Posted on 06/05/2004 6:28:23 AM PDT by Types_with_Fist
Ya....I hear Ya! We will probably have to hear a line about how the economy is soooo bad that a mere drivel of fans could only afford to pay scalpers thousands of dollars to get in and that the mutual pool is hardly what it should be had not Al Bore been President....!
Yet in reality.....Record attendence will be made, the track take will be huge and once again America will enjoy one of its special days with pride, prosperity and hope......WHy? BECAUSE GWB is President! And Smarty Jones is as an American success story....!
Here is my take......on the race. Smarty is way above this field in class and heart. However I have seen two horses in my day lose tghe Triple Crown at the famed track in Elmont New York.
It's the home stretch.....the longest and most brutle in all of racing. After running a mile...that last half down the stretch breaks the will of so many......I remember the day Sunday Silence got beat by Easy Goer. The Goer was a great horse from the East was the favorite coming into the derby and Preakness. But Sunday was a monster those races and had the hearts of the racing world on its wings come Belmont.....
I remember the faces of many a fan around me that day as Sunday faded in the stretch. Tears...Nothing but tears. Everywhere.
So today..., again we stand at the door of the Triple Crown. I can tell you this, today there is no Easy Goer in this field. Hard Rock Ten is a monster yet he is green. The rain maybe will play a part..... but I see Smarty in a run away. He ain't no Secretariat, And I am not sure I can say he is of equal to the last King in Affirmed.....But my hat goes off to any a horse that can pull this feat...
Go Smarty.
Yeah, Secretariat was leading by ten at the top of the stretch. I saw a video of that race again yesterday. Even midway down the stretch he was at about 10 or 12, then simply pulled away to, what, 31 wasn't it? Amazing.
Smarty has a dream Belmont opposition not seen since Secretariat's Belmont. In the 73 event, Secretariat faced an ailing/quitting Sham (last race ever), an allowance horse (Pvt. Smiles) and two others that he beat by over twenty lengths before in the Derby. I'm still shocked that he didn't win by more than 31 lengths. Those were really bad horses.
Look for Smarty to waltz home too.
Smarty Jones programs and tickets are about worthless. There is a glut. Find a winning Citation ticket and it's a different story.
I hope you are right. Even Secretariat's jockey is calling for a 20-25 length victory by Smarty. Belmont's a mean mutha. I hope we get to see something great today. I have a feeling that we will all wonder what the doubt was for afterward.
Snarty's last win was breathtaking. I remember Secretariat's races. I'll be watching.
IF Smarty wins..the NYRA and NY State make out like bandits..when Secretariart won the TC, something like 80% of the $2 win tickets were NEVER cashed...so the state gets ALL the money after one year..FRo a betting point, especailly with the possibility of an "off" track..throw out smarty, and wheel Purge over and under in the exacta..
The scary thing is that Smarty keeps getting better every race.
Got a bookie?
Smarty Jones will win today as long as he's healthy. I just love this horse.
The most heartbreaking Belmont loss was Real Quiet's. He had about a 4 length lead with less than a furlong to go and just seem to collapse in the last few strides by a nose, losing what looked like a sure Triple Crown a few seconds before. It was also a race of oddities. The jockey (G. Stevens) of the winning horse had it happen to him the year before by a small margin too. This time around, he turned the tables and pinned a stunner on Bob Baffert for the second year in a row.
Not me. not for years..now, the occasional casino trip, and the Super Bowl pool..that's it..but the mathematics are in yourfavor, because so many are betting the sentimental favorite, the "odds" are probabbly better than they should be on the other horses..and if Smarty finishes out-of the money, you'll see that rare track phenomenon, when the winning horse will pay more to show, than to win...
Hey, thanks for your post. And you type real well for a fist.
Thanks...:-) You should see this banged-up keyboard though.
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