6/9/2004

Back to square one

It was fun while it lasted. And undoubtedly the aftermath of the Smarty party at Belmont last Saturday, before record crowds and TV audiences, will do no harm for horse racing in North America. For, as John Servis, Smarty Jones’ trainer very sportingly declared ‘ what we have just witnessed is what makes horse racing so special’.

Nevertheless, when you put all of your eggs in one basket the consequences of a spill are usually pretty devastating. And with the NTRA completely devoid of any other enterprising promotional campaigns, apart from Smarty-fest, horse racing looks set to return to the doldrums. For no matter how successful Smarty is in re-finding the thread and resuming his career on the racetrack he will never again command such rabid attention from the mainstream.

Sure every racetrack will be seeking to lure horse racing’s matinee idol to their domain, as Arlington did with Cigar, by creating a special race in honour of Citation whose record he would equal at the Chicago track. But the significance of Smarty’s future races, such as the Jim Dandy, Pennsylvania Derby, Travers Stakes etc. etc. will be lost on anyone other than a diehard fan. Thus the message will not be spread and ultimately his fame will evaporate. Quel dommage.

As for the defeat at the hands of Birdstone (touted on this site as the potential spoiler) it was fair and square. And one certainly should not blame Stewart Elliott. Smarty ran his usual race. And, after a tepid opening half, put away Hard Rock Ten, Purge and Eddington, just as he had on previous occasions. And, in fact, he ended up beating them by as far if not further. It was just that the trip was beyond him. And it is fair to say that he will never attempt this distance again…..no matter how long he continues to race.

Smarty Jones would have been a worthy Triple Crown winner, unlike Real Quiet or some of the other aspirants who were thwarted in Round 3. He isn’t, though, which is a shame, because it did look like he was about to become the talisman that the sport has been looking for for so long.

Oh well…..its back to meaningless simulcasting, short fields and a spectre that is as unpromising as it is currently incomprehensible for 99.9% of the general public.