NEWS
Steeplechase trainer Smithwick dies
Posted: Monday, June 20, 2011 2:48 PM
Veteran steeplechase trainer Dorothy “Dot” Smithwick died at her Middleburg, Virginia, farm on June 16 at age 82.
Smithwick campaigned horses on the National Steeplechase and Virginia Point-to-Point circuits for decades. She owned Sunny Bank Farm, a 1,650-acre farm that sits adjacent to Glenwood Park, around the northeastern edge of Loudoun County, Virginia.
Originally a Quaker farm, Sunny Bank has remained in Smithwick’s family since 1779. Smithwick put 1,076 acres of Sunny Bank into easement in 2005, and the combined cattle and horse farm is one of the largest conserved tracts in Virginia.
Sunny Bank employed an open-door policy, taking in horses and horsemen and providing a haven for steeplechasing and foxhunting. Some stayed for a weekend; others stayed a lifetime. Alumni include leading amateur jockey Gregg Ryan, stakes-winning trainer Julie Gomena, Maryland Hunt Cup-winning jockey Joe Davies, Smithwick's sons, flat trainers Speedy and Roger and countless horsemen who benefited from the opportunity.
According to historians, Civil War general Robert E. Lee’s horse, Traveller, was bred and raised at Sunny Bank. According to a family diary, seven generations of Smithwick’s family have lived at Sunny Bank.
Smithwick was heavily involved in the Piedmont Environment Council and the Goose Creek Association, serving on the board of the latter.
A member of the Virginia Steeplechase Hall of Fame and leading trainer on the Virginia Steeplechase circuit for many years, Smithwick won two races this spring with Indian Run Farm’s Swimming River, winning at her local meet, the Middleburg Spring Races and the Virginia Gold Cup. Career highlights include winning the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup with Dr. Ramsey and multiple races with Rockaround, Quixotic, Double Found, Topeador, and Double Redouble.
Daughter of Dorothy Kepler and Samuel Hamilton Rogers Fred, Smithwick graduated from St. Catherine’s School in Richmond, Virginia, and Vassar College. Married to the late Hall of Fame trainer Mikey Smithwick, she is survived by sons, D.M. ‘Speedy’ Smithwick Jr. and Roger Smithwick and granddaughters Kathy and Patricia Smithwick.
Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday, June 25 at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Middleburg. A reception at Sunny Bank Farm will follow the services. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Steeplechase Injured Jockey’s Fund (P.O. Box 270, Northville, NY 12134) or the Goose Creek Foundation (P.O. Box 1178, Middleburg, VA 20118).
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Posted by: Jackie Muzikar Graham, Saratoga Springs, NY on July 05, 2011 at 07:12 AM
I am saddened to hear about Mrs. Smithwick. Growing up in Saratoga we couldn't wait for August for "Speedy and Roger" to get here. Mrs. Smithwick welcomed all of us neighborhood children into her home and let us play at the stables. I'll never forget how nice she was and her beautiful smile...I still ride by and look at their old barn and memories come flooding back...Thank you...
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Posted by: Dianne De Franceaux Grod, Tucson, AZ on June 20, 2011 at 03:07 PM
Very sorry to hear of the passing of another great legend in the Equestrian world !
My condolenses to the family.
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