LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Make it two in a row for the people's choice at the Kentucky Derby.
Smarty Jones splashed his way past Lion Heart in the stretch and won America's premier horse race Saturday a year after Funny Cide captured the fancy of the racing world.
The victory triggered the biggest payoff in the game, with the undefeated Smarty Jones 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.
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 Derby rookie Stewart 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.
"Man, that was great," winning trainer John Servis exclaimed after his first Derby. "That was a beautiful race. Picture perfect."
Servis and Stewart, a pair of Philadelphia Park regulars, became the first trainer-jockey duo to win the Derby on their first try since Spectacular Bid won in 1979 for trainer Bud Delp and jockey Rodney Franklin.
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 soap-opera 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.
The Chapmans will now collect a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., for sweeping 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.