With a combination of tactical speed, superior ability, luck, flawless riding by jockey Stewart Elliott and masterful handling by trainer John Servis, Smarty Jones has had things his way. Thats more good news for Smarty Jones, who has written his own script through the Triple Crown so far. The prediction for a brilliant, spring day has given way to a forecast of all-day rain and temperatures in the 50s. That would swell his bankroll to $13,013,155, easily eclipsing Cigars $9,999,815 as the largest of any North American thoroughbred.īelmont Park, a majestic venue on the western end of Long Island, is bracing for a record crowd of well over 100,000, even as the weather forecast has darkened. Hell earn another $5 million from Visa if he wins the Triple Crown. Hes already earned a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park in Arkansas for sweeping two Oaklawn stakes and the Kentucky Derby. His greatest appeal is that hes undefeated. I think that contributes a lot to his chances of winning and also to his attractiveness. If you watch his ears, hes having a ball. Hes a smart horse, and hes engaged in racing. The country needed him.Ĭhenery has observed Smarty Jones work ethic. I think the time in which this is occurring makes him even more attractive. Smarty Jones is very appealing and easy to love, and so are his connections. Its a time when we want to feel good about something, and you cant feel good about whats going on in our country and our foreign policy right now. I think theyre quite parallel, Chenery said. Penny Chenery, racings first lady and owner of Secretariat, sees similarities between her horse and Smarty Jones and between the era that framed Secretariat and the one that now frames Smarty Jones. When Secretariat captured the series with unequaled dominance in 1973, he ended a 25-year reign of futility. The 26-year drought is the longest between Triple Crowns since Sir Barton became the inaugural winner in 1919. No horse has done it since Affirmed in 1978. It is one of sports most difficult feats. He would become the 12th winner of racings Triple Crown, meaning he would have swept the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont three races at different tracks and distances within a compressed five-week period. If he wins the Belmont, successfully navigating its daunting 1 1/2 miles appropriately dubbed the test of the champion, then he deserves a place on the mantel of immortality. Smarty Jones alone can determine whether he ranks in greatness. And theyve compared him to Secretariat because of the power with which Smarty Jones drew away in the Preakness and the potential of his doing the same in the Belmont. Theyve compared him to Seattle Slew because Slew, too, was 8-for-8 entering the Belmont. People have compared him to Seabiscuit because of the richness of their stories. In the ensuing three weeks leading to the Belmont Stakes Saturday at Belmont Park, he became a national sensation. When Smarty Jones won the Preakness by a record 11 1/2 lengths, he finished with his ears pricked, a sign he was having fun. Belmont Stakes favorite Smarty Jones gets a bath from groom Mario Arriagas after working out at Belmont Race Track in Elmont, N.Y.
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