On Cusp of Hall of Fame Decision, Smarty Jones Remains ‘Ultimate Ride for the Dreamers’

[Wandering Eyes]

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 be able to be properly quantified, but it was very special,” said Jessica Paquette, the current race caller at Parx. Smarty Jones was based at the Parx property, formerly known as Philadelphia Park, and made his first two career starts there.

“It's my understanding Smarty Jones truly saved horse racing in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” added Paquette.

Rodney Eckenrode, who now stands the 24-year-old at his Equistar Training and Breeding near Annville, Pennsylvania, agrees.

“It was one of the most amazing stories in racing. Believe me, the Cody's Wish story was amazing in itself, but this was the same kind of deal where Smarty Jones reached across the rail to bring in non-racing people to the community.

“He is responsible for Pennsylvania getting slot machines. He changed the sport in the state. All that was in legislation when he was on the Derby trail. Governor [Ed] Rendell went to all his races. There was so much energy and buzz about him; it was just amazing.”

Smarty Jones shows off at Equistar last month | Sarah Andrew

Pat Chapman, who bred and raced Smarty Jones with her late husband Roy, summed it up.

“This is the horse that just keeps giving, time and time again. I still hear people, who are now in the racing world, say, 'I got involved because of Smarty Jones. He was the first racehorse I fell in love with and he's why I follow racing.' I still hear that, time and time again.”

The Smarty Jones story is a Pennsylvania story through and through. From the second crop of Elusive Quality, Smarty Jones was foaled in Pennsylvania, was based in the state throughout his racing career, and despite forays out to stand at two different farms in Kentucky and to shuttle to Uruguay, he is back home in Pennsylvania, less than two hours from Parx.

Philadelphia is well known for sports passion, particularly when it comes to underdogs. The fictional Rocky may have introduced the Philadelphia zeal for an underdog to the wider world, but Smarty Jones lived it in real life.

“Some people say it's the name–Smarty Jones was foaled on my mother's birthday and it was her nickname–other people say he came along at a time we were in dire straits,” said Chapman. “The world was not going as we would like it at the time–a couple of years before was 9/11 and we were at war with Afghanistan–and he came along and made a lot of people feel good. When he kept winning races, the momentum grew. A lot of people claim he's their sports hero.”

Smarty Jones and Rodney Eckenrode | Sarah Andrew

Longshots aside, Smarty Jones was as unlikely a GI Kentucky Derby favorite and winner as can be found. The Chapmans, small-time breeders, were getting out of the sport after their regular trainer, Robert Camac, who had also trained Smarty Jones's dam, was murdered. Smarty Jones was one of only two horses they retained. His racing career was in doubt as the colt fractured his skull in a starting gate incident as a 2-year-old and nearly lost his eye.

“We had murder and intrigue involved with this horse and then he had his accident in the starting gate,” remembered Chapman. “He reared up and shattered his skill. He almost lost his eye and it would have been his rail eye. All of those things came together just to make a remarkable hero when he began winning those races and everybody got on the bandwagon. That wagon got bigger and bigger.”

Without Camac, who had always trained for the Chapmans and helped them pick out Smarty Jones's dam as a yearling, the couple went to a young trainer based at Philadelphia Park, John Servis, and used a Philadelphia Park-based jockey, Stewart Elliott. Neither Servis nor Elliott had ever participated in the Derby. It was not a recipe for success on the biggest stage in racing.

However, Smarty Jones wasn't an average horse. He overcame all the setbacks and challenges, growing more and more popular as he reeled off six straight wins on his way to entering the Derby starting gate undefeated. There was just something about his catchy name and humble roots that served to transcend racing and capture the public's imagination. Even Sports Illustrated pictured him on the cover.

“It's a little bit of 'a good horse can come from anywhere'-type deal,” said Eckenrode. “People rallied behind him because he was a local hero, a local horse on the rise, if you will. The Chapmans lived the ultimate dream. They were small breeders, saw him on the ultrasound for the first time and he went from their paddock to the greatest stage in racing. It was the ultimate ride for the dreamers. People expect a horse like this to come from Kentucky, to come from Baffert's barn. To come out of Philadelphia Park, it tells the small people that you can do this.”

