out off Rhodehouse — to cut the deficit to 7-- 6 in the Spradlin went contest with a whopping six -S RBIs Preston took the lead for good in the top of the fifth when it scored three more times Madsen put the designated visitors back on top 7 when he scored on a wild pitch Madsen reached base all five times — two hits two walks and — he batted and a scored each time Madsen had a as nice game vs Sugar-Salewith a double well going triple and tw o runs scored Bartholomew a sophomore pitched 3 13 innings to earn his first w in of the season He allowed just one hit and struck 8-- ch m out one “I was very impressed with him" Madsen said of Bartholomew “I thought that was ' Friday morning due to an injury making this the first time since 1980 the race went off without both men ' But latching on to a captivating story wasn’t a problem this week thanks to Smarty Jones and the tide of how he made it to Churchill Downs pulling along a trainer jock- ey and owners whose combined decades in the racket were filled with as many tears as triumphs For openers the trainer who found the dam and stallion that sired Smarty Jones was found shot to death just 'or both with someone with much more seasoning was considerable But when someone put that ques4 tion to Roy Chapman just outside Smarty Jones’ barn on Thursday the owner answered with a smile and wry quick nod Chapman suffers from emphysema and words often come only with great effort But he brought them forth “No” he said “None none none” of their stock and kept only two horses — one was Smarty Jones He was smt to Flori-d- a to be broken for racing and when he returned last year he was sent to Servis a friend of Camac’s So far so good But last July misfortune struck again While schooling in the starting gate at Philly Park the colt suddenly rured up and slammed his head on an unpadded iron bar “Oh my God this horse killed himself” Servis recalled thinking He fractured his skull shattered orbital ' bones and nearly lost his left eye He was nursed back to health at the New Jersey Equine Clinic To this day one can still sec the dents in his head Smarty Jones finally made it to the races and hasn’t stopped running since He broke his maiden on Nov 9 winning by 7 34 lengths at Philly Park He wdn by 15 lengths two weeks later — and that’s when Servis knew he had himself a Derby horse Then it was on to New York where he won the Count Fleet at Aqueduct before Servis took him to Arkansas Smarty Jones then won the Southwest Stakes and Rebel Stakes but still hadn't earned any graded stakes money something that was needed to make the Derby field A win in the Grade 2 Arkansas Derby was crucial and Smarty came through — in the rain He blew past Borrego and won by 1 12 lengths and it was on to Churchill : Downs And now it's on to Baltimore sweet how well he did He has a good bender that works for him” Preston banged out 14 hits against the Cougars Five Indians had at least two safeties in the contest while Rawlings and Shawn Thomson each added two RBIsapiece “It’s always nice to finish with a win" Spradlin noted Eighteen of the 20 runs scored between the Tribe and South Fremont came with two outs Prior to the beginning of both the championship game and third-placontest all four teams left in the tournament as well as former Preston mayor Jay Heusser and KACH radio announcer Alan White took time out to honor Robin Hansen — wife of the late Tony Hansen Coach Hansen considered the tourney a success but would like to change one thing for next year “If I can't attract varsity teams next year I'll be honest I don't know if I'll do it" he said “We want to keep it going but I have to get all varsity teams here That's our main push right now is we want to get (all) varsity teams here People w ere kind of critical of that but I'll tell you it's not easy A lot of people try and have tournaments usually most teams can go to (only) one tournament a year so you have to sell them on w hy they should come to ours “But I thought it was a success" the coach added “I thought we did some good things with it" ce AP photo Jim Bittner carries Suzanne Young through a puddle after a sudden downpour flooded the grounds at Churchill Downs one hit to the Aggies a Haven Vance single that squirted through the left side of Aggies the infield Continued from B2 its final score The loss in the circle this seadropped Higley’s record to 5-- son The second half of the twinbill belonged all to UCSB pitcher Jennifer Davis as she struck out a team season-hig- h 16 batters en route to her sixth shutout victory of the season improving Davis gave up just her record to 3 The Gauchos picked up one rim in the first inning and added another in the bottom of the sixth to tally the triumph Despite giving up just four hits in Game 2 the Aggies’ Jessica Garnett suf--' fered the loss and falls to 7 on the year e The teams conclude their conference series with a single game today at noon at UCSB’s Campus 0-1- three-gam- 11-1- Wallops Continued from B2 For the game West Side totaled only six basehits (including a double by Uigaese and a triple by Becky Rider) but Beckstead surrendered just one in return “I pitched alright" Beckstead said Indians 10 Bees 6 1st game Indians 7 Bees ( 2nd game Preston stretched its winning streak to 14 games thanks to a doubleheader sweep of 4A Bonneville on the raid in Idaho Falls Brijan Bradford had a triple for Preston while Jessica Rounds Haley Prater and Allison Gamble all added doubles “We were proud of them as coaches because their pitcher was a little slower than we’re used to and that threw us off a little bit” Cobum said “They had to sit back and wait on her pitches so we asked them to be more disciplined at the plate and they did that" It was back to business as usual for the Tribe in the nightcap however With the score tied at entering the seventh inning Summer Maseuli drew a base on balls stole second advanced to third on a run on groundout and scored the a passed ball Pitcher Stacy Benson then stranded the tying run on third base in the bottom half of the seventh thanks to a strikeout and an infield pop up The girls really dug down deep and worked hard to get that win" Cobum noted Rounds Gamble Maseuli and Bradford all recorded doubles fra Preston in Game go-ahe- “They're feeling pretty confident right now" Preston coach Chelsey Cobum said of her team “and they deserve to because they come out and play hard every game" Unlike recent contests the Indians (15-6- ) didn't wait until their final to take control of the first game After scoring one run in the top of the first the Tribe exploded for eight more runs in the second inning at-b- at 2 |