Who was closer to the Triple Crown...Smarty or Alex?

[dalakhani]

Originally Posted by philcski

I remember the rain+lightning coming DURING the race... perhaps i'm wrong (i was there but inside the grandstand)... i recall they had lights on the finish, it got so dark...

either way, my point is if anything Birdstone VALIDATED Smarty Jones and repent has to give up on his childish battle against everyone on this horse he lost, miserably, 2 years ago. Like him or not you have to respect him.

I respect Smarty Jones but at the same time I think Repent is saying that Birdstone deserves more respect than he has ever received. The truth is, Birdstone could have been an excellent rival to Smarty in my opinion. In truth, his lame performances only came on bad tracks.

As for who was closer to the crown, i am going to go against the grain and say Afleet Alex. Alex had a much easier crop and a less than ideal trip in the derby. He was much better than the rest of the junk that was in his generation. I think Alex wins that KYD if run again. I think Smarty has a tough time winning that Belmont against those horses.