2004 BELMONT STAKES

HORSEPHOTOS/NTRA

Birdstone wins the 136th running of The Belmont Stakes spoiling Smarty Jones' attempt at the Triple Crown.

BIRDSTONE VICTORIOUS IN 136TH BELMONT STAKES

THE BELMONT STAKES OFFICIAL RESULTS

JUNE 5, 2004

BELMONT STAKES

GRADE I

BELMONT RACETRACK, ELMONT, NEW YORK

FOR THREE YEAR OLDS

ONE AND ONE-HALF MILES

MAIN TRACK: FAST

BIRDSTONE

Winner

136th Belmont Stakes

Jockey: Edgar Prado 

Trainer: Nicholas P. Zito 

Owned & Bred by: Marylou Whitney Stables

OFFICIAL ORDER OF FINISH

 :24.33, :48.65, 1:11.76, 1:35.44, 2:00.52, 2:27.50

BIRDSTONE PROLONGS THE TRIPLE CROWN DROUGHT

June 5, 2004

Elmont, New York

Seems like we have seen this story before doesn't it?  A horse wins the Kentucky Derby, wins the Preakness and then in the Belmont comes up just short.  And while the other candidates, in recent memory, with a chance to win the Triple Crown were very good horses there is something different about Smarty Jones.  I'm not sure whether it is the story behind the Philly legend, the owners, trainer or the jockey, but when he steps into the spotlight there is an overwhelming feeling that we are going to see something special.  Kind of like his breathtaking effort  in Baltimore.  While he did lose the Belmont he was valiant in defeat.  He ran a strong race and was tested every inch of the way.  Never able to find that cruising gear down the backside the Derby winner still dispatched a couple of really nice horses before getting caught near the wire.  And the mood after the race was anything but jovial.  You only had to listen to Tom Durkin's race call to tell that the wind was let out of the building, crammed with over 120,000 race fans, when the race was over.  A strange feeling and attitude not only by the crowd but by the media as well. Marylou Whitney and Nick Zito are New York racing but never in my short existence have I ever seen someone have to apologize for winning a race let alone the Belmont Stakes.  That just goes to show you that everyone was really rooting for this little horse from Philly and the impact he has had not only on the racing world but in this country in general. 

While we will have to wait until next year for another chance to see a Triple Crown winner Smarty Jones will be back hopefully this summer in The Pennsylvania Derby and maybe The Haskell Invitational.  Until then we can remember what he has already brought to the sport and to his deserving owners, trainer and jockey.  And lets not forget them because they were more than accommodating to just about every major media outlet during this run and were always cordial in victory and in defeat.  They epitomize class at its highest level and they are to be commended.  As for the connections of Birdstone we know they are classy people and they deserve to be congratulated for not only winning The Belmont but for beating a champion.  They may have broken up a Triple Crown bid but the crown can only go to the horse who wins all three races.  Maybe down the line these two will hook up again and we will get a second chance to see these horses compete, maybe we won't but as for the drama that the Triple Crown brings it was a stellar Triple Crown calendar year and the crop should turn out to be pretty special with health and racing luck.  See you in January 2005 when we pick up this madness again at Gulfstream.

For the recap of the race see below.

The field was sent off to a good start as Purge led the field through the opening half-mile in 48.65, followed by Rock Hard Ten in second as it was another length back to Smarty Jones in third. Entering the backside Smarty Jones pressed the pace while four wide and then surged to the front, Rock Hard Ten continued to press the leader intently in second as Eddington was also running strong on the leader in third position. Through the far turn Smarty Jones had repelled the challenges of both Rock Hard Ten and Eddington as the field was starting to back up all except for Birdstone who was making a menacing move picking up horses as Smarty Jones took a three and a half length lead into the stretch. In the stretch Smarty Jones drifted out when struck left handed with the whip in upper stretch and again nearing the eighth pole, but managed to maintained a clear lead inside the furlong marker, and then fought gamely into deep stretch before yielding grudgingly seventy yards from the wire to the closing Birdstone. Birdstone won the 136th Running of the Belmont Stakes by a length at the wire in a final time of 2:27.50. Smarty Jones ran a game second in defeat as Royal Assault got up for the show spot. Birdstone is a three-year-old bay colt owned and bred by Marylou Whitney Stables, trained by Nicholas P. Zito and was ridden by Edgar Prado.