ESPN.com: Triple Crown 2004

Birdstone Upsets Smarty Jones

Birdstone and jockey Edgar Prado upsetting the June 5 Belmont.

What happened? One-to-five favorite Smarty Jones was downed in his Triple Crown bid by the Nick Zito-trained longshot Birdstone in the June 5 Belmont Stakes. It was the sixth time in eight years that a Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner failed to collect the Belmont Stakes. Yet, as Bill Finley laments, this year was supposed to be different.

• Prado apologetic | McNamara: Triple Crown aftermath
• Results | Finley: What else could Elliott have done?
• Beaten Smarty goes home quietly | Cronley: Now what?
• Watch the Belmont right now in ESPN Motion

Team Smarty takes loss hard but graciously
Team Smarty -- the unpretentious Philadelphians who gave the nation the gift of a great horse and a grand chase -- took his first defeat hard but graciously.
Philly fanatics come out in full force at Belmont
The only things missing from Belmont Park on Saturday were the Liberty Bell and a Geno's cheesesteak stand.
$250,000 ad deal for Elliott
Stewart Elliott, jockey of Smarty Jones, signed what is likely to be the most lucrative jockey advertising deal in the sport's history on Saturday morning.
Will Smarty race past Belmont?
The price of insuring the Smarty Jones might be too great for it to make financial sense for the horse to race in 2005.
Whereabouts of '35 Triple Crown winner a mystery
Smarty Jones' run at the Triple Crown has racing fans in Nebraska wondering about the whereabouts of Omaha, who accomplished the feat almost 70 years ago.
Disease could affect next year's Triple Crown
Horsemen are bracing for what might come in 2005 because of an outbreak of Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome in 2001.
Finley: Smarty is good, but is he great?
Smarty Jones is going to be a Triple Crown winner. He is a special horse. But is he a great horse?
Plonk: Smarty is good and great
Don't let the cynics crush what you've seen with your own eyes. Enjoy greatness. It comes along only so often.
Finley: Is Smarty Jones saving horse racing?
Is Smarty Jones a savior for horse racing? It depends on who you ask.
Smarty Jones wins Preakness by 11.5 lengths
Smarty Jones blazed into the lead turning for home and won the Preakness by a record margin on Saturday.
Smarty Jones wins Kentucky Derby, $5M bonus
Smarty Jones splashed his way past Lion Heart in the stretch and won America's premier horse race Saturday.

MORE COVERAGE

Kentucky Derby
May 7, 2005
Track
Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.
Distance
1 1/4 miles
Record
1:59 2/5
Secretariat, 1973
Purse
$2 Million
Winner
Giacomo

Preakness Stakes
May 21, 2005
Track
Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, Md.
Distance
1 3/16 miles
Record
1:53 2/5
Tank's Prospect, 1985
Louis Quatorze, 1996
Purse
$1 Million
Winner
Afleet Alex

Belmont Stakes
June 11, 2005
Track
Belmont Park
Elmont, N.Y.
Distance
1 1/2 miles
Record
2:24
Secretariat, 1973
Purse
$1 Million
Winner
Afleet Alex

Arkansas Derby
Smarty Jones remains perfect with a win in the Arkansas Derby. Courtesy NBC.
Standard | Cable Modem

Wood Memorial
Tapit scores in the Wood Memorial.
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Blue Grass Stakes
The Cliff's Edge pulls through for trainer Nick Zito. Courtesy NBC.
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Santa Anita Derby
Longshot Castledale shocks the field in the Santa Anita Derby.
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Illinois Derby
Pollard's Vision captures the Illinois Derby.
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Florida Derby
Friend's Lake makes a splash in the Florida Derby.
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Louisiana Derby
The Bob Baffert-trained Wimbledon aced the Louisiana Derby.
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Fountain of Youth
Read the Footnotes edges Second of June to take the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park.
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Hutcheson Stakes
Limestone overtakes Deputy Storm in the Hutcheson Stakes.
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WinStar Derby
Hi Teck Man scores the upset in the WinStar Derby.
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Leading Issue
Mike and Mike: Handicapper Mike Watchmaker of the Daily Racing Forum blames jockey Stewart Elliott for Smarty Jones' Belmont finish.
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Belmont's Long Run
Mike and Mike: Jockey Stewart Elliott reflects on what went wrong in Smarty Jones' bid for the Triple Crown.
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