I did post on this board that Smarty would lose the Belmont...I never would have thought it would be Birdstone to do it and my rationale was completely off...I thought it would be RHT, but Smarty came up huge in defeat to anyone that truly appreciates sports.

Anyway, his performance made me a believer as he was much more impressive in defeat than I could have ever imagined...kinda reminded me of Rocky...the Philly boxer actually lost his first bout for immortality and won over the hearts of the public...I believe that Smarty's performance will attract more "true" sports fans to horse racing than a win would have. The "true" sports fan appreciates great efforts and that is what Smarty provided. Besides, how could a Philly think they were going to clinch a title in NY, the world might have collided with an asteroid or something.

If he had won...yes, there would have been way more fans attracted to horse racing, but I believe these would have been "bandwagon fans"...and while that would have been interesting to see...maybe, it is best that I do not have to wait on line to get a bet in because some "dude" wearing sandals and a walkman is calling off $2 to show on "the gray horse with the pink silks."

Things happen for a reason.



Shifty Sheik, a former claimer now takes the lead...