From the outside, the place looks pretty much like it always has – the “big box on Street Road,” as Dick Jerardi of the Philadelphia Daily News once called it. But once inside, it was obvious that a lot of money and thought had gone into the renovation, as the place fairly glowed in tones of red and gold.
The first floor features a large sports bar and 50 individual betting desks with flat-screen TVs and marble tops. The horsemen’s restaurant has returned, and there is a snack bar just inside the paddock, which I was happy to see offered a large menu of reasonably-priced food and drink. Hey, when a racetrack only charges $2.75 for domestic beer and $2.50 for a slice of pizza, you know it’s a bargain (check out the prices at tracks like Saratoga and Monmouth).
I wandered up to the third floor and was delighted to find lots of tables and chairs where fans can spread out their Forms and programs, and four walls filled with flat-screen TVs of various sizes and shapes. The only drawback I could see was that there were only 2 mutuel clerks punching tickets and two automated tellers, but it appeared that part of that area was still under construction.
Three key players from “Team Smarty” – trainer John Servis, jockey Stewart Elliott, and owner Pat Chapman – all graciously signed autographs and talked with fans, and the commemorative Smarty Jones coin that was given out to the first 5,000 fans was actually quite nice, made of a heavy metal and packaged in a clear, snap-front case. My daughters were thrilled to each get one, and later that night I saw one had already been put up on Ebay with an opening bid of $10.00.
I took the opportunity down by the winner’s circle to ask Pat Chapman, who was wearing a blue jacket quite similar to the color of Someday Farm’s silks, if there was any news concerning where Smarty might stand next year, since talk is rampant that he may come to Pennsylvania.
Chapman said that “she would love” for him to come home to the Keystone State, where he was foaled, but that it was a complicated issue due to the horse’s many syndicate owners. She did confirm that she had fielded several offers from the Japanese for Smarty, but had no intention of sending him there.
Finally, there was a bit of confusion over the Smarty Jones statue that was to be unveiled on Saturday. Greenwood Racing, the owner of the racetrack, had advertised heavily that the statue would be unveiled on Smarty Jones Day, but it was nowhere to be found, sparking many wild rumors ranging from “bad weather prevented the statue from being delivered” to “Greenwood didn’t pay for it.”
To find out the truth, we contacted Virginia sculptress Jean Clagett, who was commissioned to craft Smarty’s statue, and asked why the likeness of the dual classic winner wasn’t in Bensalem. It turned out none of the rumors were correct.
“No one was more disappointed that Smarty's cold cast could not be ready for the event than I was,” said Clagett, whose exquisite statues of equines adorn places such as the Kentucky Horse Park and private homes of thoroughbred owners like George Strawbridge, Jr. “Even though it is a temporary substitute for the bronze sculpture, it is still important that it be presented at its best when people see the model. A section didn't cast right, so I need to redo that section, which required my ordering more materials from my supplier.”
Clagett said that the piece would be assembled on Thursday, shipped to Parx on Friday, and unveiled on Saturday, just in time for Pennsylvania’s Day at the Races, which honors the state’s breeders.
To get a sneak-peek preview of what the statue might look like, check out Clagett’s web site, Atelier West, and click on this link: http://www.atelierwest.com/defaultatelierwest_002.htm
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