ELMONT, N.Y. -- History is bigger than you, it's bigger than me and it's certainly bigger than Smarty Jones. For this sports enthusiast and regular devotee of lost causes, my refrain after attending the Belmont Stakes was the same as it was after attending the "Worst Thing Ever," also known as last year's ALCS Game 7. I'm just a magnet for big letdowns and late-event collapses.
Only this time no one was rooting for the bad guy, except the three people in the world who bet on 36-to-1 longshot Birdstone. Instead, all 120,139 of us who braved the forecast of rain rallied together behind our overwhelming favorite with hopes of possibly seeing history firsthand. Accompanied by former Cavalier Daily Sports colleague Matt Trogdon, who donned his "Go Smarty Go" t-shirt for the occasion, we were but two pilgrims amid a mass of like-minded believers, sharing in each other's camaraderie.
There was the eccentric horse trainer standing to our left, giving us (unsuccessful) betting advice. But he did tell us stories about having seen the great Secretariat, to which we responded with only the utmost reverence. There was a pleasant, middle-aged woman to our right who was attending her fifth Belmont in which there was a Triple Crown candidate. She had failed on each of her four previous tries. Surely she deserved to see Smarty win. Then, there was also the usher who kept persisting in telling us why horse racing was silly and that he was only there to make a quick buck. Sadly, even holy lands are overcome by money changers.
Having staked out a great view of the entire track, stationed near the beginning of the home stretch, our merry troupe passed the time exchanging funny stories and making ill-advised bets on the undercard races. With each passing minute, we came that much closer to the post time of the main event. As the anticipation grew, a buzz of excitement became more and more audible. We all shared one common belief: Smarty was going to do it!
But Smarty didn't do it. He broke too soon. We all knew as much when it happened. Everyone's first reaction upon seeing the Belmont is gasping at its vast dimensions. The track's awesome size is intimidating and belittling. Smarty should have known better.
Still, though, as he emerged from the final turn into the home stretch, Smarty showed an extra little kick no one thought he had. It was highly reminiscent to David Ortiz's eighth inning home run in that other event from the fall in that we all (wrongly) started to believe in our cause -- and then promptly paid for our sins.
It took nine races, but the rest of the equestrian world was finally able to keep up with the (Smarty) Jones. This horse captivated the nation more than the past few Triple Crown candidates. Maybe it was his undefeated record. Maybe it was his blue collar background growing up in Philadelphia. Maybe it was just that we thought he was a winner.
It takes a special horse to draw such intense fan interest, as horses aren't easily able to impress the media or the public with fun off-the-track personalities or appearances in amusing commercials. There are a few inherent problems that horse racing presents to the sportswriter. As only three year-old horses are eligible for the Triple Crown races, writers must introduce new names and faces and manes every year. There's just no annual consistency of a superstar name the fan base gets to appreciate over time.
And then there's the obvious dearth of good post-race quotes from the athletes involved. I can't begin to describe the difficulty in deciphering whether a horse's "neigh" is affirmative or a negative. Unless there's kicking involved. I think it's safe to say that Rock Hard Ten's outburst before entering the starting gate at Belmont was a rather clear way of saying, "No, I do no want to go in there." Regardless, until Mr. Ed or Francis the Talking Mule start racing, we just won't know exactly what it feels like to enter the home stretch with a Triple Crown on the line.
We'll never know if Smarty ever understood that he was racing in front of 120,000 people who intensely cared whether he reached the finish line faster than the other horses or not. We'll never know if Smarty understood why photographers insisted on capturing his every move. Did Smarty know he was famous? Did he pull a 2004 Los Angeles Lakers on us in the end -- assuming that he was far superior to his opponents, thus rendering actual effort to be worthless?
The worst part was allowing myself to get too invested in Smarty. I, of all people, should have known better.
Read More
Men’s lacrosse fades in second half, falls 18-9 to No. 8 North Carolina
By Sam Chun | 2 hours agoMore struggles pushed last weekend's encouraging performance from memory.
No. 9 women’s lacrosse blows out Louisville en route to a successful Senior Day
By Peter Kratz | 2 hours agoVirginia earned a much-needed win before a tough upcoming slate of games.
No. 25 Virginia softball falls just short versus No. 8 Florida State
By Victoria Blankenship | 2 hours agoA last-minute momentum swing in the sixth inning gave the Seminoles a lead at the most crucial moment.
