So right you are Jerry and I remember talking to Al about Smarty over at the office one saturday after the 1st big neg # 3 earned in the Oaklawn race and he told me that you basically thought it was game over then , it was just a matter of time . I was also of the opinion that Smarty would unfortunately break down sooner or later most definately .
The horse's connections finally made the right move however and now I give them alot credit for having done so . Indeed this horse had alot working against him and not to mention even Smarty's history as a 2 year old .
Of course I Don't have 1/2 the ability or 1/8 the experince you have in reading a pattern and knowing what it all means in terms of a career of a horse much less where it's going in the next upcoming race or 2 or 3 , I was hoping Smarty's line would hang in there (enough to get him over to the breeding shed) but I could see where it was going and not the least bit curious whether this type of line could ever recover from those type of exertions and stress . What happened to Smarty Jones is what happens to horse's when they run those kind of unthinkable and unfathimable type of numbers at a very young age and on short rest .
Even had the scales had been shifted , an idea you've thrown around from time to time , those Smarty numbers are still way too fast .
On previous post on Thorograph's web site when visiting this matter , I discovered that quite a few people had very different views on the subject , many thought Smarty should just keep racing - I guess they don't weigh speed figures as closely as needed to get the big picture .
I still wouldn't be surprised if this horse winds up running over in the UAE next year specially if he's kicking around with Cigar .
The upshot of Smarty's retirement for racing is a big net gain , I'm pretty happy about it .
Also , the Thorograph Data is really performing better than ever - I nailed a horse @ 52-1 and hit another couple of nice thing's the other day , I'm pretty happy about that too ! thanks again #1 !



Post Edited (08-04-04 19:13)

marcus