From Bob Hutt
Let me preface my remarks as President of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) by saying I am humbled and honored that Smarty Jones was made a finalist for the Hall of Fame.
Smarty Jones was the first horse unbeaten through the Kentucky Derby and Preakness since Seattle Slew in 1977. Justify and Seattle Slew are the only horses to win the Triple Crown while unbeaten.
Smarty's run through the 2004 Triple Crown races compares very favorably with Triple Crown winners American Pharoah and Justify. In fact, Smarty Jones's Beyer figures for the Kentucky Derby and Preakness were better. Smarty got a 107 Beyer in the Derby and a 118 in the Preakness when he won by 11 1/2 lengths, the largest margin in the race's history. American Pharoah got a 102 in the Derby and a 105 in the Preakness. Justify got a 103 in the Derby and a 97 in the Preakness.
In 2004, “Smarty Fever” was rampant as he was even nominated by Time magazine for Person Of The Year, its highest honor. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
Smarty Jones was so popular by the Belmont Stakes that a record 120,000 fans came to see him run that day at Belmont Park. What happened during the running of the race will be debated for decades. The bottom line was that Smarty ran a courageous race from the start and was just one length short of a perfect nine-for-nine/Triple Crown-winning career.
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