NINE IS JUST FINE FOR SMARTY JONES.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer ELMONT, N.Y. - After Wednesday morning's double-blind drawing had assigned starting stalls to seven of the nine Belmont Stakes Belmont Stakes Oldest of the three U.S. horse races that constitute the Triple Crown. The Belmont originated in 1867 and is named after August Belmont (see Belmont family). The stakes is held in early June at Belmont Park, near Garden City, Long Island; the course is 1.5 mi (2,400 m). horses, the presiding track officials had yet to call out the name Smarty Jones Smarty Jones (born February 28, 2001) is a thoroughbred race horse, and winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He is a third-generation descendant of Mr. , leaving the fates with a choice of extremes for the Triple Crown hopeful. Smarty Jones could have received post position 1, nearest the inner rail, where he'd be a tactical target for the would-be spoilers Saturday. Or he could have landed post 9, on the far outside, from where he might lose ground in the first turn but would have the clearest possible path to glory. Then Smarty An earlier device marketed by Fischer International Systems Corporation, Naples, FL (www.fisc.com) that used a standard 3.5" floppy drive to read smart cards. The smart card was inserted into Smarty, which resembled a floppy disk. Jones' card was pulled from a box and pill No. 9 shaken from a bottle, and there went the first anxious moment of the 136th Belmont Stakes week for the star's handlers. ``I'm much happier with the 9 (post) than I would have been with the 1,'' trainer John Servis John C. Servis (born October 25, 1958 in Charles Town, West Virginia) is an American thoroughbred horse racing trainer who was a relative unknown until May 2004 when his horse Smarty Jones won the Kentucky Derby. said after the ceremony in the Belmont Park Noun 1. Belmont Park - a racetrack for thoroughbred racing in Elmont on Long Island; site of the Belmont Stakes Belmont Elmont - a town on Long Island in New York; site of Belmont Park clubhouse. ``I think it gives us a good run to the first turn.'' Hearing the trainers of Smarty Jones' opponents offer their rationales for taking on the undefeated favorite, you got the idea the post-position draw might have been his team's last anxious moment as well. Their reasoning: Anything can happen in a horse race, it's an honor just to compete in such a prestigious event, anything can happen in a horse race, the $1 million race does offer a healthy $200,000 purse for the runner-up, and anything can happen in a horse race. ``I think anybody with a sane mind thinks they're running for second,'' said Bobby Frankel, who trained 2003 Belmont winner Empire Maker and landed post 1 this time with Master David. ``I'm going to tell (jockey Jose Santos) to ride the race like (Smarty Jones) isn't in it. Worry about the rest of the horses. Maybe something will happen.'' To win, Frankel said, Smarty Jones merely ``has to go into the race 90 percent (prepared).'' Smarty Jones, with eight victories in eight starts after his 2 3/4- and 11 1/2-length victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, respectively, under jockey Stewart Elliott, was made a 2-5 morning-line favorite for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont. If his price is that short at the start, scheduled for 3:38 PDT PDT abbr. Pacific Daylight Time PDT Pacific Daylight Time PDT n abbr (US) (= Pacific Daylight Time) → hora de verano del Pacífico PDT , he'll be the heaviest favorite since Spectacular Bid went off at 3-10 in his losing bid for the Triple Crown in 1979. No horse has swept the 3-year-old classics since Affirmed in 1978. ``Where do I sign up for second?'' said Nick Zito, the New York-based trainer of Belmont entrants Birdstone and Royal Assault. ``Finishing second to a hero, there's nothing wrong with that.'' The horse who would be a hero made his Belmont Park entrance shortly before noon on a muggy mug·gy adj. mug·gi·er, mug·gi·est Warm and extremely humid. [Probably from Middle English mugen, to drizzle; akin to Old Norse mugga, a drizzle. Wednesday, led by a groom down the ramp out of the white-and-black van that brought him on the 2-hour, 15-minute journey from his home track of Philadelphia Park in Bensalem, Pa. Departing after his early morning gallop, Smarty Jones was tailed by news helicopters on the Pennsylvania end and escorted by Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of law-enforcement vehicles. ``It's like you have President Bush in the truck with you,'' said Bill Foster, Servis' barn foreman, which could be taken the wrong way. Smarty Jones - in the same barn 5 as Secretariat was before his 1973 Triple Crown-capping victory - was to get his first feel for the Belmont running surface this morning in a gallop scheduled for 5:30 EDT EDT abbr. Eastern Daylight Time EDT Eastern Daylight Time EDT n abbr (US) (= Eastern Daylight Time) → hora de verano de Nueva York EDT . Forecasts are for dry and comfortable weather Saturday, much unlike last year, when Funny Cide lost his Triple Crown in a downpour. Belmont morning-line maker Donald LaPlace identified Purge as the second choice at 5-1 odds and Rock Hard Ten third at 8-1. Rock Hard Ten was a distant second in the Preakness after balking balking, baulking see jibbing. at the starting gate and racing wide. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how we're going to beat him,'' said Jason Orman, Rock Hard Ten's trainer, referring to Smarty Jones. ``I just hope the added distance and the experience of the Preakness will help. I think any of the eight can beat him. (But) they'll have to run a heck of a race.'' Five Belmont entrants have run against Smarty Jones before. The closest finishes were recorded by Purge, who was second in Oaklawn Park's Rebel Stakes, 3 1/4 lengths behind, and fifth in Oaklawn's Arkansas Derby, 7 1/4 back. ``We went to Arkansas twice and saw Smarty Jones whip our horse twice,'' said Todd Pletcher, trainer of Purge, the winner of Belmont's Peter Pan Stakes The Peter Pan Stakes is a race for thoroughbred horses run each year at Belmont Park on Long Island, New York. A Grade II event, it's open to three-year-olds willing to race nine furlongs on the dirt. The Peter Pan carries a purse of $200,000. in May. Pletcher blamed a ``tactical error'' by jockey Cornelio Velasquez - rushing to the early lead after a slow start - for the Arkansas Derby flop. Regular rider John Velazquez will be aboard Saturday. He'll probably try to drop back and make Elliott set the pace. ``When you think about trying to run against Smarty Jones, it's very hard to find a weakness,'' Pletcher said. ``Drawing the No. 9 post, that probably gives him a nice run to the first turn. But it's a horse race, and anything can happen.'' Kevin Modesti, (818) 713-3616 heymodesti(at)aol.com. CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Trainer John Servis, right, aboard Butterscotch but·ter·scotch n. 1. A syrup, sauce, candy, or flavoring made by melting butter and brown sugar together. 2. A golden or tawny brown. , guides Smarty Jones with Pete Van Trump in the saddle during a workout at Philadelphia Park in Bensalem, Pa. Bill Denver/Associated Press Box: BELMONT STAKES LINEUP |
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