All alone in the stretch of the 2004 Preakness | Bill Denver/Equi-Photo

Everyone knows the story: Smarty Jones was the first unbeaten colt to take the Derby since Seattle Slew in 1977. He then captured the GI Preakness Stakes by 11 1/2 lengths, still the biggest margin in Preakness history, and Smarty mania turned into a frenzy. A record crowd of 120,000 turned up at the GI Belmont Stakes, but the Triple Crown was not to be. He finished second to Birdstone.

Paquette was one of the 120,000 in attendance that day.

“As a sporting fan, I've never to this day felt an arena or stadium or anything go silent the way Belmont Park did that day,” she remembered.

“I was a member of 'Kids to the Cup,'” Paquette said, referencing a national youth organization at the time that served to introduce young people to racing, “and one of my really vivid memories with Kids to the Cup is watching the Belmont at Belmont Park. It was one of the formulative racing experiences of my life.”

Smarty Jones suffered some bone bruising and didn't race again, retiring with a career record of 8-1-0 from nine starts and an Eclipse Award as the champion 3-year-old colt, but his story doesn't end there. No, he hasn't set the world on fire as a sire, although he's been very useful with 12 graded winners among his 32 black-type winners and 75% winners from starters. His progeny have included a champion in Uruguay and 2013 GI Triple Bend Handicap winner Centralinteligence.

John Servis, left, with Roy and Pat Chapman | Equi-Photo

“The most important thing for people to know is that if recovery from addictions wasn't possible, there wouldn't have been a Smarty Jones,” said Chapman. “My husband and I met because we were both in recovery from serious problems with alcohol. Later, we found out our jockey [Stewart Elliott] was also in recovery from addiction. And since then, I have a son in recovery.”

Chapman continued, “Addiction to drugs and alcohol runs rampant through the horse racing world, but recovery is possible. We have so many trainers, jockeys, hot walkers, and other people involved in the racing world who have reached out and shared their recovery stories because of Smarty Jones.”

Whether Smarty Jones inspired an addict or a child or someone in between, he brought the Sport of Kings to everyday people in the days when racing syndicates were still more of the exception than the norm and micro-share partnerships hadn't even been invented yet. The people of Pennsylvania felt he was theirs. Their enthusiasm for this horse was infectious as racing fans sprouted up all over America due to Smarty Jones. It was a magical phenomenon and an electrical cultural impact that is rarely seen, impossible to predict, and unable to be counted.

Smarty Jones at Equistar Training and Breeding | Sarah Andrew

“It has been an amazing ride,” said Eckenrode, who has cared for the chestnut since just before the 2019 breeding season. “We just feel blessed to be part of this whole journey with this horse. He is still a sports hero to so many people. Most people think of basketball or football players, but this horse is a lot of people's sport hero.

“It's always kind of the same story. 'This horse got me into horse racing' or 'I follow racing because of Smarty.' During that Derby run, it was an amazing movement here in Pennsylvania. You couldn't turn on the t.v. or watch the news without hearing about him. It was a crazy, but good, frenzy that was going on. The kids in the schools were doing Smarty coloring contests. There was so much energy at that time, it was unbelievable.”

Eckenrode said even now, 21 years after his Derby win, Smarty Jones still has an impact.

“People walk up to his stall and they just start crying. They're so overwhelmed to see him. People come from all over the place just to see him. We had a gentleman fly here from Japan last year. We have a couple that comes from Alaska two or three times a year. There's another girl who is in her mid- to late-teens now with a long list of health problems who comes about once a year to see him.”

Smarty Jones at 24 | Sarah Andrew

He said the horse has an uncanny knowledge of how best to treat people with physical or emotional challenges. Eckenrode said Smarty Jones “gets the softest look in his eye” and allows people to stroke him as they weep.

“He'll come up to the bars in his stall, park himself parallel to the wall, and just sit there and go to sleep. It's like he knows. It's an odd deal. He's very intelligent.

“He's a really, really neat horse. Even aside from the race record, he's just one of those special horses.”

Chapman, who said one of her favorite things is to talk about Smarty Jones, has known from the early days that there was something different about Smarty Jones. Now widowed, she lives in a retirement community in Florida and has become something of a celebrity among the other residents as people find out she is the owner of Smarty Jones. She marvels at how, 21 years after his Triple Crown campaign, he remains a topic of conversation.

“I remember John Servis telling me, 'These good horses have the 'it factor' and I thought, 'What is the it factor?' John said they walk out of the stall and puff out their chest as if to say, 'Here I am,' and I thought, 'That is Smarty! That's what he does.' I'm getting goose bumps even as I say it now. He still does that,” said Chapman.

