Stewart Elliott

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...

Steve Asmussen, Stewart Elliott and owner Richard Chandler lead their respective divisions at the conclusion of the 42-day meet at Sam Houston Race Park that wrapped up Sunday. Asmussen won his 17th training title at the northwest Houston racetrack. He was honored as top trainer here in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005; 2014 -2025. Asmussen started 210 runners, finishing with a record of 41 wins, 39 seconds, 24 thirds and earnings of $1,309,988. He added a record-setting sixth victory in Grade 3, $300, Houston Ladies Classic with Winchell Thoroughbred, LLC's...

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...

Florent Geroux, who won both graded stakes Saturday on the "Road to the Derby Day" card at Fair Grounds, earned 'Jockey of the Week' for January 13 through January 19 by a vote of the panel of racing experts.The weekly honor recognizes jockeys who are members of the Jockeys' Guild for significant riding accomplishments. Riding for Brad Cox, Geroux first guided Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) to victory in the GIII Louisiana Stakes and then took the GIII Lecomte Stakes aboard Disco Time (Not This Time) to close out the...

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...

Sam Houston Race Park concluded its 43-day Thoroughbred live racing season Sunday, Apr. 7. Heading the training ranks this season, Steve Asmussen notched his 16th title after receiving the honor in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005; 2014 -2024. Asmussen started 249 runners, finishing with a record of 48 wins, 36 seconds, 31 thirds and earnings of $1,260,342. R. Caldwell was second in the standings with 28 victories. Trainer Ronnie Cravens won 22 races and Sarah Davidson rounded out the top four conditioners with 19 winners. Jockey Stewart Elliott held off...

Steve Asmussen captured an unprecedented 18th training title at Remington Park, while Stewart Elliott won his first riding title at the Oklahoma track which concluded its 2023 meeting Saturday. "All the credit goes to [assistant trainer at Remington Park] Pablo [Ocampo]," Asmussen said Friday night when he was on hand as Otto the Conqueror earned 10 Kentucky Derby points with his by win in the Springboard Mile. Asmussen also won the GIII Oklahoma Derby with How Did He Do That earlier in the meet. "Pablo deserves it for all 18...

Jockey Stewart Elliott picked up his second leading rider title at Sam Houston Race Park as the meet wrapped up its 50-day stand Saturday. Elliott had the support of trainer Steve Asmussen, riding first call for the Hall of Fame conditioner as he piloted 296 mounts, winning 62 races with earnings of $1,490,006. The successful union between Elliott and Asmussen began in Houston two years ago and has continued at Lone Star Park and Remington Park. "I have to thank Steve Asmussen and all the owners and trainers who gave...

The 25th season of Thoroughbred racing at Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie just outside of Dallas concluded July 11 with handle figures their largest since 2006. The figures do not include last year's pandemic season. Daily merged (i.e. live, on-track plus export) handle totaled $1,693,866 for the 48-day meet, while a daily average of $1,459,096 in export handle. On-track fans wagered $234,770 daily, the most since 2018. Average daily attendance on weekends and holidays for the meet was just over 4,000 per day, just a 4% decline from 2019....