Smary Jones

[nerd4hire]

Smarty Jones

I realize I'm probably going to be talking to myself here, but I don't care. Sometimes you just gotta...

Smarty Jones will be racing at Belmont this Saturday in an attempt to become the first horse in 26 years to become the winner of the Triple Crown.

Good racehorses generally make at least one power-move in a race. Great ones can make at least 2. The last time Smarty raced, I counted 5.

There have been comparisons between Smarty Jones and Seabiscuit. He's comparatively small, the masses have adopted him as their personal champion (Smarty gets fan-mail), and the owner has shown a loyalty to his trainer and Jockey others have interpreted as foolish in light of their relative inexperience with races of the magnitude.

I'm s-o-o-o-o hoping for Smarty to complete the Crown this Saturday. I'm going to take an Exacta straight up with Smarty on top, and Master David to come in second.

For more on Smarty see here:

Smarty Jones

 

[Jenny]

Smarty Jones will be racing at Belmont this Saturday in an attempt to become the first horse in 26 years to become the winner of the Triple Crown.

I know that is HUGE. You are definitly not talking to yourself here, I used to work as an excersiser at Gulfstream in Florida, and I've raced Pacers and Trotters for years. Not lately of course, I'm talking in the 80's early 90s here. But it's always been a passion.

I will DEFINITLY been watching. Oh and some of the greatest ones have been the smaller muscular powerhouses.

 

[Beer_Nut]

I'm not really a huge racing fan, but I have been following this closely. Especially that fact that he's Canadian. Sorry, a little home country pride.

 

[Faldor]

i remember when they tried to bomb the grand national if that helps.

 

[nerd4hire]

I'm not really a huge racing fan, but I have been following this closely. Especially that fact that he's Canadian. Sorry, a little home country pride.

Actually, isn't Smarty Jones a Pennsylavania-bred, that races out of Philadelphia. i'm pretty sure his bloodlines go back to Secretariat through Gone West.

Perhaps you're referring to the jockey, Stewart Eliot. He's Canadian. Interesting sidebar; apparently Eliot is also a recovering alcholic, and troublemaker, again bringing up comparisons to Seabiscuit, and his jockey Red Pollard.

Jenny; speaking of tough, little horses, and Beer Nut, speaking of great Canadian horses...ever heard of Northern Dancer?

 

[Beer_Nut]

You're right I meant the jockey, see I told ya I wasn't a big racing fan... lol.

I haven't heard of Northern Dancer what's the deal with him/her?

 

[nerd4hire]

Northern Dancer was a Canadian horse that won the Kentucky Derby. He was a small horse, even smaller than Smarty.

He also had the the distinction of being the stud king of horse racing. The last I heard his bloodline was responsible for the most Stakes winners in the history of horse racing.

 

[killerdwarf]

Northern Dancer was a Canadian horse that won the Kentucky Derby. He was a small horse, even smaller than Smarty.

He also had the the distinction of being the stud king of horse racing. The last I heard his bloodline was responsible for the most Stakes winners in the history of horse racing.

Yeah, he was a great one!

I watched Secretariat (sp?) and Seattle Slew win the triple crown, and Smarty is definitly in the same class, if maybe a bit smaller...but where's BillieHunter?? She's got serious horse obessions! I figured she'd be here before me...

 

[nerd4hire]

but where's BillieHunter?? She's got serious horse obessions! I figured she'd be here before me...

I know. When I posted this thread, I said to myself, "Oh well, at least there's BillieHunter, so maybe it won't get zero replies".

Maybe it's because I misspelled "Smarty" in the title.

 

[Jenny]

Jenny; speaking of tough, little horses, and Beer Nut, speaking of great Canadian horses...ever heard of Northern Dancer?

Any horseperson knows of the great one! And no, not Wayne Gretzkey! 🙂

My mother has a beautiful portrait of him hanging in her living room (also Secretariat).

I especially love him because he sired my favourite race horse of all times, Nijinsky. 🙂

 

[nerd4hire]

I haven't been lucky enough to see any of the great ones live.

I would so love to be at Belmont this Saturday.

 

[Lethe]

God, I can't believe Smarty didn't win. So - so - soooooo close and then stupid Royal Assault (I think that was his name) beat him by a hair. Gur. So close.

 

[xtrustno1x]

I was dissapointed Smarty lost to Birdstone. Great race, but I think Smarty ran too hard early in the start...never really found his rythem, allowing Birdstone to sneak up in the stretch. I've never followed horse racing closely before, but this race was huge. Who was the jockey/horse that won the triple crown twice? I heard the segment on them, I believe it was in the 40's, but I don't recall their names.

 

[nerd4hire]

That was Eddie Arcaro. Here, I got this from wikipedia.

Eddie Arcaro (February 19, 1916 - November 4, 1997) was born George Edward Arcaro in Cincinnati, Ohio, in the United States, the son of an impoverished taxi driver. Small in stature, Eddie would go on to become one of the greatest thoroughbred horse-racing jockeys in the history of American racing. He is the only jockey to win two Triple Crowns in Thoroughbred Racing. He performed the feat in 1941 on Whirlaway and again in 1948 on Citation.

In addition, he won the Kentucky Derby three additional times, and the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes six additional times. In 1958 was elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. His nickname was "Banana Nose."

I was disappointed too. That race was just 20 feet too long for Smarty on that particular day. Oh well...maybe in another 26 years, another great one will come along, and he'll actually win the triple crown.