Horseracing 'will never be the same' without ‘Bob’ & ‘Mileage’- Lesmore Smith
Rodney A. Simmonds aka ‘Mileage’ was shot to death at his Threadfall residence on February 5, 2021, while Earl D. Hodge aka ‘Bob’ was gunned down at his home in Hannah’s Estate on February 9, 2021.
Police have said the homicides are unrelated.
Rodney A. Simmonds aka ‘Mileage’
Simmonds, a businessman who part-owned The Boys Gas Station and The Boys Stable with Enos Z. Aaron, owned many respectable horses over the years, including Apollo Sky, which won the 2014 Boxing Day feature race, leaving Chilean Boy and Governor’s Cup champ Swag Daddy in its wake.
From his first horse “Mr Work”, Simmonds owned several horses, including Chovanes, Leave It To Bern, East End Tap, Broken Home, Special Counsel, and Stevens Got Better, Wrol Up among others.
The late Mr Simmonds will be laid to rest tomorrow, March 13, 2021 at Sea Cows Bay Burial Ground, following funeral service at New Life Baptist Church.
A Remembrance Viewing Ceremony was held today, March 12, 2021, for the late Mr Simmonds at Ellis Thomas Downs in Sea Cows Bay.
Legendary horse owner Earl D. Hodge aka ‘Bob’
The late Mr Hodge, along with his wife Violet Hodge aka ‘Letty’, famously owned L and B Stables, which had some of the best horses in the Greater Virgin Islands.
Two legendary horses owned by Mr Hodge were Actspectation and Really Uptown. Other horses included Lake Texoma, Doughmaker and Ugly Betty.
Actspectation dominated horse racing in the Greater Virgin Islands in the early 2000s and famously amassed a 19-race winning streak.
Actspectation also won the Premier’s Cup in the VI five times between 2001 and 2005 and also captured the Governor’s Cup in the US Virgin Islands.
Really Uptown famously won the Triple Crown in 2013, taking all three races and also won the Governor’s Cup the same year.
Mr Hodge and his wife also sponsored races while Mrs Hodge also served as a President of the VI Horse Owners Association.
Mr Hodge will be laid to rest on Saturday, March 20, 2021, according to reports reaching our newsroom.
‘Bob’ & ‘Mileage’ had a passion for the sport- Lesmore Smith
Meanwhile, the tremendous contribution to horseracing in the Virgin Islands by Mr Simmonds and Mr Hodge; however, can never be forgotten.
According to the President of the VI Horse Racing Association Mr Lesmore Smith, horseracing will never be the same without the two deceased horseracing aficionados.
He said the two gentlemen made a “tremendous impact” on the horseracing industry because they really had the passion and the love for the sport.
“It wasn’t about anything else but the love for the sport and trying to keep it highly promoted and alive within the Virgin Islands so the people can come out and enjoy themselves to a tradition that we ourselves came and met, that our fore parents left,” Mr Smith told Virgin Islands News Online.
‘Unfortunate’
He said Mr Simmonds and Mr Hodge wanted to make sure the sport stayed alive for generations to come. “Their untimely death was very much unfortunate…it is tragic. They will be dearly missed,” Mr Smith lamented.
The horse owner, businessman and administrator also expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and to the horse racing fraternity in the Virgin Islands and US Virgin Islands.
“It wouldn’t be the same, it will never be the same. Those were two household names in the communities, here and overseas,” an emotional Smith told Virgin Islands News Online.
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14 Responses to “Horseracing 'will never be the same' without ‘Bob’ & ‘Mileage’- Lesmore Smith”
Rip mileage and bob