Smarty Jones in the Belmont Stakes

Was there strategy in the 2004 Belmont Stakes to beat undefeated Smarty Jones? Undoubtedly, one would say. Or was that early speed meant to push Smarty ahead? Hmm...

What a sinking feeling it must have been for jockey Stewart Elliott aboard Smarty Jones in the 2004 Belmont Stakes when he looked behind him in the stretch and saw a steamroller named Birdstone pulling himself steadily toward them. It was Elliott's first Belmont Stakes run.

Not so for Edgar Prado guiding Birdstone. The experienced Prado had already destroyed one Triple Crown try on Sarava in 2002. His mount crumbled the chances of War Emblem to become the 12th Triple Crown winner. He did it again with Birdstone.

The Belmont, they say, is the jockey's race, the one run in which a well rated horse usually can prevail. In the 2004 Belmont, we knew Prado and Birdstone were going to prevail. As we watched Birdstone come flying onward, we knew the Triple was gone before the result of the race could be recorded.

Was there a plan that day to beat Smarty? Why not? After all, races are run to be won. But it had nothing to do with Prado and Birdstone, in particular. It had everything to do with massive Rock Hard Ten, ridden by the savvy Alex Solis, and the placid Eddington, with Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey up.

Would two great jockeys sacrifice their mounts' chances in the Belmont? Who can answer that? Rock Hard Ten and Eddington didn't join the Triple Crown party until the Preakness Stakes. Their mission in the Belmont might have been to entangle Smarty Jones in an early speed duel to wear him out before the long Belmont stretch run, thus giving someone a chance to drive from behind to catch Smarty in the lane. That would be if Smarty was in the lane at the near end of the race.

Everyone figured he would be. He liked running up front. But a horse can't run up front for a mile and a half at near top speed, can he, Secretariat?

Smarty had run the Preakness competition into the dirt with a bold move around the turn that appeared to come from five, or six hidden gears. He waved the others away by 11-1/2 lengths, a new length record for the race. And he wasn't gassed at the end.

So, could he do that in the Belmont, if Elliott could rate him? Not if he responded to an early speed duel, and fought to the front too soon. Right? Which he did.

The only way to beat Smarty Jones, who entered the Belmont undefeated, would be too gas him early. And that is what appeared to happen in the Belmont.

But maybe that's not what happened. Maybe the strategy was to battle Smarty early with speed in order to fling him to the front, where he liked to be, and from where he had the best chance to keep going. That would also require the sacrifice of somebody's mount.

Where did Elliott disappear to so quickly after the Belmont run? Guess he didn't figure to be doing any "I just won the Triple Crown" interviews, because he had another mount to ride in the next scheduled race.

It's all sort of a neat little mystery, isn't it?