Editing Smarty Jones (section)

===2004: Three-Year-Old Season===
In January 2004, now racing as a three-year-old, Smarty Jones was given his first major test in the Count Fleet Stakes at [[Aqueduct Racetrack]] in [[New York City]]. In the home stretch, the colt pulled away from the field to win by 5 lengths. In February, Smarty Jones was shipped to Oaklawn Park racetrack in [[Hot Springs, Arkansas]] in preparation for the [[Kentucky Derby]]. There, he won the [[Southwest Stakes]], the [[Rebel Stakes]] (earning the fastest Thorograph number that had ever been given to a 3 year old), and the important [[Arkansas Derby]].

On a rainy May 1, 2004, Smarty Jones entered the Kentucky Derby, where he became the post time favorite, and won. He became the first unbeaten winner of the race since [[Seattle Slew]] in 1977. Servis and Elliott became the first trainer/jockey combination in 25 years to win the Kentucky Derby in their debut appearance. Smarty Jones won the race by {{frac|2|3|4}} lengths, earning $854,800 for the Chapmans along with a bonus of $5 million from [[Oaklawn Park]] for sweeping the [[Rebel Stakes]], the [[Arkansas Derby]], and the [[Kentucky Derby]]. He also joined Lil E. Tee (1992 Derby winner) as the only Pennsylvania-bred horses to ever win the Kentucky Derby. Smarty Jones' year, 2004, was the 100th anniversary of the Triple Crown races.<ref>Hanna pg 60</ref>

On May 15, after appearing on the cover of [[Sports Illustrated]], Smarty Jones won the second leg of the [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing|Triple Crown]] with a victory at the [[2004 Preakness Stakes]] by a record margin of {{frac|11|1|2}} lengths, becoming the first [[Glossary of North American horse racing#O|odds-on]] favorite to win the race since [[Spectacular Bid]] in 1979.

After his Preakness victory, Smarty Jones' popularity increased and he became, arguably, the #1 fan favorite to aspire to win the Triple Crown since [[Affirmed]] won it in 1978.  He was the 10th horse since Affirmed to win both the Derby and the Preakness.<ref>{{Cite magazine | last1 = Layden | first1 = Tim  | title = The Horse For the Course | magazine = Sports Illustrated | volume = 100 | issue = 23 | pages = 62–65 | date = June 7, 2004 }}</ref> His popularity increased the attendance of the races by 17,000 people and caused the highest television ratings in 14 years.<ref>{{Cite magazine | last1 = Beech | first1 = Mark | title = Smarty Pooper | magazine = Sports Illustrated | volume = 101 | issue = 17 | pages = 23 | date = November 1, 2004 }}</ref> Breeders made offers for the breeding rights to the horse, with the offers going as high as 40 to 50 million dollars.  However, on June 5, 2004, Smarty Jones finished  second in the [[Belmont Stakes]], upset by a late charge by 36-1 long shot [[Birdstone]].   Speculation arose that the loss was a result of Elliott allowing Smarty Jones to assume the lead too early when being challenged by several competitors.  However, neither Servis nor the Chapmans ever blamed his own jockey (Race video revealed that Elliott had a tight hold on the reins, and did not urge Smarty Jones until the quarter pole). Others pointed to Smarty Jones' relatively unfavorable 3.40 [[Dosage Index]] as being a portent of his inability to successfully negotiate the {{frac|1|1|2}}-mile Belmont distance (Birdstone's Dosage Index was 1.77; the lower the Dosage number, supposedly the better suited a horse is to longer races). Smarty Jones ran the opening mile and a quarter in a time that would have won all but 3 Kentucky Derbys in history and was 8 lengths in front of the show horse.  The 120,139 in attendance at Belmont Park that day marked the largest crowd ever to see a sporting event in [[New York (state)|New York]].<ref>"Smarty Jones: The People's Horse," in Blood-Horse Publications ''Horse Racing's Top 100 Moments'', p 230.</ref>

Smarty Jones carried a record-high $59,000,000 [[betting pool]] for the Preakness Stakes, which doubled in amount during the Belmont Stakes.<ref>{{Cite magazine | last1 = Gregory | first1 = Sean | title = How to Bet Smarty | magazine = Time | volume = 163 | issue = 22 | pages = 81 | date = 2004-05-31 }}</ref>

The Belmont was Smarty Jones' only loss out of nine starts and the first time he had ever been passed in a race.<ref>{{Cite news | id=art. 29201723 | title = It's Smarty Jones Leading, It's Smarty...Never Mind | newspaper = New York Times |  pages = 1 | date = 2004-06-06 }}</ref> Many speculated against his distance abilities.<ref>{{Cite news | title = Will Smarty Jones Win the Triple Crown? Not so fast, everybody. | newspaper = Sporting News | volume = 228 | issue = 22 | pages = 12 | date = 2004-05-31 }}</ref> Although he ranked among the most brilliantly fast 2 and 3 year olds of recent years, the {{frac|1|1|2}}-mile distance of the Belmont might have proven too far for his miler/sprinter pedigree and running style. Failing to relax as he had done in the Derby and Preakness, he set a blistering pace on the front end. Birdstone, with a more distance-favoring pedigree, rallied from well off the pace, and for the first time in his career Smarty Jones was passed in a race.<ref name="Horse-Races"/> In many ways, his career mirrored that of [[Majestic Prince]], who fell short of winning the 1969 Triple Crown.  Both horses entered the Belmont undefeated, finished second, and never raced again. In Majestic Prince's case though, it was a problem in his right front [[tendon]], called a check ligament, that prevented him from racing again. 

Smarty Jones was voted the 2004 [[Eclipse Award for Outstanding Three-Year-Old Male Horse]] and was one of the top 5 searched words/terms on Google for that year.

Quote by Smarty Jones' stable foreman, "Big Bill" Foster: "Number one in horse racing, you have to have the horse. Number two, you have to know what to do with the horse once you have him. A lot of people in this business have a lot of horses, and never made it because they broke them down. It happens a lot. Mismanaged. Mistrained. All because people want to be in the limelight. Which is where we're different. We don't want to be in the limelight.<ref>Merz pg 62</ref>"