The day the music died... where were you?

[ateamstupid]

I was in the 1st Floor Belmont grandstand, right in front of the starting gate.

I saw Smarty load into the gate, but once they opened, so many people were on the outside of the track and packing the grandstand, jumping up and down, I could barely see the race, even on the TV. I managed to see Smarty take the lead and the crowd roared, then between the bodies I saw a yellow saddlecloth coming up towards Smarty in the final strides. Unsure of whether or not Smarty was passed, I figured it out once I heard the deafening silence of the crowd, and one woman saying, simply: "He lost."