Howard Hamilton - HORSE SENSEWELL I DID it again and I have egg all over my face. Smarty Jones lost the opportunity to make his mark on history. He lost the Belmont within shades of the finishing post. There will be arguments of "if this" and "if that" but in the end his pedigree hit him right between the eyes at the 1/8th pole. The splits of the race show that the time was pedestrian - 24.33, 48.65, 1:11.26, 1:35.44 and to finish in 2:27.50 is no big thing. For him not to have been able to handle that time leaves some doubt as to how good he really is.
The euphoria and excitement that surrounded the build up to this race was, as I predicted, unprecedented. Attendance was a record 120,310 beating the previous Belmont record of 103,222 set in 2002. Handle on the Belmont Stakes alone was US$63.7 million, while the total for the day was a record breaking US$115 million.
The amount of money bet on Smarty Jones was the most ever wagered on a horse in Thoroughbred racing history. Fans made Smarty Jones second to Secretariat as the shortest price favourite of the Belmont. People bought win, place and show tickets to keep as souvenirs; such was the expectation of the thousands who had taken Smarty Jones to their hearts and really wished for a Triple Crown winner.
Although he lost the race, Smarty Jones created history that will take a lot of beating. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) reported sales of Smarty Jones merchandise in excess of US$450,000 - tee shirts, cups, pictures, buttons, bumper stickers, etc.
DISAPPOINTED
As disappointed as jockey, Stewart Elliot, may have been after the race, he signed prior to the race, the most lucrative deal that any jockey has ever signed to advertise for a company. Elliot signed a US$250,000 deal with the directory assistance company - In-fone to wear advertising for the company, during the Belmont Stakes. The most earned by any jockey in a one-race advertising prior to this is US$30,000.
The story of Smarty Jones has rekindled racing interest not only with the hard core racing fans but general sport enthusiasts. The TV analysts report that NBC-TV's 100 minute broadcast surpassed all previous rating for national broadcast of racing events. It is estimated that of the people watching television at that time 25% were watching the possibility of history being created by have a Triple Crown winner after 28 years.
The horse will now take a much needed test and I hope that his connections will give me the pleasure of seeing him run again, this time in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga on the last Saturday in August.
As I reflect on my own confidence and that of the fans and of others more knowledgeable than I one wonders what went wrong. No one will ever get me to change my mind about my assessment of the quality of Smarty Jones - He is a sensational horse. When I saw him destroy the competition at the Preakness in Pimlico the question of him winning the Belmont was never in doubt - the only question to be answered was how many lengths he would win by. What went wrong? As always in racing we try to find excuses - the jockey went too early, or too late, the trainer should have had him more acclimatised to the track - on and on.
TANK WAS ALMOST EMPTY
My own assessment is that Smarty Jones just could not handle the demanding mile and half race especially on the testing Belmont surface. You will recall that he sped away from the field when reaching the far turn and opened up 3-1/2 lengths at the top of the stretch. But his tank was almost empty, and like so many others before him, he started running on rubbery legs and could not hang on and place his name in that elusive history book.
There will always be the ifs and the maybes, but one thing remains certain Smarty Jones is an exceptional horse and more than worthy of the Triple Crown title. As his trainer has said: "He's not done, you'll see plenty of him. He will go down as a great horse like Spectacular Bid who didn't win the Triple Crown".
Smarty Jones inspired thousand of fans of all ages. His story touched millions more as he went from nowhere to Kentucky Derby and Preakness Champion. The story captured everyone's imagination - the horse that had a brush with death, a trainer who was murdered, the jockey with a troubled past, the despairing owners who nearly got out of racing but decided to hang on with this smallish, but improbably strong Chestnut Colt.
He will return and he will take horse racing to a new level - inspiring a whole new sector of society to the wonderful spectacle of the Thoroughbred in motion.
P.S. I promised the connections of Distinctly Irish that I will make no predictions for the outcome of our Derby. All I will do is wish the connections the best of racing luck. To the Trainer and the Jockey - after you have done your best the outcome remains in the hands of the Gods. Best of luck to you all.
