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 of the Chapman family, the PTHA, PHBA, PARX and racing fans all over the world, we wish to thank the Hall of Fame nominating committee for selecting Smarty Jones to be a 2025 finalist for the Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Everybody at Parx and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania is proud of our brilliant Pennsylvania bred Kentucky Derby and Preakness champion, a horse that captured the hearts and imagination of millions of people in the United States and around the world. As the voters consider Smarty's candidacy, we would like to thank them for their due diligence.”
–Bob Hutt, President, PTHA
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