Just thinking out loud...

[Boscar Obarra]

They finally posted the chart at Equibase. The 27 final quarter is certainly on the slow side, and accounts for the rundown. Is anyone really surprised that the extra 1/4 was an Achilles heel?

 Still, a nice performance and where were the rest of them at the wire?



Post Edited (06-05-04 20:05)

I think the speed figure for this race is more or less meaningless.  It was the only 2 turn race of the day and it\'s a rare distance.  

Smarty essentially fired his best shot and got beat by a combination of being used early putting away several other fairly good horses and trying to outrun his pedigree by 1/2 mile. With an easier trip or a shorter distance he wins.

It was very disappointing, but he didn\'t disgrace himself. He didn\'t weaken until quite late. Most of the horses thought to be upset possibilities that raced with him early got buried by him and finished well up the track!  

One other thing is certain.

He was handled to perfection by John Servis.

If I were a owner I would be quite comfortable giving all my horses to John Servis! I hope more people realize what a competent guy this is.

I think we are going to see a lot more great races from Smarty at the standard distances.

Just for the record, I made small win bets on Rock Hard Ten and Eddington. I was praying that I would have to tear them up, but not bcause Birdstone won. :-(

[Silver Charm]

Excellent points by you Class and CtC. The horse is not Secretariat or he would have leveled off turning for home finished up in 2:25 flat (the track was quick) and won by twelve lengths. But he came home in over 27 seconds and got beat.

VERY GOOD 1 1/4 time. The third leg of the Triple Crown is another quarter mile longer. Smarty ran as long and as hard as he could, it just wasn\'t enough. The Story was great, the Connections were great, you have to earn it no one gives it to you and it just wasn\'t meant to be.

Racing still had a great day with big crowds, big handles, and I\'m betting big ratings. Smarty is a long ways from done and because he didn\'t win may hang around for another year. More on that later.

I do not know what was more amazing, Birdstone winning or Zito breaking his 0 for 65 streak first time grass with Gulch Approval. Cost me a win bet.

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

Silver it could have happened. He could have won by as easily as Birdstone or even more so. He just got to anxious to be on the lead....I think the horse did it. I dont think Stu moved him. The horse wanted to go is all and came up short in the stamina part of the race. Just like Funny did.

I\'m sick because I had big tickets with the Bird second. I\'ve always believed he caught a dead rail in the lanes end. All i had to do was cover a little and i\'d of had it...but i\'m sad for the game. This is good horse. I think hes tons better than Real Quiet and probably better than Silver Charm. Maybe not at 12 marks.

[Silver Charm]

You might be right.

Hope you had a good day, my good friend had me alive on two Pick Six tickets (Purge and RHT)and I swear I might have traded both of them before the race to see a Triple Crown Winner.

You did one helluva job this spring with your Three Year Old analysis.

Shark
Danzig-Surfside.

Ran second for The King. Gotta start thinking about next year don\'t we. LOL

Took me a week to get over Silver Charm losing. No BS.

Racing won today anyway....goodnight.

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

Shark was Lukas?....looks well bred...u never know.

I think I\'m already over it. He\'s still my favorite horse next to Easy Goer. Its hard to win them all. Dayum this one was close though. Not as close as Real Quiet and Silver lost it. I still can\'t believe Smarty moved when he did. Birdstone was sharp skipping the Preakness. This is the last time I get hooked. Next year if I\"m alive going into the Belmont on a horse I picked I\'m covering. This is my last sucker bet....lol

[Boscar Obarra]

  My powers of observation are not what they once were, but I now notice that Zito won with 2 other bombs today. Better late than never.

  Methinks the \'mojo\' was working today.

>always believed he (Birdstone) caught a dead rail in the lanes end.<

Excellent point and I agree.

Unfortunately for me, considering all the problems Birdstone has had this spring, it was hard for me to conclude he would be ready to win this.

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

If Bird had come up with a little less I\'d of had everything. That was a 140 perfecta I failed to box. 75% of my perfectas were Smarty-Bird. But the money really doesn\'t bother me even though I lost pretty well for the day. I really think Smarty is a better horse and was certainly worthy of a Triple Crown. I don\'t think he\'s as good as the last three. But theres been Triple Crown winners hes better than and its so damn hard to win now. Zito the Zit playing \"I\'ll save a horse for the last race\". You know he\'s a retard. A certifiable N.Y. simpleton, but he can train if you set him up for a race.

[Silver Charm]

>I really think Smarty is a better horse and was certainly worthy of a Triple Crown.

So was Spectacular Bid, Alysheba, Silver Charm and the Buffalo Bills but none of them did what they were supposed to do so there in lies the rub. That as a fan will be the toughest part because when you look back years later you will say to yourself his name should be on that trophy but its not going to be.

>But theres been Triple Crown winners hes better than

Be curious how you could prove that one. This horse had not won a Graded Stake until he won the Arkansas Derby and no Grade Ones until the Ky Derby. OK maybe Sir Barton who was still a maiden when he won the Derby.