Milestone win for Hamilton Smith is a family affair

Longtime Maryland horseman Hamilton Smith sent out the 2,000th winner of his career on Friday when Sweet Home Dixie won the second race at Laurel Park. Appropriately, Sweet Home Dixie is owned by Franklin Smith, who bred the 4-year-old filly in South Carolina. The Smith brothers’ careers have been intertwined practically their entire lives and they have deep roots in their home state.

Sweet Home Dixie is a daughter of Done Talking, who won the 2012 Illinois Derby for Hamilton Smith. In his next start, Done Talking, finished 12th in the Kentucky Derby

The Smith boys grew up with five other siblings on an 1,800-acre corn, soybean, and livestock farm in Lone Star, S.C. Franklin “Goree” Smith trained before his younger brother Hamilton but purchased the Elloree Training Center in South Carolina in 1973, which soon required full-time attention.

Hamilton Smith, 74, began training in 1977 and has stable earnings of $40,978,651. His consistent operation has earned more than $1 million a season every year since 1998. Many of his horses have either been owned by his brother or come to him from the Elloree Training Center.

“When I got started I never thought I’d be around to win 2,000 races,” Smith said. “I’m really glad to win it with a South Carolina-bred, and my brother’s horse. I had a lot of help along way. I’m proud of it, I really am.

“We got started years ago down there, my brother and I, and we were getting on yearlings when we were 11 and 12 years old and we’ve been working together ever since. It’s been a pleasure.”

In addition to the Illinois Derby, Smith has won three other graded stakes. Blind Date accounted for the 2009 Virginia Oaks and Humoristic won the Grade 3 Violet at The Meadowlands in 2005 and 2007.

More recently, Smith, a winner of eight Maryland Million races, won the 2014 and 2018 Maryland Million Turf with Talk Show Man and the 2016 Maryland Million Nursery and Maryland Futurity with Greatbullsoffire. Smith also trained Gin Talking, the 2000 Maryland Horse of the Year, for whom a stakes is named at Laurel.

Smith, who has won or shared five Laurel Park meet training titles, had another successful year in 2019, winning 41 races with stable earnings of more than $1.4 million.

Sweet Home Dixie’s $5,000 starter allowance win Friday was her fifth consecutive victory. Trevor McCarthy was aboard.