Eddington/Bailey

[miraja2]

I certainly agree with you that the whole "Bailey cost Smarty the Triple Crown" argument is a bunch of hot air.
As for who deserves the blame, I'd say Birdstone deserves the most blame....and I'm not just trying to be a smart ass when I say that.

Birdstone was a good colt.

The idea that someone had to screw up (Servis or Elliot) or do something nefarious (Bailey or Solis) in order for Birdstone to beat Smarty that day presupposes that Smarty was actually a much better horse than Birdstone at 10f+ on a dry racetrack. I'm not sure that's the case.
Birdstone certainly couldn't handle a wet surface like Smarty could. But on a dry racetrack, was Smarty really that much better than Birdstone? I'm not so sure. And at the 12f distance, I think its entirely possible that Birdstone was simply the better animal.