For those who are moderately serious about this discussion, what do you see different from all the challengers of the past 25 years?
I hope Smarty wins as I am a huge fan of Horse Raceing, but that does not mean I am switching to "blinkers-on" for the Belmont. Anybody who wants a serious wager at 1-10 or 1-5, we need to talk.
VVV
I hope Smarty wins as I am a huge fan of Horse Raceing, but that does not mean I am switching to "blinkers-on" for the Belmont. Anybody who wants a serious wager at 1-10 or 1-5, we need to talk.
VVV
This Belmont is strictly a feel good race. No need to even bother with trying to handicapping it if you like the favorite. Watch the race, and root for history to unfold. For me the Derby is an almost impossible race to cap. Now with a monster favorite running in the Belmont who I hope wins - why bother. Like VT said - there are softer spots to bet on.
wil.
wil.
depends.........
if he is allowed to run his race...ie comfortable stalking trip, YES
make him take the lead, and set fractions, or make his move to early, so he can use up his energy early...NO
key race imo....Arkansas derby....Smarty made his move earlier than in other races... and the only race that the place horse (borrego) was gaining ground....
Rock hard ten and Cliffs edge are the only ones that can prevent Smarty from winning....imo
if he is allowed to run his race...ie comfortable stalking trip, YES
make him take the lead, and set fractions, or make his move to early, so he can use up his energy early...NO
key race imo....Arkansas derby....Smarty made his move earlier than in other races... and the only race that the place horse (borrego) was gaining ground....
Rock hard ten and Cliffs edge are the only ones that can prevent Smarty from winning....imo
Elliott taking newfound success in stride
By Dan Gelston, Associated Press, 5/17/2004 21:54
BENSALEM, Pa. (AP) Stewart Elliott knows horse racing can be fickle.
Still, the 39-year-old jockey has plenty of confidence in Smarty Jones heading into the Belmont Stakes.
''If Smarty Jones performs like he did in the Preakness, he'll be awfully tough,'' Elliott said Monday at Philadelphia Park.
Smarty Jones won the Preakness by a record 11½ lengths to set the stage for a dramatic Triple Crown try at Belmont in three weeks. The undefeated chestnut colt will be heavily favored to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and first since Affirmed in 1978.
While Smarty Jones and trainer John Servis stayed out of the public eye Monday, Elliott was back on his home turf riding cheap mounts and signing autographs for fans.
The attention has overwhelmed Elliott at times, but he's taking his newfound success in stride. He received a nice ovation as he walked down to the paddock, where about 100 fans had their pens and cameras ready.
It was just another crazy day for Elliott, who had to balance talking about horse racing's story of the year with questions about his alcohol-fueled past which includes pleading guilty to hitting his then-girlfriend in July 2001 and to beating up a friend two months later.
''You've constantly got somebody at you,'' Elliott said. ''I just handle it. I tell you one thing, when I get home and close the doors and turn off the phones it feels good.''
Another thing that felt good? That steak he allowed himself to gorge on after Saturday's win.
That undoubtedly tasted better than Smarty Jones' typical fare of an oat bran mash.
Smarty took a 30-minute walk around the barn area Monday and was in good spirits, according to assistant trainer Maureen Donnelly. The horse will again take it easy on Tuesday and will likely hit the track for the first time since the Preakness on Wednesday.
''He came out and ate everything,'' Donnelly said. ''The race didn't seem to take anything out of him.''
The short ride from Baltimore to Bensalem also helped the colt. After the Kentucky Derby win, Smarty Jones was flown to Baltimore, then loaded onto a trailer for the trip back to Philadelphia Park.
The rest should help Smarty Jones, whose dominance in the Preakness surprised even Elliott.
''I thought we could win, but I had no idea that he would win the way that he did,'' Elliott said. ''He's really come along strong.''
Elliott said the colt always kept his cool and knows what to do on the track. When Smarty Jones was splashed in the face with mud early into the Preakness, he never slowed down.
''A lot of horses have that happen to them and right away they're in the back,'' Elliott said. ''He's a professional. Nothing fazes him.''
