Jeremy Smith was involved in a racing accident on June 15 and has made his way back to the racetrack, and the winner’s circle, in spectacular fashion at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
The accident happened when GD Western Joe and Chris Page went down in the 13th race and the three horses directly behind the duo could not get out of the way and fell. All three drivers of those horses were taken to local hospitals, while the rest of the drivers, and all the horses, walked off the track.
The 44-year-old Smith, from Washington Court House, took it easy for a whole 12 days before attempting to come back racing.
“I wasn’t ready to be honest,” said Smith. “My head was telling me I could, but my body said I couldn’t. My back on the left side was hurting too much.”
Smith, however, did make a successful return to the track at Eldorado Scioto Downs. On Friday, July 19, Smith had 11 drives on the 14-race card, with three wins and five total on the board finishes. His first win came with the two-year-old Twin B Beachside for trainer Mike Polhamus, followed by two wins for Antonia Storer with Rose Run Warner and Premier Dancer.
All told since return on the 19th, Smith has 94 starts with 26 wins and 43 total on the board finishes. His win percentage is at 27.7, which is 4.2 per cent higher than any other driver at Scioto during that time period.
“Now that I am back, I am ready to go. My body feels great, it’s all systems go,” continued Smith. “The timing was not the greatest right before the two-year-olds started qualifying as I thought I was going to get a real opportunity, but we will make the most of every opportunity.”
Smith started his driving career with a couple qualifiers in 2001 and since has amassed 28,599 starts with 3,683 wins and more than $31 million in earnings. Prior to June 15, Smith was the leading driver at Scioto and while he had dropped to fifth in the standings before his return, it shouldn’t take him long to get right back into contention. Smith drove 365 starters prior to July 19 with 62 wins.
Currently, Dan Noble sits atop the Scioto driver standings with 138 wins in 764 starts and Chris Page is second with 119 wins in 679 starts. Tyler Smith is sitting third with 90 wins and Brett Miller is tied with Smith with 88 wins.
The 90-day 2024 Eldorado Scioto Downs race meet runs through Saturday, Sept. 14.
(Scioto Downs)