Servis Saddles 1,000th Career Winner

Nearly three years to the day from Smarty Jones’ victory in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), trainer John Servis celebrated another career milestone when he won his 1,000th race on Tuesday, May 1, sending Love for Pleasure to victory in the 10th race at Philadelphia Park.

The 48-year-old Servis, a native of West Virginia, saddled his first winner in 1984 at Philadelphia Park after growing up in the racing industry as the son of a Jockeys’ Guild manager and state steward.

Servis got his start as a trainer after working his way up the ladder as a hotwalker, groom, jockey agent, and assistant trainer for Mark Reid. He went out on his own five years later, saddling horses like stakes winners Rapunzel Runz, Le Grande Pos, and Groovy Feeling, and in 2000 he swept the Coaching Club American Oaks  and Alabama Stakes (both gr. I) with Jostle. But his greatest victories came in 2004, when he campaigned Roy and Pat Chapman’s Smarty Jones to victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes (gr. I).

Since then, Servis has returned to racing in Pennsylvania, and recently partnered with the California-based Little Red Feather Racing as one of the syndicate’s four trainers.