The thoroughbred horse racing world belongs to “Big Money Mike” Smith.
The 52-year-old jockey, who has been dominating big races in recent years, put an exclamation point on his illustrious career on Saturday, guiding Justify to the Triple Crown with a victory in the Belmont Stakes.
In sweeping the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont, Smith becomes the oldest jockey to win the Triple Crown. It is the pinnacle of a career that has seen him win more than 5,400 races, including a record 26 in the Breeders’ Cup, and now seven Triple Crown races. His mounts have earned more than US$310 million.
Photo: AP
This was another perfect ride. Breaking from the less-than-desired No. 1 post, Smith gunned Justify to the lead and never looked back.
“This horse ran a tremendous race, he’s so gifted,” said Smith, who looked to the sky to celebrate after his ride. “He’s sent from heaven. I tell you, it’s just amazing. I can’t describe the emotions going through my body right now.”
Smith had made a point of saying before the Belmont that he did not feel like he had done that much to be in the thoroughbred Hall of Fame.
“Yeah, I belong now,” said Smith, who ripped carnations from the garland of flowers draped on Justify after the race and tossed them in the air to celebrate.
When fans roared at him in appreciation on the way back to the winner’s circle, Smith calmly pointed to Justify.
“He’s so brilliant. Did you see him in the gate, he’s standing so still,” Smith said. “I thought maybe he’s not going to break today. He lifted like he’s going 440 yards in Roswell, New Mexico.”
Smith is clearly at the top of his game in a sport where jockeys are riding less and less in their 50s.
When owners and trainers want someone to get their mounts to the wire first, it is not surprising that they turn to Smith. The New Mexico native won 15 Grade 1 races last year, including nine with Bob Baffert, the trainer of Justify and now a two-time Triple Crown winner.
Baffert broke a 37-year drought in 2015 with American Pharoah.
What is ahead for Smith remains to be seen. He has reduced his riding schedule in recent years to concentrate on riding the sport’s best horses. He has ridden such outstanding horses as Zenyatta, Royal Delta, Songbird, Shared Belief and Game On Dude, but riding Justify has taken him to a new level.
Victor Espinoza, who rode American Pharoah to a Triple Crown, did a television commercial leading up to the Triple Crown races this year. It shows a horse eating the flowers off a woman’s hat and the jockey reimbursing her in the winner’s circle with Quick Pay.
The one thing Smith is not looking at is the grind of having six or seven mounts per card and early morning workouts. He has been there and done that.
His days now are spent staying in shape with a rigorous workout schedule that keeps him in top condition to use his vast experience in handling the best horses in the business.
The way things went this year, it would not be surprising to see Smith riding a good one in next year’s Triple Crown races.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
UP IN SMOKE: More than half a dozen riders crashed out of the race, with Marquez’s title chances in doubt after driving off the track with flames flickering from his bike Jorge Martin yesterday won a crash-filled Indonesia MotoGP to extend his championship lead, while closest rival Francesco Bagnaia limited the damage by claiming the final podium place. The win leaves the Pramac Racing rider 21 points ahead of his Italian Ducati rival, who finished third behind Spaniard Pedro Acosta in sweltering conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit on Lombok island. In front of a crowd of 60,000 in motorbike-mad Indonesia, the 26-year-old put his tumble in Saturday’s sprint behind him, canceling out the gains his title rival Bagnaia made after securing victory in that race. “Thank you Indonesia. I am very happy.
RSS