Trainers

John Servis

Pennsylvania

John Servis (Trainer – Philadelphia) took out his trainer’s license in 1984 but he’s been around the races since he was a kid. John grew up a mile from Charles Town Racetrack. His father was a jockey and manager of the Jockeys’ Guild for 11 years, then state steward in West Virginia for 18 years.

John has done it all including hot walking, grooming and even a jock’s agent. But in 2004, John burst onto the national scene with a little horse from Philadelphia named Smarty Jones. John had tasted success before Smarty saddling several good winners, such as stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Rapunzel Runz; and stakes winner Le Grande Pos. He claimed Groovy Feeling, who went on to win a small stakes in New York.

But these wins pale in comparison to Smarty Jones who after capturing the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, fell only a length short of the triple crown. Hopefully, we’ll find the next Smarty Jones for John.