Keith Jones to retire as Parx race-caller

Keith Jones, the voice of Philadelphia Park and Parx Racing since 1987, will be retiring at year's end. He and his wife, Kelly, will be relocating to the Houston, Texas area.

“It’s going to be a new adventure,” Jones said. “I’ve never been out of the Northeast.”

Jones, a 62-year-old native of Ardmore, Pa., is a graduate of the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill with a degree in radio and television. He went to work in the publicity department at Garden State Park in 1985, called his first race that summer, and was named assistant announcer before moving on to Philadelphia Park. He replaced Jack Lamar, who called the races from 1974 to 1987.

Jones was inducted into the Parx Racing Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class in 2011. In addition to being the announcer, he has served as track publicist at both Philadelphia Park and Parx (the track was renamed in 2010) and has co-hosted the Let's Go Racing television show for more than 20 years.

Jones is estimated to have called more than 60,000 races, including 32 runnings of the Pennsylvania Derby. One race he will never forget came from hometown hero Smarty Jones, a Pennsylvania-bred who went on to win the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness before concluding his career with a runner-up effort in the Belmont Stakes.

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“Smarty Jones’s second career race in the Nursery Stakes was one of the greatest performances I’ve seen of any horse here at this racetrack,” Jones said.

Following that 15-length victory, Smarty Jones would go on to win the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct and sweep the 3-year-old stakes series at Oaklawn Park before making his Triple Crown run.

Jones’s other favorite races include Songbird’s 2016 victory in the Grade 1 Cotillion.

“As much pleasure as I’ve gotten from calling the races, what I’ll always treasure most are the relationships – the friendships – that have been so rewarding over the past 34 years,” Jones said. “From fellow staff to the many members of our PTHA to our passionate and supportive racing fans, I’ve had the good fortune to cross paths with an amazing group of people.

“I’ll be forever grateful to the management at Greenwood for affording me an opportunity to pursue a career doing something I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.”

In addition to his interest in horse racing, Jones is an ardent hockey fan and worked as a production assistant for the Philadelphia Flyers before being hired at Garden State Park. He has filled in as the public address announcer at Flyers games many times. He also was the public address announcer for the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League for 13 years.

Joe Wilson, chief operating officer at Parx, has worked with Jones for more than 30 years.

“The voice of Keith Jones more than any single entity is synonymous with Parx Racing,” Wilson said. “He has always called the races with a dignity and professionalism worthy of the sport. It’s hard to imagine someone else calling the Pennsylvania Derby or the Cotillion or even a Tuesday afternoon claiming race.”

Jones is the second longtime Mid-Atlantic announcer to retire this year. John Curran, the race-caller at Delaware Park for 37 years, retired in October.

Parx has yet to name Jones’s successor.