Overheated horse cools off in Tampa infield lake

[dellinger63]

Many years ago at AP, on a red hot Saturday with the paddock packed with kiddies, JR Smith Jr was just starting out. Not sure who's horse it was either Dee Poulos or Emagene Schwan's went down in the saddling stall. I think it was the shorter of the two trainers but she ran out to the center of the paddock and the crowd gasped as they thought the horse had just died right there. Jr. jumped the railing and grabbed two ice bags from a near by beer cart, jumped back over the railing and put them on the horse's neck and as he hosed the horse off it rose up, shaked a bit and of course was scratched. I know JR's horse didn't win the race. And the cheers the crowd gave AFTER he came back thru the paddock after losing the race made it one of those times that you can't ever forget.