Like Servis, Elliott was a mainstay on the local scene but had yet to breakthrough nationally. Servis tabbed a journeyman jockey named Stewart Elliott for the ride. He made his debut in November on his home dirt at Philadelphia Park. He returned to training and never missed a beat. Yet, after three weeks in the hospital and a month on the farm, Smarty Jones had made a complete recovery. In an instant, the promising career of Smarty Jones looked be over before it started. Smarty was alive, but the damage was severe: a fractured skull, a broken orbital socket and nasal passages. Smarty Jones reared up, banging his head on the starting gate, knocking himself out cold as blood pooled from his head. What was supposed to be a routine gate-schooling session early one July morning in 2003, ended in near disaster. Rambunctious and fast, Smarty Jones was poised to make his debut that summer, but there would be one more significant hurdle to clear. Servis slowly put his new charge to work from his base atВ Philadelphia Park (now Parx Racing) and immediatelyВ knew he had something special. Like Camac, Servis had seen plenty of success locally, but was relatively unknown on the national scene. After learning the ropes in Florida, the Chapmans sent him to the barn of Pennsylvania-based trainer John Servis, himself a long time friend of Camac. In the summer of 2003, Smarty Jones had developed into a striking young colt. One of the two horses they kept was the sprightly foal Camac had orchestrated himself, Smarty Jones. They sold their Pennsylvania farm and all of their horses. At 77 and suffering from emphysema, Roy Chapman had been planning to scale back any way, but this incident expedited the process. With their trusted industry adviser now gone,В they decided to shut down their thoroughbred operation. The crime rocked the local community and devastated the Chapmans. Authorities believe the incident occurred after Camac confronted Russell about cashing stolen checks.) (Russell pled guilty to aggravated manslaughter in 2004 and is currently serving a 28 year sentence. Just a couple of days later police arrested and chargedВ Maryann CamacвЂ™s son from a previously marriage, Wade Russell, with the murders. Camac and his wife, Maryann, were sprawled out on the deck of their home, lifeless and in pools of their own blood.

Just a few months after the birth of Smarty Jones, Camac would was murdered in his own home.ДЄ worker at CamacвЂ™s Salem County, NJ farm made the gruesome discovery on the morning of December 6, 2001. HeвЂ™d saddled over 1,800 winners in his nearly 40 year career at the track, and had a knack for finding value.Д¬amac, however, would never see Smarty Jones race. Though far from a well heeled celebrity, CamacВ was a familiar face on theВ Mid-Atlantic racing circuit. The Chapmans and Camac were fairly optimistic about this chestnut coltвЂ™s future.Д¬amac was more than an industry adviser to the Chapmans, he was a trusted friend. Pam Chapman named him Smarty Jones, the nickname of her similarly headstrong mother. From the get-go, the young colt displayed a precocious, strong-willed nature.

Smarty jones