Iowa: Milestone Victory for Trainer Kenny Smith

Blood-Horse

Veteran Midwest trainer Kenny P. Smith reached his 1,000th winner April 19, according to Equibase records, when he sent out Retro Citizen to victory in the seventh race at Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casion.

A third generation trainer, Smith won his first race in 1972 at Ak-Sar-Ben in Omaha, Neb., with a horse named Friendly Son.

A 61-year-old Oklahoma native, Smith got the milestone win for country music singer Toby Keith’s Dream Walkin Farms, which also bred Retro Citizen. The 3-year-old Proud Citizen mare won the six-furlong maiden special weight race by 2 1/4 lengths with Shane Laviolette aboard.

Equibase credits Smith with 6,276 career starters through April 19 for purse earnings of $17,141,520. He also has 868 seconds and 788 thirds.

Smith’s top runners include Al J. Horton’s Silver Goblin, an 11-time stakes winner who won four graded stakes and finished second to Horse of the Year Cigar in the 1995 Oaklawn Handicap (gr. I).