DeoVolente
03-28-2004, 08:20 PM
3-28-04
Why Smarty Jones is my Derby horse in March. Well, I like the horse, for a number of reasons:
1. He caught my eye when I was looking at the PP's they gave out
before the first future wager. He was listed as one of the field.
I liked him enough then to put him in my Derby fantasy contest
stable.
2. He ran one of the highest Beyer's for a 2 yr. old last year.
3. Not only has he carried forward his 2 yr. old form, he's improved.
4. Undefeated in 5 starts.
5. Now this is not something I would normally bet off of, it's just
something I find interesting. Back in Feb., when the first early
Derby PP's were printed, his Prime Power figure was 2nd only to
Halfbridled's! And that was off only 3 starts. The reason I don't like
Prime Power is that it seems to me it puts too much emphasis on
class. Yet Smarty Jones had gotten the highest Prime Power for 3
yr. old males off of 2 races at Philly Park, one a statebred stakes,
and an ungraded stakes on the inner dirt (The Count Fleet.) In case
you haven't got it still, Read the Footnotes (who at the time had not
yet started this year) was next, 1.6 points lower. Halfbridled was 4.8
points higher. Crazy.....
6. He knows how to rate off the pace.
7. He ran the fastest Rebel since Demon's Begone. They had
better get private security for him....
8. His pace figs consistantly show a big middle move. Big middle
moves win the Kentucky Derby more often than not.
9. He's inbred to Bold Ruler x3.
10. He had a starting gate training accident in which he reared up
and hit his head. He actually was in pretty bad shape and nearly
lost an eye. The vet who treated him says he was a model patient.
That is a mark of high intelligence.
11. He's a February foal.
12. He's got a real fairy tale life story
Why Smarty Jones is my Derby horse in March. Well, I like the horse, for a number of reasons:
1. He caught my eye when I was looking at the PP's they gave out
before the first future wager. He was listed as one of the field.
I liked him enough then to put him in my Derby fantasy contest
stable.
2. He ran one of the highest Beyer's for a 2 yr. old last year.
3. Not only has he carried forward his 2 yr. old form, he's improved.
4. Undefeated in 5 starts.
5. Now this is not something I would normally bet off of, it's just
something I find interesting. Back in Feb., when the first early
Derby PP's were printed, his Prime Power figure was 2nd only to
Halfbridled's! And that was off only 3 starts. The reason I don't like
Prime Power is that it seems to me it puts too much emphasis on
class. Yet Smarty Jones had gotten the highest Prime Power for 3
yr. old males off of 2 races at Philly Park, one a statebred stakes,
and an ungraded stakes on the inner dirt (The Count Fleet.) In case
you haven't got it still, Read the Footnotes (who at the time had not
yet started this year) was next, 1.6 points lower. Halfbridled was 4.8
points higher. Crazy.....
6. He knows how to rate off the pace.
7. He ran the fastest Rebel since Demon's Begone. They had
better get private security for him....
8. His pace figs consistantly show a big middle move. Big middle
moves win the Kentucky Derby more often than not.
9. He's inbred to Bold Ruler x3.
10. He had a starting gate training accident in which he reared up
and hit his head. He actually was in pretty bad shape and nearly
lost an eye. The vet who treated him says he was a model patient.
That is a mark of high intelligence.
11. He's a February foal.
12. He's got a real fairy tale life story