By Dan Gelston, Associated Press, 5/17/2004 21:54
BENSALEM, Pa. (AP) Stewart Elliott knows horse racing can be fickle.
Still, the 39-year-old jockey has plenty of confidence in Smarty Jones heading into the Belmont Stakes.
''If Smarty Jones performs like he did in the Preakness, he'll be awfully tough,'' Elliott said Monday at Philadelphia Park.
Smarty Jones won the Preakness by a record 11½ lengths to set the stage for a dramatic Triple Crown try at Belmont in three weeks. The undefeated chestnut colt will be heavily favored to become the 12th Triple Crown champion and first since Affirmed in 1978.
While Smarty Jones and trainer John Servis stayed out of the public eye Monday, Elliott was back on his home turf riding cheap mounts and signing autographs for fans.
The attention has overwhelmed Elliott at times, but he's taking his newfound success in stride. He received a nice ovation as he walked down to the paddock, where about 100 fans had their pens and cameras ready.
It was just another crazy day for Elliott, who had to balance talking about horse racing's story of the year with questions about his alcohol-fueled past which includes pleading guilty to hitting his then-girlfriend in July 2001 and to beating up a friend two months later.
''You've constantly got somebody at you,'' Elliott said. ''I just handle it. I tell you one thing, when I get home and close the doors and turn off the phones it feels good.''
Another thing that felt good? That steak he allowed himself to gorge on after Saturday's win.
That undoubtedly tasted better than Smarty Jones' typical fare of an oat bran mash.
Smarty took a 30-minute walk around the barn area Monday and was in good spirits, according to assistant trainer Maureen Donnelly. The horse will again take it easy on Tuesday and will likely hit the track for the first time since the Preakness on Wednesday.
''He came out and ate everything,'' Donnelly said. ''The race didn't seem to take anything out of him.''
The short ride from Baltimore to Bensalem also helped the colt. After the Kentucky Derby win, Smarty Jones was flown to Baltimore, then loaded onto a trailer for the trip back to Philadelphia Park.
The rest should help Smarty Jones, whose dominance in the Preakness surprised even Elliott.
''I thought we could win, but I had no idea that he would win the way that he did,'' Elliott said. ''He's really come along strong.''
Elliott said the colt always kept his cool and knows what to do on the track. When Smarty Jones was splashed in the face with mud early into the Preakness, he never slowed down.
''A lot of horses have that happen to them and right away they're in the back,'' Elliott said. ''He's a professional. Nothing fazes him.''
Let's take the new idol of the horse set - no autographs now, please, he'll hoof your T-shirts later - and stand him up against some other famous champions in sports.
How does Smarty Jones compare to, say, Rocky Marciano? Two more legs, same number of defeats.
How does Smarty Jones compare to the 1972 Miami Dolphins? Darker hair than Don Shula, same number of defeats.
How does Smarty Jones compare to the 1976 Indiana University basketball team? Well, seeing as the Hoosiers' coach was named Bob Knight, you might say both had parts that could occasionally act like a horse's rear end. And the same number of defeats.
Smarty Jones is so hot right now, he might get asked for a presidential endorsement. His Nielsen numbers are great, his memorabilia sales are booming. He's a Philadelphia professional athlete that hasn't even been booed yet.
And it's not just because he has a chance on June 5 at the Belmont to become the first Triple Crown winner since the Bee Gees were big.
Or because he was so dominant last Saturday, by the time the Preakness was over, it looked like a posse chasing Billy the Kid.
Or how his bloodlines aren't as regal as some of the future studs that keep inhaling his dust.
Or because his past and present entourage is a photo album of human frailty. The jockey who is a recovering alcoholic. The trainer who was murdered by his stepson over a money dispute. The owner who was once a car dealer and has to fight to breathe after a lifetime of too many cigarettes.
All that may be good enough to get Smarty Jones invited on Maury Povich. But here's the kicker.
There is one phrase that always rings a bell, always sounds magical, always carries an aura, no matter what the sport or athlete, man or beast.
Unbeaten record.
Perfection intrigues the masses. Even those whose favorite horse is Mr. Ed.
