See, but that's what I was saying was the question to me is was Bailey trying to win the race....not in my opinion.

I have no issues with Damascus having Hedevar, Dr. Fager had his Achilles heel and that was he wouldn't rate and didn't like anyone in front of him. Have fun with him up to a mile though:D

My thing is, it's a jocks job to put his horse in the best position to win the race..They didn't ride to win, they rode to beat Smarty and ensure he did not win the TC..Just look at Eddington..I'm pretty sure Bailey takes him to the whip a few times BEFORE they are half way down the BACKSTRETCH.There is a thin line between a bad rde and a crooked one, and it's blatantly obvious Bailey did not want to win that race..

How about Silverbulletday ? did she compromise Charismatic's chances ??

Play the tape and watch Birdstone. He was motoring right along during the fast mid fractions. Actually starting gaining on the far turn. A slower pace and Smarty would have had to fight Birdstone earlier. Birdstone didn't get left behind during those fractions.

I don't believe that's a fight Smarty would have won. A protracted duel with a well trained, well rested, and well bred horse ridden by Edgar Prado at Belmont. Birdstone would have hooked him earlier and the late fractions would have been faster. And I believe the result would have been the same.

The time was right at 2:27. A very solid Belmont time. Better than Afleet Alex ran -- far better.

Wait, so you're saying that Ghostzapper isnt great, but didnt he find a way to win? How many horses are undefeated? Are they the only ones the all-mighty Revolution will call great? Man O War lost, Secretariat lost, does that make them not great because they couldnt find a way to win on that day? I'm really not sure what you're trying to say...but it doesnt make much sense to me.

.......exactly, thats why so few horses have won the triple crown......... smarty was simply not good enough and the jock
choked big time.

I cant believe all the crying ealier in these posts about, well if he had it his own way and nobody challenged him he would of won. Thats a bunch of horse s*it. If he was an alltime great he would of fought off all challenges. You dont let a horse waltz to a triple crown. Praise be to Bailey for challenging him down the backside. And ah Elliot didnt have to pull a Secretariat move down the back side either. SJ was no tremendous machine.

Revolution- Don't list the 'Zapper as good. He was great... He was an f'n machine. That's why he went out on top. It's just too bad we live in an age of ****in pussies who won't race their horses after they win a single Grade 1... The stud $$$ will come. Another bad thing about Barbaro's leg, is that just slams home this paranoid theory that owners have that "you better cash in on the stud $$$ now before your horse gets hurt and is worthless".

Sorry, kinda went off on a tangent. But what I was getting at there is horses don't race long enough anymore to know if they're truly great over time. Some have "great" spurts. But that's all they're capable of proving anymore because they don't race long enough and their starts are so infrequent in between.

OH YEAH- SORRY FOR THE CAPS, BUT FOR THE MAIN PART OF THIS DISCUSSION-

I believe Bailey did try to run Smarty into the ground by rushing Eddington to the lead. But! Smarty still has to beat him, learn to rate, run his own race. So it still falls on Smarty to find a way to win.

You know I guess the thing I am struck by at the beginning at this thread is the lack of respect for Birdstone. On his day with proper rest he ran some very fast races. He was a really good horse, not some tin cup Commendable winning the Belmont. He got the trip but he still had to run an A race to beat Smarty.....I was surprised Smarty lost but race riding is a fact of life and something you need to get over.

Birdstone is very underrated. However your shot at Commendable is pretty low. He is actually in South Korea now but he had a nice race career. Not only did he win a Classic, but he ran well in the Travers too. That Travers was an incredible race where Unshaded nosed out Three Chimneys Albert the Great. I don't remember it but he also was second in the Super Derby. Not a great horse, but he deserves a little respect.

George, almost universally Commendable is regarded as the worst winner of the Belmont in the last few decades. The race was insanely slow, came back with insanely slow figures and shows how a bad horse can win a big race if they are allowed to run with a pace of 1:14 and 2 for 3/4 and then stay for a 2:31 and change win.

I agree, but he ran a few other nice races in the Travers and Super Derby. I would take him over another nice horse like Sarava. Remember Thunder Gulch was a second slower than Commendable.