Mid-Atlantic region has hot prospects for Derby Day
Mid-Atlantic-bred stars, both equine and human, could have a
big impact on Kentucky Derby Day, May 1.
Smarty Jones, the undefeated, and for a long time strangely unheralded,
Pennsylvania-bred colt who finally smashed through the radar screen
with his victory in the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on March
21, is the Mid-Atlantic’s strongest Derby hope in many years.
Awesome while winning the Pennsylvania Nursery against state-breds
last fall, Smarty Jones has kept exactly to the route planned
by owners Roy and Pat Chapman and trainer John Servis. His final
prep on the road to the first Saturday in May is expected to be
the $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 10. If the ultimate dream
comes true, Smarty Jones will be the first Mid-Atlantic-bred to
win the Kentucky Derby since PA-bred Lil E Tee in 1992.
Hopefully, some of the millions who gather in front of TV sets
to watch the Derby will stay around and change channels for the
two-hour special, Thoroughbred: Born to Race, on Animal Planet
at 8 p.m. (and again at 11 p.m.). Those who do should be issued
a warning: They are at serious risk of falling in love.
The two-hour show is a patchwork of segments from Animal Planet’s
13-part series Thoroughbred that documents day-to-day life on
the Boniface family’s Bonita Farm, a major breeding and
training operation in Darlington, Md.
Thoroughbred first aired in the spring of 2001 and has been in
and out of rotation on the Animal Planet schedule since then.
It looked like a sure-fire success when previewed in Washington,
D.C., three years ago, but ratings were disappointing—and
certainly not helped by abrupt and frequent changes in the show
times.
Now Animal Planet is attempting to give the concept a second chance.
Jeanie Vink, who directed the Thoroughbred series and is executive
producer of the two-hour special, said the new show emphasizes
racing (rather than farm scenes). Its debut on Derby day was specially
planned to help the show “pop out of the schedule. Hopefully,
people will see this, and get hooked,” said Vink.
Animal Planet is considering more Thoroughbred racing-related
shows, if this one catches on. “We’ve talked about
doing some shows related to the Triple Crown,” said Vink.
Animal Planet would approach the Triple Crown races differently
from the networks, as Vink explained it. “We would try to
get more behind the scenes.”
That kind of national TV exposure would certainly be a boost—especially
if a Mid-Atlantic-bred happened to win the Triple Crown.
