On to the Belmont
Smarty Jones, the Derby winner, ran away with the Preakness. Eleven and a half lengths he won by, smashing the previous record win distance of ten lengths (Survivor, 1873).
This last decade, the first two jewels of the Triple Crown have seemed almost easy pickings. Nearly every year, a colt wins himself a shot, and every year, the Belmont beats him. What's special about Smarty Jones? He's undefeated.
(Side note: Rock Hard Ten -- the very thoroughly beaten second-place finisher -- is one incredible swath of horseflesh. My goodness. When the camera trains on him alone, he just looks like a magnificently beautiful horse. Then it shows him next to other horses -- that is, several hands above other horses. No wonder he was reluctant to get in the gate; it's tighter around him than the others.)
This last decade, the first two jewels of the Triple Crown have seemed almost easy pickings. Nearly every year, a colt wins himself a shot, and every year, the Belmont beats him. What's special about Smarty Jones? He's undefeated.
(Side note: Rock Hard Ten -- the very thoroughly beaten second-place finisher -- is one incredible swath of horseflesh. My goodness. When the camera trains on him alone, he just looks like a magnificently beautiful horse. Then it shows him next to other horses -- that is, several hands above other horses. No wonder he was reluctant to get in the gate; it's tighter around him than the others.)