She wins $200K on beloved t’bred, later buys him

Smalltownman heads to the winners’s circle with Jackie Acksel.

Smalltownman heads to the winners’s circle with Jackie Acksel.

Borrowing a friend’s old jockey saddle, Jackie Acksel, a middle-aged mother of two, swung onto the back of the luckless racehorse and folded into traffic heading toward the starting gate at Delaware Park.

Ignoring the gentle ribbing of stewards yelling, “Don’t fall off!” the one-time jockey set her legs into an unnaturally cramped angle caused by leathers that were too short, and piloted Smalltownman to the scene of his comeback.

It was August 2011 and just a month earlier, Smalltownman had put in a poor performance at Parx Racetrack in Pennsylvania. And as she watched from the sidelines as the 17.2 athlete failed to hit the board, Acksel knew he was better than what she was seeing that day; she decided to take matters into her own strong hands.

Smalltownman
Sire: Sultry Song
Dam: Sistine Light
Foal date: March 19, 2006
Earnings: $258,722
The longtime exercise rider and former jockey, age 45 at the time, convinced Smalltownman’s connections to let her, a retiree of 15 years, return to the saddle and try piloting Smalltownman to victory.

A plan that at first blush must have seemed far-fetched soon gained ground as she argued her point: She knew the horse better than anybody; and when she exercised him on the track she got a great response. Convincing the connections at Nycoon Racing that after spending many hours in the animal’s company, grooming him, lavishing treats and attention on him, that she knew how he ticked.

Four weeks later, she was on her way.

When the gate flew open that August day, the pair got off to a solid start, but at the end, with her physical strength flagging, her legs wobbly and painful in the cramped position, the two only managed a respectable second place.

Still, it was a comeback. And from that point on, they went on to win approximately $200,000 together before he was claimed away in March 2013.

Acksel is reunited with Smalltownman.

Acksel is reunited with Smalltownman.

“I’ve won a lot of races in my life on horses that got claimed later. It never bothered me. But that day, the day Smalltown got claimed, I walked back to the jocks room, and I was crying,” she says. “He got claimed four times after we had him, and I always worried about whether he’d be OK.”

Feeling like she’d abandoned the animal who earned so much for her family and his owners, she doggedly pursued every new owner and made the same offer: if Smalltownman didn’t work out, for whatever reason, she’d buy him back.

Finally, last month, she got the call she’d been hoping for. His last owner agreed to sell him back for half of what he’d paid to buy him, and although he wasn’t actually worth that much, she willingly paid it.

“I went to see him at his barn so we could make arrangements for transportation, and as soon as I walked in he started hollering at me like he used to,” she says. “He started kissing me, and he remembered me, and everything I taught him, like how to bow.”

“Getting him back was the best thing,” Acksel says, noting that this horse had put food on their table, and gave her the courage to climb back in the jockey’s saddle. A feat that has earned him a permanent place in her family.

Author’s Note: This story was originally published on Oct. 17, 2013.

11 responses to “She wins $200K on beloved t’bred, later buys him”

  1. merasmag

    SO WHERE IS HE NOW?

  2. Carol

    A beautiful ending for a great athlete who gave his all. Too many others just like him finish their days at the slaughter house.

  3. Patricia Baldwin

    Great story. This makes my heart sing to hear that this horse will have a forever home!

  4. Lori Ann Koestler

    So happy, Jackie, that You and Smalltown, are together, again… 🙂

  5. jayne

    this is so great! and really makes me miss riding..

  6. Susan

    This is what SHOULD happen when a race horse retires, not a trip to the slaughter house!

  7. Elizabeth G.

    What a beautiful story. It has everything – courage, love, hope and the thrill of the racetrack – it should be made into a film.
    It also shows that the racing industry can function in an ethical way when good people put the horse first. Let’s hope that Jackie’s success on the track inspires a more compassionate approach to racing and that Smalltownman has a long and happy retirement that continues to enrich her life.

  8. Ann Taylor

    Love — that’s it — obviously mutual and totally wonderful!! Many thanks for this story :-)!!

  9. Don Martello

    This warms my heart, horses always remember the ones who truly cared for them. I had a rider who rode for me four years she was hands on. After a fifteen year absence she came to NC to visit and yes he was so excited to see her he couldn’t contain himself. Great story!

  10. Michelle Y.

    Ah, a wonderful story about someone who cared enough about this horse to stay on top of where he was.

  11. Karen Rider

    Awesome – thanks for sharing. Nothing beats a bond with a special horse.

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