The Horse Who Shattered His Skull and Almost Won the Triple Crown: Smarty Jones

The Horse Who Shattered His Skull and Almost Won the Triple Crown: Smarty Jones On July 15, 2003, an unraced Pennsylvania-bred colt reared in the starting gate at Philadelphia Park, smashing his head into the overhead iron beam. His skull shattered, his left eye swollen shut behind a collapsed orbital bone. Vets called him 'Quasimodo.' Most believed he would never see again, let alone race. Ten months later, that same horse walked onto the rain-soaked track at Churchill Downs undefeated, won the Kentucky Derby, obliterated the Preakness Stakes by a historic 11.5 lengths, and stood 70 yards away from equine immortality. This is the complete, true story of Smarty Jones: the broken-skull champion who united a nation and almost conquered the Triple Crown. Subscribe to @EquineOdyssey for more deep-dive historical documentaries on the greatest champions in thoroughbred racing history. #SmartyJones #TripleCrown #KentuckyDerby #HorseRacing #EquineOdyssey 0:00 - Introduction: The Metal Impact 3:08 - The Pennsylvania Anomaly 6:22 - The Road to Louisville 9:51 - Derby 130: The Deluge 13:29 - Preakness Stakes: Pimlico Demolition 16:26 - Belmont Stakes: The 70-Yard Heartbreak