What happened to Smarty? Expert analysis

Andrew Beyer is the country's foremost writer on horse racing. Here is his analysis of Smarty Jone's defeat at the Belmont published in the June 6 edition of the Washington Post.

"If anybody's failing cost Smarty Jones the Triple Crown, it was not Elliott and Servis, but the beloved horse himself. Smarty Jones had accomplished his triumphs in the Derby and Preakness by overcoming his pedigree; he is the son of a miler, and his female family is dominated by sprinters and milers....Like so many Triple Crown aspirants before him, the Belmont distance defeated him."

For the full story, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18877-2004Jun5.html