Did Stu Blow It?

[fasteddie]

If Bird is not in this, he wins by 8, and we are all talking about what a great fit Stu is  etc...Birdstone LOVES this track, Zito did a great job with him, and he will win the Travers.

Bailey will NOT be on Smarty, unless he were to lose the Pa Derby!

I agree about the \"skippers\"; this is becoming quite a trend over the last 20 years, making it all the more difficult to do the Triple Crown.

[Frank]

\"You can debate it, but i know this is the greatest horse to not win a triple crown.\"

I see that this was posted in the wee AM hours so maybe it was fueled by some adult beverages. I know you\'re old enough to have watched Spectacular Bid make his bid. Chuckles, please don\'t tell me you believe Smarty is a better horse than the Bid.

Frank

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

The Bid lost his Belmont by more with the same type of questionable ride. If Smarty runs in the Travers Birdstone running for second.

[jimbo66]

Before you comment about Secretariat \"staggering home\" after those fractions, check out the fractions he ran.  He went 1:09 and change.  They went 1:11 on Saturday.  I know the track was very fast for Secretariat, but it was also fast on Saturday.  They set a track
record earlier on the card.  Saturday\'s race should stop all the hyperbole with Smarty on this message board.  I am sorry, I know JB is an icon on this board, but his comments about Smarty being faster than Secretariat are really off base.  Smarty is a very fast horse, but Secretariat was one of a kind.  1:09 and change, 2:24.  Under pressure.  Smarty was pressured on Saturday, but not to a ridiculouos level.  48 and change on that track was not a quick first half.  The next half was fast, but not faster than Point Given\'s fractions and he ran on.  Smarty didn\'t.  HE came home in 27.  Not championship caliber.

[Chuckles_the_Clown2]

Granted he came home a little slow. He should have won. As far as \"not championship caliber\"...wanna bet?

[Silver Charm]

Agreed CtC

This race also puts Seattle Slew\'s Jockey Club Gold Cup into perspective.

He dueled off a fast sprinting rabbit and Affirmed in insane fractions and was coming back again against a multiple Grade I winning closer like Exceller.

Can anyone on earth imagine Birdstone passing Slew after he put away Eddington and RHT?  :-)

[jimbo66]

Not the horse not being \"championship calibre\", the 27 second final fraction.  Which i will bet on

[fasteddie]

Glad you mentioned the 1978 JC Gold Cup:

If memory serves, as follows:


22:3, 45:1, 109:2 first 6F

I think the rest were 137:1, 201:3, 227:3

making the last 6F 118:1!! And, back in the day when the cushion wasn\'t as deep.

Fasteddie. 78 JCGC

45.1
109.2
201.4
227.1

Last quarter not bad after the extreme duel.