Two stars of the Mid-Atlantic turf could soon reach even greater heights.

Maryland-based trainer Graham Motion and Pennsylvania-bred and dual classic winner Smarty Jones are among the finalists for the Racing Hall of Fame.

Born in the U.K., Motion and his family relocated to the United States when he was 16 due to his father’s work in the industry. He followed suit, serving as assistant to trainers Jonathan Sheppard and Bernie Bond before setting off on his own in 1993.

His stable, which is based at Fair Hill near Elkton, Maryland, found its first taste of success with Gala Spinaway, who won three stakes races for Motion in his first year as head trainer, including the then-Grade 3 Polynesian Handicap at Pimlico.

“I inherited him from my previous boss [Bernie Bond], and he helped put me on the map,” he says. “When you start winning stakes races, it catches people’s eye.”

But the horse that truly brought him into the big leagues, Motion says, was Better Talk Now, whose longshot win in the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Turf garnered international attention. Three more Breeders’ Cup victories have followed: Main Sequence in the 2014 Turf, Shared Account in the 2010 Filly & Mare Turf, and her daughter Sharing in the 2019 Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Then, in 2011, Animal Kingdom captured the Kentucky Derby, giving Motion his first classic win. Nearly two years later, Motion trained the chestnut champion to a comeback victory in the Dubai World Cup.

That win, plus his showing in his first Breeders’ Cup Saturday with Better Talk Now and Film Maker (who was second in the Filly & Mare Turf), are two moments he’ll never forget.

“Bringing Animal Kingdom back and winning the World Cup was incredibly rewarding, because so much went into it,” says Motion.

Other stars of his stable over the years include Grade 1 winners Miss Temple City, Ring Weekend, and Trikari, as well as Belmont Stakes runner-up Irish War Cry.

As he closes in on 2,800 wins and $158 million in lifetime earnings, both marks he should reach this year, the trainer continues to plan and look forward to the seasons ahead – and remains thankful for the opportunities he’s had along the way.

“It’s not anything I ever imagined would happen in my career,” says Motion. “You don’t get into it thinking you’ll end up winning the Derby and entering the Hall of Fame. It’s very gratifying.”

“GREAT CREDENTIALS“

Among this year’s equine finalists is the plucky Smarty Jones, whose rise to fame and Triple Crown run captured hearts across the nation just over two decades ago. 

If inducted, he would become just the fourth Pennsylvania-bred to enter the Hall of Fame, joining Go for Wand, Flatterer, and Parole.

While there was certainly potential for Smarty Jones early on, John Servis – who trained the son of Elusive Quality to eight wins in nine starts – says he couldn’t have ever envisioned how special the horse would eventually become.

“He’s got great credentials,” Servis says. “Not just the fact that he lost only one race by a mere length, but also that his numbers were off the charts.”

A homebred for Roy and Pat Chapman’s Someday Farm, Smarty Jones began his career at Philadelphia Park (now Parx) with two impressive wins – including a 15-length score in the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes – and then captured the Count Fleet at Aqueduct in his third start. 

His road to the Kentucky Derby continued through Oaklawn Park as he rattled off victories in the Southwest Stakes, the Rebel Stakes, and the Arkansas Derby.

“The Arkansas fans really took him in their hearts early on,” Servis says. “He was a well-kept secret across the country until those races, but those fans were all over him.”

In the mud at Churchill Downs, Smarty Jones entered the gate as the 4-1 favorite, and crossed the wire as the first undefeated Derby winner since Seattle Slew. He shone even brighter at Pimlico, taking the Preakness Stakes by a record 11 ½ lengths.

Heartbreak, however, followed in the Belmont Stakes as Birdstone gobbled up both late ground and Triple Crown dreams, with Smarty Jones a valiant runner-up. 

The Belmont would mark the Pennsylvania phenom’s final race. His successes ultimately earned him $7.6 million, including an unprecedented $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park for sweeping the Rebel, Arkansas Derby and Kentucky Derby. Jockey Stewart Elliot was aboard for all nine starts.

Years later, as he continues a stud career that has produced a slew of winning progeny to his name – across three continents, to boot! – Smarty Jones continues to thrive at Equistar Farm in Annville, Pennsylvania.

“The farm sends me pictures all the time, and he really looks great,” says Servis, who plans to visit his old trainee again sometime soon.

This year’s Hall of Fame class will be announced in April and formally inducted in a ceremony August 1 at Saratoga.