“We knew we had a special horse when he went into very early training, but we were thinking stakes races. Never the Kentucky Derby! It was unbelievable. This horse was so special and I had such mixed feelings to be on the Derby trail because it's such a grueling period. He ran nine races from November to June. That's a huge campaign, but even a workout was like a race for him [because he put so much into it]. He was such a wonderful competitor.”

People turned out in droves to see Smarty Jones gallop | Horsephotos

Eckenrode, who was then extensively showing in the Arabian horse world, also remembers that time and had no idea he'd be part of the horse's story someday.

“You couldn't turn the news on at that time without hearing about Smarty, so we followed it and it was just amazing at every step. Here's this horse: he wins, he wins again, he wins again. Eight for nine with a second is pretty impressive. Now, looking back at his stats and his speed figures, you realize he was just a monster.”

Paquette also marvels at the Smarty effect.

“What you really see is how many people he inspired to get involved in racing. There were so many young people that fell in love with racing who got exposed to it because of him, especially in Philadelphia because it's such a great sports market. Many became fans or horseplayers or owners or work in racing in some capacity.”

When asked if she could see any concrete evidence at Parx that showed the continued impact of Smarty Jones, she said simply, “It exists. Philadelphia Park back then would not have necessarily survived without expanded gaming and Smarty Jones happened right at the perfect time to help show how important Thoroughbred racing was to the state.”

Eckenrode said after he met with Mrs. Chapman about standing Smarty Jones, he was nervous when the gravity of the responsibility for this charismatic horse hit him when the horse van pulled up. Chapman had described what the horse meant to people and how people sometimes react when they see him, as well as how important it was to her that the horse would be available to the public.

“I knew he was a great horse and I respected him tremendously, but I got to tell you, I never dreamt at that time that this horse would be one of those special horses. I figured we were not going to retrain a [then] 18-year-old horse. We just needed to figure out how to get along with him. Some horses will allow you to be a part of them and some won't, but he and I get along pretty darn good. We're pretty good buds.”

Smarty Jones and Eckenrode share a laugh | Sarah Andrew

Smarty Jones remains hale and hearty at age 24, said Eckenrode.

“He looks very, very youthful. If somebody told you he was 12, you'd believe them. He just looks great. He's still going strong, still breeding well. He's also full of personality. He's still coltish, kind of ornery, but it's all bluff. I joke that if he could talk, he would sound like Eddie Murphy. He looks amazing, but the reality is he's 24 years old. You just never know, so we want to enjoy him.”

Humorously, Eckenrode said Smarty Jones has one item of kryptonite.

“Nobody believes it unless they see it, but this horse is so intelligent. We have people come to his stall a couple of times a week, but the people that bring up the Belmont, this horse will turn his head and look away from them. I swear he knows.”

Chapman, who kept the majority share of Smarty Jones when he was originally syndicated because “I didn't want him leaving the country or leaving my control,” has repurchased most of the shares and owns 95% of the horse. “I had wonderful syndicate members, but I've guarded him very carefully.”

She added, “I love that Smarty is where he is with Rodney. He is in the best possible place. I'm just so thrilled with the care and love and attention that Smarty gets.”

For her part, Chapman hasn't gotten out of the game. She still has nine horses, including two 2-year-olds in training, a 3-year-old daughter of Smarty Jones with Servis at the track “named Miss Jones, who has broken her maiden and is catching on,” and an Into Mischief broodmare, whom she breeds exclusively to Smarty Jones.

“I'm ever hopeful something is going to come out of it,” she said.

“I'm 83 and I plan to be around for a long time. I'm at the top of my game, I really don't think I've ever felt better.”

Smarty Jones and Eckenrode at Equistar | Sarah Andrew

Both Chapman and Eckenrode are eagerly awaiting the Hall of Fame news this week.

“I'm so pleased he's on the ballot,” said Chapman. “I am so hopeful, ever hopeful, that he's going to get in.”

Eckenrode echoes the same feelings, saying how much it would mean to everyone associated with Smarty Jones.

“It would just be the icing on the cake for Mrs. Chapman, John Servis, and his fans. I'm cautiously optimistic he gets in. I hope I'm not wrong, but I have a really good feeling about it.”

A new documentary about Smarty Jones, which was featured Saturday in the Philadelphia Film Society's SpringFest, can be seen here.

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