Marciano was the only boxing champion ever to finish unbeaten. The Dolphins the only NFL team to do it. Indiana the last men's college basketball team, in 1976. The same year the Cincinnati Reds went 7-0 in the postseason, the only team do that since playoff rounds came to baseball in 1969.
Of the 11 Triple Crown winners, only one had an unbeaten record. Seattle Slew in 1977. And he lost two weeks later, when he was rushed into another race, before we knew what champions were supposed to do. They go to Disney World.
So here is Smarty Jones, 8-0, one victory ahead of Roger Clemens. It looked like he finished the Preakness in cruise control. ''He's push-button now,'' jockey Stewart Elliott said after the race.
People who have never sat in a clubhouse or squinted at the Racing Form or torn up a losing ticket and thrown it forlornly to the floor can still appreciate what a ''0'' means at the right side of the hyphen. How difficult it is to get. How difficult it is to keep. Even if the one doing it sleeps in a barn.
So Smarty Jones is Oklahoma football under Bud Wilkinson and UCLA basketball under John Wooden. At the same time, he's the farm animal just down the road. A humble courser trying to outrun the Triple Crown curse. The last nine horses to get this close failed.
He may or may not be the perfect thoroughbred, but he's the perfect story. An underdog with an unbeaten record. Not many of those in history. In anything.
Mike Lopresti
How does Smarty Jones compare to, say, Rocky Marciano? Two more legs, same number of defeats.
How does Smarty Jones compare to the 1972 Miami Dolphins? Darker hair than Don Shula, same number of defeats.
How does Smarty Jones compare to the 1976 Indiana University basketball team? Well, seeing as the Hoosiers' coach was named Bob Knight, you might say both had parts that could occasionally act like a horse's rear end. And the same number of defeats.
Smarty Jones is so hot right now, he might get asked for a presidential endorsement. His Nielsen numbers are great, his memorabilia sales are booming. He's a Philadelphia professional athlete that hasn't even been booed yet.
And it's not just because he has a chance on June 5 at the Belmont to become the first Triple Crown winner since the Bee Gees were big.
Or because he was so dominant last Saturday, by the time the Preakness was over, it looked like a posse chasing Billy the Kid.
Or how his bloodlines aren't as regal as some of the future studs that keep inhaling his dust.
Or because his past and present entourage is a photo album of human frailty. The jockey who is a recovering alcoholic. The trainer who was murdered by his stepson over a money dispute. The owner who was once a car dealer and has to fight to breathe after a lifetime of too many cigarettes.
All that may be good enough to get Smarty Jones invited on Maury Povich. But here's the kicker.
There is one phrase that always rings a bell, always sounds magical, always carries an aura, no matter what the sport or athlete, man or beast.
Unbeaten record.
Perfection intrigues the masses. Even those whose favorite horse is Mr. Ed.
Marciano was the only boxing champion ever to finish unbeaten. The Dolphins the only NFL team to do it. Indiana the last men's college basketball team, in 1976. The same year the Cincinnati Reds went 7-0 in the postseason, the only team do that since playoff rounds came to baseball in 1969.
Of the 11 Triple Crown winners, only one had an unbeaten record. Seattle Slew in 1977. And he lost two weeks later, when he was rushed into another race, before we knew what champions were supposed to do. They go to Disney World.
So here is Smarty Jones, 8-0, one victory ahead of Roger Clemens. It looked like he finished the Preakness in cruise control. ''He's push-button now,'' jockey Stewart Elliott said after the race.
People who have never sat in a clubhouse or squinted at the Racing Form or torn up a losing ticket and thrown it forlornly to the floor can still appreciate what a ''0'' means at the right side of the hyphen. How difficult it is to get. How difficult it is to keep. Even if the one doing it sleeps in a barn.
So Smarty Jones is Oklahoma football under Bud Wilkinson and UCLA basketball under John Wooden. At the same time, he's the farm animal just down the road. A humble courser trying to outrun the Triple Crown curse. The last nine horses to get this close failed.
He may or may not be the perfect thoroughbred, but he's the perfect story. An underdog with an unbeaten record. Not many of those in history. In anything.
Mike Lopresti
