FOS wrote: There's always hope...but at this moment in time I'd expect that the overwhelming majority of opinion (re Smarty Jones as a racehorse sire) might range from EXTREMELY disappointing (at best), to a FLOP-extraordinaire (at worst).
Smarty Jones is just not getting the job done...at least (to my way of thinking anyway) not in relation to the opportunities afforded him, and the expectations fueled by those opportunities.
If Smarty Jones doesn't get things cookin' soon, he'll likely join the list of stallions that began their stud careers at Three Chimneys but disappointed (at best) or flopped (at worst).
I agree with you 100 percent. I think most bloodstock agents/breeders that I've talked with have already made up their minds on Smarty - FLOP-extraordinaire is a pretty good way to sum up their opinions - which is a bit shocking, if you think about it, considering the quality of mares that Smarty had in his first book.
From Three Chimneys' Smarty web site: Befitting a champion of his stature, breeders have sent mares of the utmost quality to Smarty Jones every year at stud. The Blood-Horse MarketWatch reports his mares' 2008 CI was 3.31, and 2008 CPI was 4.49. In 2007, the mares' CI was 3.87 and CPI 3.96.
One bloodstock agent I talked to said that Smarty's commercial appeal is pretty well shot to hell.
When you think about it, Smarty's troubles at stud are very surprising. I mean, here it is almost June and he doesn't have any stakes horses. Sure, he's got the occasional MSW and allowance winner, but to not even have something running in an ungraded stakes has to be distressing to all those who bred to him, or bought those 650K shares.
