Zipse: Smarty Jones electrified Ky. Derby trail 20 years ago

“Birdstone wins the Belmont Stakes.” You could feel the collective deflation of a whole nation of racing fans as announcer Tom Durkin somberly made the final statement of the 2004 Triple Crown.

As kids we are taught that fairy tales have a happy ending. As adults we learn better more often than not. The magical run of Smarty Jones may have come to an end in the final yards of the Belmont, but the excitement he brought to the racing world remains with us vividly 20 years later.

Having nearly died in a training accident in the summer of his 2-year-old season, who could have dreamed the emotional ride the powerful Pennsylvania-bred would take us on less than a year later? Smarty Jones captivated the racing world to such an extent that he remains one of the most popular Thoroughbreds of the 21st century.

Trained by John Servis for Patricia and Roy Chapman’s Someday Farm, the homebred made it to the races in the fall of 2003. The host of the coming-out party for Smarty Jones was Philadelphia Park. Since renamed Parx Racing, the suburban Philadelphia track was an unlikely place for a superstar to come from, but the chestnut colt had star power from the beginning.

In the span of two weeks in his home state, Smarty Jones displayed a unique type of talent that the whole world would be talking about the following spring. He won his debut by nearly eight lengths and then romped home in the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes by 15 lengths.

The speed figures for his first stakes performance came back big, and the legend of Smarty Jones was born.

Canada-born jockey Stewart Elliott was aboard for both of those races at Philadelphia Park, and the journeyman rider would be with him every step of the way in his rise to prominence.

They say if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere, but I’m not sure that’s true of winter racing at Aqueduct. Still, Smarty Jones received his first test outside his home state three days into his sophomore season in the Count Fleet Stakes.

In his first try around two turns, the heavy favorite stumbled out of the gate but still won by five lengths.

It was now official. Smarty Jones was on the Kentucky Derby trail, and his path would go through Arkansas.

Servis admitted that his star pupil was far from cranked up for his first start at Oaklawn Park, but he was able to win the Southwest Stakes on class.

Three weeks later in the Rebel Stakes he would go to post for the only time in his career as not the favorite. He won easily and again impressed the figure makers.

In his final start in Arkansas, he was a decisive winner of the prestigious Arkansas Derby while having no trouble with the nine-furlong distance.

As a son of Elusive Quality and out of a Smile broodmare, it was fair to wonder whether Smarty Jones would be able to carry his speed the full 1 1/4 miles on the first Saturday in May.

Despite that concern, he was made the 4-1 favorite in a field of 18 for the Kentucky Derby. On a rainy afternoon in Louisville, Smarty Jones made history by becoming the first unbeaten winner of the Kentucky Derby since the great Seattle Slew had done it 27 years earlier.

Prominent throughout on the sloppy racing surface, he took over in the stretch and went on to win by 2 3/4 lengths.

Not only did he win the lion’s share of the rich Kentucky Derby purse, but he also earned a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park for his connections by sweeping the Rebel Stakes, the Arkansas Derby and the Kentucky Derby.

Suddenly a household name, Smarty Jones made the trip to Baltimore and two weeks after his win in the Derby, he headlined a field of 10 at Pimlico.

Lion Heart, the runner-up in the Kentucky Derby, was back for another try. An impressive physical specimen from California named Rock Hard Ten also joined the fray.

The Preakness turned out to be no contest. On a fast track, Smarty Jones walloped his competition, winning the $1 million race by a record margin of 11 1/2 lengths over his nearest foe Rock Hard Ten.

A rags-to-riches story from the beginning, the Pennsylvania-bred was now undefeated in eight lifetime starts. More important, he was two-thirds of the way to becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed 26 years earlier.

His popularity seemed to grow every single day between winning the Kentucky Derby and entering the starting gate for the Belmont Stakes. Almost everyone wanted him to get the job done in New York and join racing’s most elite fraternity.

Perhaps the 1 1/2 miles of the Belmont Stakes finally proved to be more than was in his comfort zone. He certainly was not helped by fast middle fractions of the long race.

Still, he was there on the lead the entire stretch before finally succumbing late to the strong late run of Birdstone.

In his first and only defeat, Smarty Jones had performed admirably. It was a stinging loss, but the winner ran a big race and was aided by the fast fractions in that year’s Belmont.

Suffering from balky ankles, the decision to retire the fan favorite was made a few months after the Belmont.

Smarty Jones retired with a record of eight wins and one second in nine starts, with earnings of $7,613,155. He was named the champion 3-year-old male of 2004 and began his stud career at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky.

As we embark on another Kentucky Derby trail, I always like to look back at stories from the past. It doesn’t get much better than the one we saw 20 years ago. Smarty Jones took us all on an unforgettable ride.