Interesting take on Smarty Jones' Breeding Prospects

http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/horse_racing/122476859.html?page=1&c=y

Interesting post from the Philadelphia Inquirer's Dick Jerardi about Smarty Jones at Stud. I'm not sure how many people out there actually follow that side of the industry, but to me it's fascinating. However, Smarty is a cultish figure in Philly, even 7 years after his Triple Crown runs.

This being said, Jerardi misses out entirely on the point. The reason that there are 3 PA sires on the top 30 list is the same reason Fusaichi Pegasus topped this list this year. While Stallions like Dynaformer consistently pump out Stakes Winners (and for 150k a pop, he better) the odds are far lower for these other stallions. So while in KY, there are only so many mares that make the trek from around the country, and when given the choice between Smarty for 7500, or a hot young stallion for maybe 5-10, you pick the newer one almost all of the time. Smarty was a bust in Lexington, but in PA, he's a superstar. Therefore, you breed to as many mares as possible (using all the sales gimmicks possible: bundling; two year breeds for steep discounts; foal shares) and hope to god you get a couple SWs out of the crop.

Quantity is not quality, but when you read the Thoroughbred Times Stallion Rankings, you can get easily fooled by overall numbers, and not consistency of quality.

Bottom line, as of right now, Smarty Jones is a bust. THAT is why he stands in PA. He was a bit player at Three Chimneys, he'll probably remain one overall by the percentages, and that is what matters.