Smarty Pary Over - and DON'T Be Him in the Future!

[sd2]

As the rider said, the distance did him in. (And Mr Crist, DRF editor, was right that Smarty would finish second, but Crist, in form, picked the wrong horse to beat him!)

What bothered me, and stil does, about Smarty is that top horses do not wear front wraps (bandages). It bespeaks a problem, a weakness in the fetlock/flank area. In fact, the only other front wrap horse in the Belmont was the cheapie outsider, Tap Dancer, ironically also from Philly Park. Cheap horses frequently run in front wraps, they're in pain.

Smarty was a GREAT sports story, but I won't go near him in the future, espcially if and when he faces older horses. IT WOULD NOT SURPRISE ME IF HE RETIRES EARLY. If not, there is a chance he will bow a tendon, also very common with the cheaper platers. I'm NOT wishin' it, but remember, you read it here first!

 

[Dante]

did the jockey not whip him early enough... could he not have seen birdstone coming??

WHy did the jockey not whip him a bit around the last turn?

 

[drhockey]

I agree, it looks like he pushed him too hard too early. He also needed to whip him at the end, sad story sad day.


Dr.

 

[Dante]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by drhockey:
I agree, it looks like he pushed him too hard too early. He also needed to whip him at the end, sad story sad day.


Dr.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


good point he should not have been leading that early

 

[sd2]

It wasn't a case of a bad ride, Elliot did the best he could. He broke from the outside, and did have to go midtrack all the way, but that is often a good tactic in the Belmont.

The horse just couldn't do the mile and a half. There have been many horses that were brilliant, at, say, a mile, but couldn't win at an eight of a mile more. Unless they retire him, we can see what he really has at shorter distances against some good older horses. I personally won't risk a nickel on him.

 

[JimFiestSux]

Elliot is a good jockey but when he cleared the fiels on the backstretch he should've got over to the rail! He was hand ridden till midstretch when Elliott finally looked over and saw Birdstone coming. By then it was to late! He should've been all over this horse from the top of the stretch on! He wasn't!

 

[JimFiestSux]

Not blaming Elliott but he ran this race in the 3 path the whole way!

 

[wilheim]

The mile and half is what beat him. Birdstone came from off the pace to catch SJ inside the last 1/16th pole. Bottom line it was a hell of an exciting race with a disspointing ending for many. I look for SJ to run in the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth in early August. At a mile and one eigth the race should suit Smarty Jones well. A race at Saratoga is also a possiblility.

wil.

 

[wilheim]

From Equibase:

BIRDSTONE was unhurried while between horses on the first turn, swung out entering the backstretch, settled in the middle of the pack while racing five wide along the backstretch, took up chase after the winner from outside on the far turn, moved around EDDINGTON while gaining ground midway on the turn, circled five wide while launching his bid at the top of the stretch, drifted out in upper stretch, straightened his course when struck right handed nearing the furlong marker, closed steadily under steady right hand encouragement a sixteenth out then wore down SMARTY JONES in the final seventy yards. SMARTY JONES moved up from outside to contest the early pace, pressed the pace while four wide entering the backstretch, surged to the front just after going a half mile, battled heads apart while continuing wide to the far turn, shook off ROCK HARD TEN to get clear leaving the three-eighths pole, extended his lead approaching the quarter pole, drifted out when struck left handed with the whip in upper stretch and again nearing the eighth pole, maintained a clear lead inside the furlong marker, fought gamely into deep stretch then yielded grudgingly while weakening in the late stages. ROYAL ASSAULT checked in tight while being bothered by ROCK HARD TEN at the start, raced well back through the opening half mile, moved up a bit between horses along the backstretch, launched a mild rally three wide on the turn then failed to threaten while improving his position in the stretch. EDDINGTON was hustled up from outside in the early stages, stalked the pace while five wide along the backstretch, raced just outside SMARTY JONES leaving the far turn, dropped back a bit leaving the three-eighths pole then steadily tired thereafter. ROCK HARD TEN fractious behind the gate at the start, broke outward causing crowding leaving the gate, moved up between horses on the first turn, pressed the pace inside SMARTY JONES along the backstretch, made a run along the inside to threaten on the far turn, forced the issue to the turn then tired from his early efforts. TAP DANCER never reached contention while five wide throughout. MASTER DAVID steadied along the inside on the first turn, lagged behind between horses entering the backstretch then failed to mount a serious rally while four wide throughout. CAIMAN showed brief speed along the inside, saved ground along the backstretch and faded before going a mile. PURGE rushed up while rank in the early stages, set the pace along the rail for nearly a half, dropped back on the far turn and steadily tired thereafter.

 

[Chris@OlympicSports]

Smarty will go next in either Haskell , PA derby or both


Birdstone Jim Dandy then Travers

 

[trytrytry]

i sort of think the what casued Smarty JOnes was that rush on the outside by Eddington to again pressure him in the back stretch area. He had not place in the race to relax. The other horses, as they should have made this race difficult for Smarty Jones as 3 of them wore him down. Birdstone had nobody troubling him and picked up the pieces becasue Zito had him in fine shape after racing only once in 10 weeks. Thats racing!!

 

[EveryGamblersDream]

He lost because he was pressured. He was very geeked up & never did relax. Look at the Derby & Preakness, even his races before that, he got to relax. Today his hand got forced & he couldn't hang but let me tell you he was very impressive in defeat! The worse defeat had to be when Real Quiet lost though.

 

[sd2]

Elliott, breaking from the outside, did you three wide. But check the chart - the winner was five wide most of the way. Look at the reruns. Smarty - if horses could think - figured he'd done his bit a furlong from the finish. Still, because he has heart, he didn't quit, as lesser steeds would. He kept fighting, very impressive. A leader of the herd . .

You'll hear a lot of recrimations, blaming the rider, the trainer, the crowd, the rain. It's all bull. He outran his pedigree in the first two legs, but just couldn't "get" that last eighth of a mile in this marathon. But in some ways the Belmont was his "best" race. But I'm still curious to know why he wears front wraps. If his rear hooves hit his front while running, that's a conformation drawback . . .

 

[wilheim]

Birdstone, with jockey Edgar S. Prado aboard, captures the Belmont Stakes,


wil.

 

[TheGeneral+]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>But I'm still curious to know why he wears front wraps. If his rear hooves hit his front while running, that's a conformation drawback <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

The safety of the horses future was thought of first well before a win mattered today. Safety 1st. Lots of money to made yet running this horse likely. Maybe in hindsight you do not, but up front it looked like it would not make a difference. Bettors showed that.

 

[tuleythetout]

The thing that amazes me is that all the people who thought he couldn't lose were saying things like "if no speed horse is entered, he can go to the lead and win" -- but now that he lost, it's said that he moved too early to the lead.

sd2 made the point that he outran his pedigree in the Derby and Preakness...I mostly agree with that (adding the caveat that if Birdstone hadn't fired, Smarty still ran a winning-caliber race) but the fact remains that it takes a very special animal to sweep the Triple Crown. Very difficult feat to win three races in five weeks over three different tracks and at three different distances. What makes the Triple Crown so special is that it is so rare.

Smarty Jones is a great horse...just not in the class of Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Citation, War Admiral, etc...and that's nothing to be ashamed of.