Smarty Takes A Fall

Just when America needs all the heroes it can get, another sports icon has fallen from grace. Smarty Jones, who captured our hearts with his come-from-behind victories at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, was upset today in the final stretch at Belmont. For those of us who've never followed horse racing before but were moved by the story of Smarty, this is understandably heartbreaking. For those of us that have never bet on a horse before, this is something a bit more than heartbreaking. When I watched Smarty fall behind this afternoon, I screamed so loud, I think even Seabiscuit himself might have heard me. But within the disappointment, there is a lesson for all who aspire to a quick run at the bigtime.



The life of a championship thoroughbred is often the very essence of the hoary old show-biz cliche "too much, too soon." One minute, you're grazing peacefully at your owner's estate; the next, you're being shuttled from derby to derby, bookies are screaming your name, the little girls want to draw you and the big girls want to ride you. It's heady stuff. Everyone from Man O'War to Seattle Slew has been down this road, and there isn't always a jockey talented enough to manage a happy trail out.

Even before today's flameout, there were omininous suggestions about Jones' future. An Equestrian Weekly article ("Is Smarty's Party About To Go Belly-Up?") drew spooky parallels between his behind-the-stirrups misadventures and those of the late Who drummer Keith Moon (both liked to snort hay and get hosed down after a lengthy performance). Within the racing community, said one off-the-record source, SJ was dubbed "a four-legged, flat-footed Kobe Bryant...whenever he's loping through town, I make sure to keep the barn doors closed at night." So when it was reported that two young fillies had left his stable at 2 o'clock in the morning, all of us should've been alarmed. We might wish for a world where the private lives of our racing idols were given less scrutiny, as they were in the days of Secretariat, but Smarty knew the stakes were high the minute he galloped into the limelight.

Anyway, congratulations to Birdstone, the real winner. Our hearts are broken but they will heal. And I'll find another way to pay off my student loans.