Tampa, Florida					Monday, September 06, 2010

That Little Bit Extra Once More Was Too Much
Saturday, June 5, 2004
TAMPA— My goodness, the Smarty Jones people were apologizing for losing and the Birdstone people were apologizing for winning. But, after those apologizes, the trainer of the winner—a New Yorker who had never won the Belmont Stakes—settled into his stride explained it all in this sport where we are reminded again that there is no such thing as a sure thing in horse racing. This most unusual of sports post-mortems came late Saturday after a longshot named Birdsong caught America’s horse, Smarty Jones, in the last yards to win the mile and a half Belmont, the longest and last of the Triple Crown races, and win by nearly his own length, producing a mighty, mighty, mighty upset. The trainer of the winning Birdstone, Nick Zito, despite the urging of an NBC telecaster to give another answer—his own—said yes, the distance, the mile and a half, longer than the Kentucky Derby Smarty Jones won easily, and longer than the Preakness Smarty Jones won even more easily was the difference. None of the horses had ever run the mile and a half. “That little bit’’ if difference in distance, the length, was it,’’ said Zito. Zito added, “I don’t know why that is so,’’ so often, but it was and it is, adding, “and we skipped the Preakness, three weeks ago. Smarty Jones, of course did not skip the Preakness. He had to run it. He had won the biggest of them all, the Kentucky, on the first Saturday in May and was a prohibitive favorite to win the Belmont this Saturday, then claim the elusive Triple Crown of racing—The Derby, The Preakness and the Belmont. Smarty Jones and his enchanting, so very American Story, was swept to the bosom of racing, of all sports, which covets another Triple Crown Story, or is it a wondrous climax to a great story. Smarty Jones was supposed to win, for the racing fans, for sports fans, for Philadelphia (of the Eagles and of the Flyers) for the sport, for all sports. And Smarty Jones became the betting favorite, a 1-5 favorite, the most favored since Affirmed, who did win the Belmont of 1979 after winning the Derby and the Preakness. No other horse has won the Triple Crown since. And 29 have ever, ever gone to New York with shots at the Visa (originated as the Chrysler) Triple Crown, but only 17 have prevailed after the great Secretariat won in 1978, then Florida-bred Affirmed in 1979. But, Saturday, after Smarty was all but given the Belmont Trophy with by acclamation, Birdstone, lay back a bit and watched other horses threaten the favorite, then surrender, but all perhaps taking something out of the Thoroughbred so many wanted to win. Then with just over 100 yards to race, uncharted by all of them, jockey Edgar Prado asked Birdstone to go after Smarty Jones, from the outside, to Smarty’s right. Birdstone caught Jones and jockey Stewart Elliott in the final yards, passed him and won going away. Why? How? Winning trainer Zito said it was “that last little bit,’’ that extra length, and	perhaps what the two previous big races, the Derby and Preakness wins took out of Smarty. He then reminded he and his entourage, after being beaten in the Derby, skipped the Preakness and went for the Belmont. Well, not entirely. The owner, Marylou Whitney, yes, those Whitneys of racing, said she felt terrible about winning, about denying racing and racing fans the Triple Crown winner Smarty Jones seemed sure to be. She said she was going for second. A bit earlier, still on his winning horse, Birdstone, Prado also apologized for beating Smarty, and clearly meant it. Then Prado skipped more interviews to ride in the next race. So much for Triple Crown sentimentality among jocks. Even Visa, who would have paid Smarty Jones $5 million for winning the Triple Crown was apologetic, for not being able to give its money away. But, with card interest what it is, what’s $5 million to Visa? So, while the winners were apologizing, so were the losers, while at the same time complimenting the winners. And there was a horse racing team whose win would have been so wonderful, so dramatic, seemed so certain. The horse, Smarty, was a cutie—is a cutie. There was no death here, just the funeral. Owners are Jane and Roy Chapman, an aged couple (he is in a wheelchair), who sold their Philadelphia farm and stable except for the big horse, a touching part of the tale. The jockey, Elliott has overcome big time drinking problems, and trainer John Serves is a devoted family man who coaches kids teams and who is a homebody, plus clearly a fine trainer who did everything right for Smarty Jones, in the build up to the shocking loss. And Philadelphia, well, that city needs a winner, badly, still, in something. Yes, Mrs. Chapman said Smarty Jones did not lose, that Birdstone won. No excuses, except to say how sorry she felt for the fans. Trainer Servis said he felt like his horse never “settled,’’ into a stride, and a comfort zone. Jockey Elliott, still on horseback, said “that other horse just came and got us.’’ He was comfortable all the way. No excuses there, either. Got caught, that was all, in the mile and a half distance. The TV interviewer sought to confirm an opinion that the others horses coming at Smarty Jones, one and two at a time, told on him. Maybe, some, but the final word: That little bit of extra distance that always has to be run in the Belmont by a horse that has run both the Preakness and the Derby, and won, with great efforts. Still out there, now is the belief that the Triple Crown, winning these races at varying distances at appointed times, ready or not, is the hardest achievement in sports. After the Smarty Jones Story, this chapter now ended, well, the 2004 Belmont surely is more evidence this just may be so. By the way, those few who had the guts to be $2 on Birdstone, made a $72 profit, because of that “that last little bit’’ extra to be run in the Belmont. ##
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