Columnist Ralph Siraco: Smarty Jones gets red-carpet treatment in Philly

Ralph Siraco

Monday, May 10, 2004 | 9:21 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday.

Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones is enjoying the limelight. Since his victory in the slop at Churchill Downs on the first day in May, Smarty Jones has become the new American idol. And he can't even sing.

He returned to his home base at Philadelphia Park in Bensalem, Pa., from Louisville last Tuesday with a police escort from the airport. Track officials spruced up the backside, where Smarty resides, with fresh plants and flowers.

When Smarty prances out of his stall to stretch his legs on the track, he is the only horse on the tan. All other horses training at the track have to wait until Smarty is done with his morning exercise. The bush-league track in the Quaker state is rolling out every courtesy in red-carpet fashion for the Smarty Jones team.

In a city proud of its sports teams and craving another championship of any sort, Smarty shares the front page of the city's newspaper sports sections with the Philadelphia Flyers as they continue in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Smarty's popularity, however, may be his undoing. You see, Smarty Jones appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated last week. The famous SI jinx is now upon him. It is well documented, that any sports celebrity or team that appears on the national sports magazine's cover soon finds defeat at hand. The last horse to adorn the cover of SI was Sunny's Halo, who won the Kentucky Derby in 1983. One week later, he finished sixth in the Preakness Stakes.

Of course, Affirmed raced through the SI jinx as the cover boy after his Derby victory in 1978 and went on to win not only the Preakness Stakes, but the Belmont Stakes for the Triple Crown. And Seattle Slew did the same as the last undefeated Derby winner -- until Smarty Jones this year -- in 1977 to take the Triple Crown the previous year. Smarty Jones joined Seattle Slew, Regret in 1915, Morvich in 1922 and Majestic Prince in 1969 as the only undefeated Kentucky Derby winners.

Adding to the Smarty Jones legend is the condition and manner in which he won the 130th Kentucky Derby.

There was an overflow of competitors facing Smarty at the Derby. And after late defections, there were 17 horses in the starting gate at Churchill Downs looking to take down Smarty. When the skies opened over Louisville about an hour before post time for the Derby, the already soaked racetrack became a sloppy slow surface. Speed-oriented horses tend to perform well on such tracks.

Smarty Jones had shown speed in all but one of his six starts leading up to the Derby and his victory in the Grade II Arkansas Derby before the Kentucky Derby was over a muddy Oaklawn Park surface. Thus, the track advantage proved to be in favor of Smarty Jones and the speedy Lion Heart. They raced primarily 1-2 throughout the Kentucky Derby with Lion Heart finishing second.

The others found themselves floundering and sliding in the Churchill Downs slop. Most Derby also-rans either couldn't handle the track or found traffic troubles at crunch time.

There were a few with solid credentials that didn't make the Derby field whose connections still have high hopes for the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course Saturday. Of those who didn't make the cut in the Kentucky Derby, Eddington and Rock Hard Ten seem to be the ones with something to settle with Smarty. Or at least they want their shot.

Several other horses who ran in the Derby will return hoping to find a fast track for the rematch at Baltimore. They include Lion Heart, The Cliff's Edge -- who threw a pair of shoes during the running of the Kentucky Derby while finishing fifth -- and Borrego, who was 10th in the Derby. Imperialism, who finished third in the Derby, was originally going to sit out the Preakness to freshen for the Belmont Stakes on June 5. Trainer Kristin Mulhall felt that the 1 1/2-mile distance of that third jewel of the Triple Crown would suit Imperialism's stretch-running style better. But, after deliberating with colorful owner Steve Taub, the Derby show horse will join the Preakness cast.

Other Kentucky Derby runners who may take up Round 2 include Friends Lake (15th), Master David (12th) and Tapit (9th). Although the new shooters Rock Hard Ten, Eddington and local entrant Water Cannon -- who won the Federico Tesio in his last start in Maryland -- add intrigue to the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, it should be noted that in the past 20 years, 19 Preakness Stakes winners ran in the Kentucky Derby two weeks before, with seven of them having won the Run for the Roses. Additionally, in that time eight Preakness winners turned around dull Kentucky Derby performances, having finished fifth or worse in Louisville.

So, while Smarty Jones enjoys the high life and center stage as he collects that $5 million Centennial Bonus from Oaklawn Park for sweeping the Rebel Stakes, Arkansas and Kentucky derbies, history is waiting at the Preakness along with a legion of fans and an army of media ready to document the next chapter of Smarty Jones goes to Washington, or at least the neighborhood.