2004 Preakness (Smarty Jones)

[ShadowRoll]

Originally Posted by largo1

Just watched the replay a few times and have a few comments:

1) At the time it *seemed* like an exciting race, but really now, it wasn't ALL that great.

2)When Mike Smith took Lion Heart wide, I assumed (and probably everyone else did too), that he was doing that to force Smarty wide. But, now, in retrospect, I think he was actually trying to find "The Mike Smith Path" (you know, the one he took with Deputy Glitters a couple years later)

Just a couple 1:00 am observations.

In some kind of objective and retrospective analysis, what you say about whether it was a great race may be true. But I was in the stands that day and I can tell you that it was pretty exciting. During the stretch run, it was so loud that I was yelling at the top of my lungs and I couldn't hear my own voice.

Of course, I also drove up to Belmont that year. That was the most disheartening day I ever personally experienced in horse racing.

[blackthroatedwind]

Hey, anyone hear anything about Big Brown today?

[ShadowRoll]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Hey, anyone hear anything about Big Brown today?

Okay, I get it. Would you rather talk about Hillary and Barack instead?

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by ShadowRoll

Okay, I get it. Would you rather talk about Hillary and Barack instead?

I wonder what they think of Big Brown.

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by ShadowRoll

That was the most disheartening day I ever personally experienced in horse racing.

Yeah that day sucked.

As an aside, Smarty's sister is in R4 @ Delaware today.

Originally Posted by ShadowRoll

In some kind of objective and retrospective analysis, what you say about whether it was a great race may be true. But I was in the stands that day and I can tell you that it was pretty exciting. During the stretch run, it was so loud that I was yelling at the top of my lungs and I couldn't hear my own voice.

Of course, I also drove up to Belmont that year. That was the most disheartening day I ever personally experienced in horse racing.

That Belmont was a heroic performance by a great horse.
That race put Smarty as one of my favorites after
being a skeptic. Pure guts on the track.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by pgardn

That Belmont was a heroic performance by a great horse.

I don't know if I would call Birdstone great....but to each their own. He certainly was particularly good that day.

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

I don't know if I would call Birdstone great....but to each their own. He certainly was particularly good that day.

No I would not call Birdstone even close to great.

But I would call the performance by Smarty
heroic, as I posted. The winner was not even
close to the best horse in the race. Clear to me
anyway.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by Cardus

That day was the loudest -- and quietest -- big race day I've experienced.

Apparantly you weren't at Pimlico in 2006.

[philcski]

Originally Posted by blackthroatedwind

Apparantly you weren't at Pimlico in 2006.

Oddly enough, I had a very different experience- was in the top of the stretch seats and without a view of that spot on the track, everyone was left wondering what happpened.

[blackthroatedwind]

Actually, I have never seen Belmont more quiet than after Go for Wand broke down.

[blackthroatedwind]

Originally Posted by cmfhb411

Now I know who was trying to strike up applause while Bayakoa was in the winner's circle.

What is that supposed to mean?