Smarty Jones

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...

Smarty Jones (Elusive Quality), winner of the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Preakness Stakes, leads a class of seven who will be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Friday morning. The champion 3-year-old of 2004, the lone selection in the contemporary category, joins racehorses Decathlon, Hermis and trainer George H. Conway, who were chosen by the 1900-1959 Historic Review Committee; and Edward L. Bowen, Arthur Hancock, III, and Richard Ten Broeck, who were elected by the Pillars of the Turf Committee. The induction...

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame continues to mark their 75th anniversary with several special Hall of Fame-themed events coinciding with the annual induction weekend celebration Aug. 1-2. Kicking off the festivities will be the traditional Hall of Fame induction ceremony held Friday, Aug. 1. The inductions will take place at Fasig-Tipton with doors open to the public at 9:30 a.m. and the ceremony starting at 10:30 a.m. The event is free to attend, but seating is limited. The 2025 Hall of Fame class is comprised of...

Seven new members have been elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, headed by Smarty Jones, a finalist for the first time and featured on these pages this week. Additionally, Kentucky-breds Decathlon and Hermis and trainer George H. Conway have been chosen by the 1900-1959 Historic Review Committee; and Edward L. Bowen, Arthur B. Hancock III, and Richard Ten Broeck have been elected by the Pillars of the Turf Committee. In the contemporary category, Pennsylvania-bred Smarty Jones was the lone candidate to appear on the majority...

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...

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,...

In the wake of Smarty Jones's first appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot, announced Thursday, the Pennsylania Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, Bob Hutt, issued a statement indicating how meaningful the nomination was to the organizations around the state. Roy and Patricia Chapman's champion three-year-old of 2004 won his first eight races, including the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, before falling a length short in the Belmont Stakes, where a record 120,000 people turned out to see him bid for the Triple Crown. He was retired after that race. "On behalf...

Groupie Doll, Smarty Jones, and Ken McPeek have been nominated to the Hall of Fame as finalists for the first time, according to a press release Thursday morning from the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. They were among the eight racehorses, seven trainers, and one jockey who accounted for the 16 finalists that will comprise the National Museum of Racing's 2025 Hall of Fame ballot, as chosen by the Museum's Hall of Fame Nominating Committee. The finalists are racehorses Blind Luck, Game On Dude, Groupie Doll, Havre...

Already a two-time stakes winner with 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby in his possession, Coal Battle doubled that total Saturday and made it three in a row with a strong win in Saturday's Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park. Clearly a horse that can take his track with him (he's now made six starts over six different surfaces and on slop, mud, grass and fast going), the son of MGSW Coal Front jumped up last time out to upset the Remington Springboard Mile Dec. 13 at...

Trainer Steve Asmussen won his 19th Chuck Taliaferro Award as Remington Park's leading trainer following the conclusion of the meet over the weekend. Asmussen's assistant, Pablo Ocampo, handles the string at Remington as the pair posted 60 wins during the meet while grossing $1,681,617 in earnings. Asmussen was also the only trainer to win four races on one program this season, accomplishing the quadruple on Springboard Mile Night, the final race card of the meet. He had 16 training doubles this season and also posted one training triple. Asmussen's first-call...