Washington, DC — Former Roosevelt, Yonkers and Meadowlands trainer Mel Smorra died Sept. 27, 2023, after a long illness. He was 82.
Mr. Smorra was born on November 30, 1941, in the Bronx, N.Y. He developed his love for horses as a youngster in the Bronx at the Van Cortlandt Park Riding Academy. After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School in 1958, Smorra began his Standardbred career at Roosevelt Raceway under Jimmy Wingfield and later spent two years working in Ohio.
In 1962, Mr. Smorra joined the John Chapman Stable and was the head trainer for 19 years until Chapman’s untimely death in 1980, and afterwards opened his own public stable. Some of the horses Mel was associated with include international champions Delmonica Hanover and Savoir, and free-for-all pacers Tarport Hap and Wizard Almahurst.
Funeral arrangements will be published as they become available. The family, through Mel’s ex-wife, Sue Nulton, has set up a GoFundMe account to help cover some of the costs with the funeral expenses.