SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – As is the case virtually every year, it was standing room only for the annual induction ceremony for the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, “racing’s annual lovefest,” as retired track announcer and master of ceremonies Tom Durkin dubbed it.
As he opened the ceremony, Durkin asked how many of those in attendance were from Philadelphia. A roar went up from those who had traveled five hours to celebrate hometown hero Smarty Jones, many decked out in his racing colors. One fan wore a Philadelphia Flyers jersey with “Jones 04,” the year the colt won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Another group draped a “Smarty Party” banner from the second-floor balcony of Fasig-Tipton’s Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion.
“Wecome to the Spa!” Durkin bellowed.
The Philadelphia faithful made up part of the full house from all corners of the globe, with Smarty Jones the only contemporary inductee among seven horses and people making up the Class of 2025 for the Hall of Fame, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. Nearly 30 previously inducted Hall of Famers were in attendance and recognized at Friday’s ceremony. Many will participate in free fan events at the museum itself and at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday.
But despite the jubilant crowd, several metaphorical empty seats loomed large, as the museum and the racing community experienced several major losses during the last year. Recognized with a moment of silence were owner and philanthropist John Hendrickson, chairman of the board of the National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame at the time of his death last August at age 59; veteran journalist and racing historian Ed Bowen, a Museum trustee and chair of the Hall of Fame nominating committee, among other roles, who died in January at age 82; Keeneland icon and Hall of Fame Pillar of the Turf James “Ted” Bassett, who died in January at 103; legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas, the Hall of Famer who died in June at age 89; and Saratoga mainstay Christophe Clement, who died in May at age 59.
Bowen was among this year’s inductees as a Pillar of the Turf, which honors people who have made extraordinary contributions to the Thoroughbred industry.
“I’m not sure I’m going to make it through this,” wife Ruthie Bowen said as she took the stage, accompanied by her children. But Ruthie Bowen indeed made it through, voice wavering only slightly with emotion as she spoke of Ed Bowen’s lifelong love for, roles within, and connections within the sport.
“Somewhere between reading the ‘Black Stallion’ books and watching the races televised from Hialeah, Ed fell in love with Thoroughbred racing and he never wavered,” she said. “He loved Thoroughbreds, he loved the people involved with Thoroughbreds.”
Also inducted this year as Pillars of the Turf were Richard Ten Broeck, a colorful racehorse and racetrack owner of the 19th century, and Stone Farm proprietor Arthur B. Hancock III.
“To be honored and to follow in the footsteps of my father and grandfather is indeed a profound and humbling experience,” Hancock, from a legendary racing family, said after donning his new navy Hall of Fame blazer. “Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”
Hancock took the stage as, adjacent to the pavilion, the consignment of his Stone Farm was already in full swing showing horses and preparing for next week’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale, a living illustration of his ongoing activity in the sport. Among family members and clients, Hancock also thanked “the hard-working and dedicated men and women of Stone Farm” for his success.
“If you take care of the horse, the horse will take care of you,” he added.
Stone Farm stood the legendary sire Halo, whose son Sunday Silence, raised at the farm, went on to become a breed-shaping sire in Japan, helping to lift that industry into international prominence. Masayoshi Yoshida, president and CEO of the Japan Racing Assocation, made a surprise appearance at Friday’s induction ceremony to recognize Hancock for his role in that renaissance.
Shelley Ten Broeck was on hand to accept for her late great-great-uncle.
“Over the years, only a handful of stories made the way down through the family,” she said. “But even with those few details, one thing is clear – he left a lasting impression on the world of horse racing. . . . He helped shape the sport in its early days, and thought far beyond the track.”
A historic review committee focusing on the years 1900 to 1959 chose for induction this year the champion racehorses Decathlon and Hermis, who between them won 32 stakes, and trainer George H. Conway, best known for training 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral. Hall of Fame historian Michael Veitch accepted the honors for Conway and Hermis. Breeder Alfred Nuckols, who is several generations removed from the members of the Nuckols family who bred Decathlon, accepted for that champion.
After the walk down memory lane, boisterous applause rose again as owner and breeder Pat Chapman, trainer John Servis, and jockey Stewart Elliott prepared to take the stage to accept the Hall of Fame plaque for Smarty Jones, who won eight of nine starts, including that 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. His only loss, of course, came in the Belmont Stakes when he was run down late in his bid for the Triple Crown.
After sitting shoulder to shoulder watching a highlight reel of the career of the now-24-year-old stallion, who resides back in Pennsylvania, his connections walked to the stage together, Pat Chapman stepping up to the microphone with a bouquet of flowers in her arms.
“Oh, wow,” she said. “I’ve forgotten everything I was thinking about. It’s unbelievable to be standing here today. . . . There are way too many people to be thanked who have helped bring this day to us.”
Chapman recognized the fans of Smarty Jones, as did Servis and Elliott.
“Smarty Jones wasn’t just a champion, he was a horse who captured the imagination of racing fans everywhere,” Servis said. “Beyond his talent, Smarty Jones had something even more special, which was his connection to people. He wasn’t just a racehorse, he was a hero. Whether it was his rags-to-riches story, his blue-collar roots, or the way he fought every step of the way, fans saw themselves in him.”
Chapman also recognized another metaphorically empty seat in the room. Her husband, Roy Chapman, died in 2006 after battling emphysema, just a few years after Smarty Jones made the dreams of his breeders come true.
“I’m so sorry ‘Chappy’ is not here to enjoy this with us,” Pat Chapman said. “He would be loving and cherishing every minute of it. But he’s here in my heart. He’s always here in my heart.”
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