John Servis

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY--Late in the Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday, master of ceremonies Tom Durkin moved close to the microphone and declared it time for the "Smarty Party" to begin. The crowd that filled the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion for racing's annual feel-good day roared its approval. Within a few minutes, Smarty Jones (Elusive Quality), winner of the 2004 GI Kentucky Derby and the GI Preakness Stakes officially joined the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame. The Pennsylvania-bred had been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 2010, but...

Later this week, the 2025 class of inductees for the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame will be announced. Among the eight racehorses included as finalists on the ballot is 2004 dual Classic winner Smarty Jones (Elusive Quality). All eight of the horses have marvelous credentials--obviously, or they wouldn't be on the ballot--but if there was a Hall of Fame for the intangible, Smarty Jones would be a shoo-in at the top of the class. "I think there was this trickle-down effect in what he did that will never...

For all the incredible experiences Blane Servis remembers from when his father John campaigned champion Smarty Jones, there were a few less-than-comfortable memories too. Take, for instance, the time during Smarty Jones's run for the Triple Crown when Servis's school hosted a pep rally and made a teenaged Servis the guest of honor. As a self-described socially awkward kid, stepping into the spotlight felt a bit more like a nightmare than a celebration. In high school, Servis discovered that drinking was the easiest solution to overcoming his social anxiety. Later,...

Smarty Jones, the Pennsylvania-bred horse that captured the hearts of sports and horse fans across the world during his race for the Triple Crown in 2004, is the subject of a new 37-minute documentary titled 'Ride of a Lifetime: The Smarty Jones Story'. Following Smarty Jones being named a finalist for the National Museum of Racing's 2025 Hall of Fame last week, the documentary can be streamed for free exclusively on a newly-launched website. Filmed last year to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of Smarty Jones' Triple Crown run, the story...

Seven of the 11 directors of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) filed a legal response Monday that denied sweeping allegations of corruption and cronyism that were made last month by the PTHA's current president and another board member. Facing a petition in the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, that seeks to use a state business corporations law to remove those seven directors from the PTHA board, the respondents stated in their Oct. 21 filing that the petition should be denied "because it is both legally and...

At 84-1 odds, Boys and Bullets (Uptowncharlybrown) was lagging in 11th and last place nearing the quarter pole in last Wednesday's eighth race at Parx when 10-pound apprentice jockey Francisco Martinez patiently started picking off half the field. By the time Martinez set down his gelding at the eighth pole, Boys and Bullets was gathering momentum, but still five lengths behind the frontrunner. As the line loomed, the pack tightened. With a hustling hand ride Martinez gunned for an inside split, then deftly readjusted his aim for a better hole...

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among the key rulings from the last seven days, it appears once again that the rules barring intra-articular injections within seven days of a timed or reported workout are tripping up trainers, with one such case resolved and another three introduced to the "pending rulings" list. NEW HISA/HIWU STEWARDS RULINGS The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the HIWU's "pending" and "resolved" cases portals....

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from around the country. Among the key rulings from the last seven days, trainer Jaime Cruz has been suspended for 15-days--beginning on Nov. 21--after his runner, Animal Princess, tested positive post-race for Detomidine, which is used primarily as a sedative in horses. Detomidine is also labelled as an analgesic. Trainer Tanner Tracy has also been suspended for seven days--beginning Nov. 15--after a post-race sample from his trainee, Carry On, tested positive for...

Trainer Tom Morley admitted that he was doing a bit of a rain dance Thursday, and his prayers were answered when Friday's Coronation Cup was washed onto the Saratoga main track. Scratched down to a field of just four sophomore fillies, Unified Alliance (Unified) took full advantage while making her first start for Morley and the in-form Javier Castellano. Nicely into stride from gate three, the dark bay filly had early company to her inside in the form of Anna's Arabesque (Munnings), as odds-on L Street Lady (Munnings)--the lone main-track-only...

Members of the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association (PTHA) have selected horse owner and breeder Robert Hutt to serve as the new president of the organization. Bob Hutt is president and CEO of Uptowncharlybrown Stud, LLC, a Pennsylvania-based Thoroughbred breeder and management firm. Hutt has 37 years of experience as an owner and a breeder and is the lead sponsor of the PTHA's Turning for Home, the association's signature racehorse aftercare and placement program. "I am honored and thrilled to represent the horsemen at Parx," Hutt said. "As president of the...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale, which produced a day of brisk trade during Monday's first session, saw activity tick up another notch during a vibrant day of trade Tuesday in Lexington. "The first horse through the ring this morning brought six figures and the last horse through the ring brought six figures," said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. "There was brisk activity and great trade, literally from start to finish today. It was very similar to yesterday." Midway through the four-day auction, 524 yearlings have sold for $28,232,900....

Mischevious Alex (Into Mischief--White Pants Night, by Speightstown), the romping 5 1/2-length winner of this year's GI Carter H. at Aqueduct, will enter stud in 2022 at the Shizunai Stallion Station on the island of Hokkaido, according to a release from the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association (JBBA). Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, Mischevious Alex was a $75,000 Keeneland September yearling and was acquired privately by Charles Zacney's Cash Is King LLC after failing to meet his reserve at $140,000 at OBS April in 2019. A debut winner at Parx...