2004 Belmont Stakes - Birdstone

[caesarfiorini]

last Qtr mile was trottin horse time ....27 seconds

[BettorOffSingle]

one of these days the result is going to be different, if I watch it enough.

[ebirdyca]

I'm fairly new to the sport of horse racing and have been watching a ton of classic races. Gotta say, this is definitely one of the best I've seen so far

[skippythewonderhorse]

I have one of Birdstone's sons <3 I remember watching this race. I was SO rooting for Smarty!

[WolfCreekCity]

This race gave me chills o.o

[eagles01211]

birdstone is a what?

[PlaYah1979]

Man Royal Assault closed better then anyone....If he had better posistion he maybe could have won...He closed from a mile back to get 3rd

[vidEvWill]

Birdstone did sire two stakes winners Mine That Bird and Summer Bird so I'd say he's a heck of a sire.

[gallopracerfan]

@vidEvWill both being classic winners in just one season, in fact if RA didn't show up in the Preakness, MTB could have possibly won.

[vidEvWill]

@gallopracerfan Agreed. Rachel Alexandra pretty much held them down that day not to to mention that Calvin Borel decided to jump off Mine That Bird and ride RA, if Borel was riding Mine That Bird he probably still would have won, but who knows.

[eagles01211]

@betteroffsingle...birdstone is clearly not the better horse...smarty jones was pushed the whole race and still barely lost...and who cares about whose a better sire?? It's not something that can be chosen

[CanChaser159]

@masterfox61 yep! Grindstone was Birdstone's sire (father). If your interested in bloodlines and all that, something I found cool was that Birdstone is the sire of Mine That Bird, the horse who won the Kentucky Derby in '09 AND Summer Bird, the horse who won the Belmont that same year :)

[joshkeller206]

Literally the most disappointed I've ever been watching a horse race. Still love you, Smarty Jones!

[MichaelDominici1968]

You can FEEL the hot heat in Durkin's voice when he reacts in incredulous disgust when Birdstone surges past Smarty Jones. A real heartbreaker!

[masterfox61]

Is Birdstone er... descended (i have like no knowledge of horse breeding terms) from Grindstone? If so it all makes sense he was a great horse.

[DifferentlyDead]

@masterfox61 Yes, Grindstone was his sire, and he sired Mine That Bird (more like Grindstone) and Summer Bird (More like Birdstone) quite the family line. :)

[BettorOffSingle]

@DifferentlyDead Birdstone has proven the better sire of the two, plus he had won his debut in a maiden at Saratoga with a 99 figure the previous year, so even this wasn't really a fluke. People just overbet the live triple-crown threat as always.

[bigfilmhat]

I remember listening to this in my work van at the time. Disappointing, I was really pulling for Smarty Jones.

[JimmyDaSavage]

I WAS SO HAPPY WHEN THIS HAPPENED HAHA!

[lol83023]

@JimmyDaSavage F U

[hgorm86]

biggest heartbreak of my life

[knaankos]

has there ever beena more dissapointed announcer call?

[KiNgskrible]

rock hard ten made all this happen

[nvrlose37]

@KiNgskrible Give Bailey credit for being a dickhead as well. Eddington was used just to push Smarty to the lead, in no attempt at all to win the race

[obarhollywood]

punk-ass Birdstone!!! Smarty Jones should've won!!!

[BettorOffSingle]

@obarhollywood Birdstone was the better horse, and the better sire.

Smarty had nothing left, literally. His hoof tendons were SHOT. That's why he never raced again.