Smarty Jones retires

You can only imagine the weeping that occurred in the Banshee household when this announcement came out on Monday afternoon. Smarty overcame a nearly fatal accident a year ago to win the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Along the way, he galloped into the hearts of Americans. But, in the end, all that galloping took its toll. Smarty is being forced into retirement by bruising in all four hoofs. Trainer John Servis had planned a fall racing season for Smarty and was greatly disappointed at the abrupt ending. Servis said, "It hurts me. He could do things so effortlessly. .... He was an exceptional individual. It hurts, but you have to move on."

(AP)

I, for one, would like to thank Smarty Jones for a fun summer of racing, and I look forward to seeing his babies in the Derby in a few years.