The Smarty Jones Stakes is a Grade III American

Thoroughbred horse race Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...

for three years olds, over a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt track held annually in early September at

Parx Casino and Racing Parx Casino and Racing (formerly Philadelphia Park Racetrack and Casino) is a thoroughbred horse racing venue and the largest casino gaming complex in Pennsylvania. Parx is located in Bensalem Township in Bucks County, northeast of the city of P ...

racetrack in

Bensalem, Pennsylvania Bensalem Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The township borders the northeastern section of Philadelphia and includes the communities of Andalusia, Bensalem, Bridgewater, Cornwells Heights, Eddington, Flushing, Oakford, Sil ...

. The event currently carries a purse of $300,000.

History

The race was inaugurated in 2010 with an attractive purse offered of $300,000 as a preparatory race for the

Grade I In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

Pennsylvania Derby The Pennsylvania Derby is a race for thoroughbred horses run at Parx Racing and Casino (formerly known as Keystone Race Track, then from 1986 through 2010 as Philadelphia Park) each year. The track's premiere event is open to horses, age three, a ...

where the winner was given automatic entry. The event is named in honor of the 2004

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

and

Preakness Stakes The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...

winner, and hometown Pennsylvania hero

Smarty Jones Smarty Jones (February 28, 2001) is a champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes and came second in the Belmont Stakes. Background Born at Fairthorne Farm in Chester County, Pennsylvania, the horse was ...

. Originally the distance of the event was set as 1 mile and 70 yards but was extended in 2016 to the current distance of miles. In 2020 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United States The COVID-19 pandemic in the United States is a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the Uni ...

, Parx Racing did not schedule the event.

Records

Speed record: * miles – 1:42.27 - Pavel (2017) * 1 mile and 70 yards – 1:40.89 - Wilburn (2011) Margins: * 7 lengths – Awesome Slew (2016) Most wins by a

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

*2 – Paco Lopez: (2016, 2019) *2 – Joe Bravo: (2014, 2018) *2 –

Florent Geroux Florent Geroux (born July 16, 1986) is a jockey who has earned over 1,700 wins in American thoroughbred horse racing, including the 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic on Gun Runner, two Breeders' Cup Distaff wins with Monomoy Girl, and the 2021 Kentucky ...

: (2021, 2022) Most wins by a trainer: * 2 – Steven M. Asmussen: (2010, 2011) * 2 –

Brad H. Cox Brad H. Cox (born March 3, 1980) is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer whose most notable horses include multiple Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl, Knicks Go, Covfefe, Mandaloun, and Essential Quality. He had four winners at the 2020 Breeders' C ...

: (2021, 2022) Most wins by an owner * No owner won this race more than once

Winners

References

{{reflist, 2 Graded stakes races in the United States Horse races in Pennsylvania Grade 3 stakes races in the United States Recurring sporting events established in 2010 Parx Casino and Racing 2010 establishments in Pennsylvania Flat horse races for three-year-olds