BENSALEM, Pa. – Who ever would guess that “Kentucky Derby” and “Philadelphia Park” would appear in the same sentence two years in a row?
Last year, of course, Smarty Jones put this backwater track on the map. This spring, it’s a human connection, thanks to George Smith, whose son, jockey Mike Smith, scored his long-awaited first Kentucky Derby victory May 7 on Giacomo. The elder Smith, 56, has been exercising horses in the mornings and serving as a parking attendant in the afternoons at Philly Park since 1987.
Like Mike, George was born in Roswell, N.M. – “same hospital, same doctor,” he told The Post yesterday, standing at the entrance to the horsemen’s parking lot, wearing a blue “Smarty Jones” T-shirt. Unlike his Hall-of-Fame son, he spent less than a year as a jockey before outgrowing the profession.
Still, Smith revels in the exploits of his famous son.
“I watched (the Derby) at home, by myself, just me and my dog,” he said. “It was the biggest thrill of my life. I was screaming and hollering. At first I couldn’t see him on my TV screen. I couldn’t find my glasses, and when I finally put them on, he was at the quarter-pole and moving a bit. At the three-sixteenths pole, I thought he might be third. Then I said, son of a gun, I think he’s going to win it!
“Mike left a message on my machine that morning. He liked his chances. He told me, ‘I don’t know whether he’s going to win or not, but this horse will run real good.’
“After the Derby, he called me about 8 o’clock that evening, when he got done with all the press and everything. He could hardly talk, he was so emotional.”
Smith only bet a couple of bucks on Giacomo, but does recall a nice score on another champion Mike rode.
“He called me up and said ‘Dad, I’m riding a horse I think can really run. Her name’s Azeri, and you better put a little on her.’ I bet $10. She paid $37 first time out and was the favorite for every race after that.”
As for the Preakness, Smith said, “I think Giacomo’s an improving horse. I’m not going to say he’s going to win it, but I think he has a good chance. If he gets lucky and wins that one, you’ll see me in New York. I won’t even try to drive home that night.”
