How Vet Saved Smarty Jones' Career
June 4, 2004 -- Smarty Jones' story has all the twists and turns of a Hollywood movie.
He's already won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. On Saturday, the undefeated horse goes after the elusive third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes. But just one year ago, his amazing career was almost ended when he suffered a devastating injury.
Last July, the colt struck his head on a starting gate as he was training to race in Philadelphia. That is where veterinarian Dr. Patricia Hogan came in.
"The referring veterinarian had called from Philadelphia Park that he was sending in 'a real mess,' " Hogan recalled.
Smarty's career probably would have ended then and there, if not for Hogan.
"When I got him, he looked atrocious," she said. "I mean he was just a sight. You had to see it to believe it. The left side of his head was so swollen, like two to three times normal, and where his eye used to be there was just this big, giant bulge."
Saving the Eye
Len Beris, the manager at the New Jersey equine clinic where Smarty was treated, said Hogan impressed him.
"I'll tell you, there are some veterinarians who would have taken that eye out," Beris said. "And if she took the eye out, he wouldn't be in the Kentucky Derby. He would just be like another horse. They wouldn't have gone with him the same way that they did, he'd have been just an overnight horse. By saving the eye, he became a great horse."
Hogan saw that Smarty's eye could be saved.
"I did an ultrasound exam and could see that the eye was in there underneath all the tissue and I called [Smarty's trainer] John Servis and just said, you know, I think it's possible that we may be able to keep him together, if we just give it a few days," Hogan said.
Hogan vigilantly watched over her patient, checking on him every 20 minutes for three days.
"The best thing about her is her aftercare," Beris said. "She's very concerned about the horses afterward, that's why she did so well with Smarty."
Related Stories
ABC News Live