If Woody Stephens had this horse for the Belmont he would have worked him in company twice prior to the Belmont. He also would have raced this horse from behind..NOT on the front end.....The trainer blew the triple crown..He had the horse....They didnot work the horse over the track and chose to oppose two hores who had previously WON @ BELMONT...Purge and Birdstone...One was last ..the other went by him him like he was a 5000 claimer...Going into a triple crown u want to give the horse every posible chance of winning. They compromised his chances and he paid the price. No one lost the racr except the trainer.
Every Triple Crown winner has taken the lead early in the Belmont Stakes. Smarty Jones is a front runner so the come from behind strategy would have been retarded. The horse never settled, fighting the bit down the backstretch. He just tired down the ½ mile home stretch. No one to blame IMO.
I watched this race over 10 times! This horse just ran out of gas 50 yards before the wire! Elliott hand rode him till midstretch! I feel he should've been all over this horse from the far turn till the wire! Never say Birdstone till he was on his backside by the Smarty ran out of gas! Good horse yes, Great one no!! He'll get beat by older horses this coming year! Wouldn't be surprised if he never wins again!!
IN The Opinion Of All The Experts
THe Horse Jockey And Trainer Did Nothing Wrong
The Horse Did Not Settle Ran A Slow Last Quarter
And Could Not Hold UP At The Distance. It Has Been Noted That The Trainer Had Remarked That If The Race Developed How It Did The One Horse Who Could Win Would Be Birdstone.Winning The Crown Is Next To Impossible In This Day And Age
And Has Once Again Proved As Such. IT IS Quite A Statement To Think A Derby And Preakness Winner Will Not Win Again
THe Horse Jockey And Trainer Did Nothing Wrong
The Horse Did Not Settle Ran A Slow Last Quarter
And Could Not Hold UP At The Distance. It Has Been Noted That The Trainer Had Remarked That If The Race Developed How It Did The One Horse Who Could Win Would Be Birdstone.Winning The Crown Is Next To Impossible In This Day And Age
And Has Once Again Proved As Such. IT IS Quite A Statement To Think A Derby And Preakness Winner Will Not Win Again
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Every Triple Crown winner has taken the lead early in the Belmont Stakes. Smarty Jones is a front runner so the come from behind strategy would have been retarded. The horse never settled, fighting the bit down the backstretch. He just tired down the ½ mile home stretch. No one to blame IMO. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Exactly!!!!!
There are many reasons we have so few Triple Crown Winners, and that is how it should be!!!!!! The absolute supreme effort needed to attain this status is most often overlooked as the hype outweighs the abilities!
Exactly!!!!!
There are many reasons we have so few Triple Crown Winners, and that is how it should be!!!!!! The absolute supreme effort needed to attain this status is most often overlooked as the hype outweighs the abilities!
Imo,
The trainer knew his horse and trained him accordingly. Another 1 1/2 lengths and he's a genius. As for the whip, wouldn't do a whole lot of good. When asked, Smarty was pretty much giving his all. It was clear S.J. was dragging Elliot on the backstretch. 20-20 deal but jock should have wrangled him back into second or third. S.J. liked to have a horse to run at.
Breeding wise it was clear Smarty could have trouble getting the mile and a half, and it is indeed farther than he wants to go. But if they run that same race again next week I'll I take S. J. again. Slightly different pace scenario, jock could have got him home. And if they beat him again, I'll shorten up to mile and a quarter and bury 'em all.
The trainer knew his horse and trained him accordingly. Another 1 1/2 lengths and he's a genius. As for the whip, wouldn't do a whole lot of good. When asked, Smarty was pretty much giving his all. It was clear S.J. was dragging Elliot on the backstretch. 20-20 deal but jock should have wrangled him back into second or third. S.J. liked to have a horse to run at.
Breeding wise it was clear Smarty could have trouble getting the mile and a half, and it is indeed farther than he wants to go. But if they run that same race again next week I'll I take S. J. again. Slightly different pace scenario, jock could have got him home. And if they beat him again, I'll shorten up to mile and a quarter and bury 'em all.
Here's a cut and paste from DRF site:
The melancholy scene was appropriate for a Triple Crown whose final act went from ecstasy to agony in the space of 27 seconds. Smarty Jones turned into the stretch of the Belmont Stakes with a quarter-mile remaining and a 3 1/2-length lead. The record crowd of 120,139 roared, and the Belmont grandstand shook. But when Birdstone caught Smarty Jones in the final yards, the place went silent.
Birdstone received a Beyer Speed Figure of 101 for the Belmont, the highest of his career. Smarty Jones had run faster than that in his four previous races, ranging from a 107 in the Kentucky Derby and Arkansas Derby to a 118 in the Preakness.
In my opinion, the main reason Smarty Jones lost was his sprinters pedigree. A lot of people didn't even think he could win at 1 1/4 miles, but it didn't catch up with him until he went 1 1/2 miles. 27 seconds to run the last quarter? He ran out of gas. The fact that Birdstone only got a 101 speed fig. says a lot. Smarty bounced of his big Preakness win.
To bad he won't be running in the Travers in August.
The melancholy scene was appropriate for a Triple Crown whose final act went from ecstasy to agony in the space of 27 seconds. Smarty Jones turned into the stretch of the Belmont Stakes with a quarter-mile remaining and a 3 1/2-length lead. The record crowd of 120,139 roared, and the Belmont grandstand shook. But when Birdstone caught Smarty Jones in the final yards, the place went silent.
Birdstone received a Beyer Speed Figure of 101 for the Belmont, the highest of his career. Smarty Jones had run faster than that in his four previous races, ranging from a 107 in the Kentucky Derby and Arkansas Derby to a 118 in the Preakness.
In my opinion, the main reason Smarty Jones lost was his sprinters pedigree. A lot of people didn't even think he could win at 1 1/4 miles, but it didn't catch up with him until he went 1 1/2 miles. 27 seconds to run the last quarter? He ran out of gas. The fact that Birdstone only got a 101 speed fig. says a lot. Smarty bounced of his big Preakness win.
To bad he won't be running in the Travers in August.
