King To Bring Smarty Jones’ Horseshoe to NBA Lottery

Billy King is not horsing around when it comes to picking the lucky charm that he will bring with him to Seacuacus, N.J., when the NBA announces the 2004 Draft Lottery on Wednesday, May 26.

The 76ers President and General Manager will have an actual horseshoe from the 2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner Smarty Jones in his possession when the dark horse Sixers find out if they get the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. The Sixers, in the running for the No. 1 spot in the lottery for the first time since 1998, have just a 3.6 percent chance to get there and can use the added lucky charm.

King solicited e-mail suggestions from fans on Sixers.com from May 7-19. Three emails suggested bringing a horseshoe from the undefeated, Philadelphia Park-based horse.

Some other lucky charm suggestions from Sixers fans included bringing any memorabilia from the 1982-83 Sixers championship team, a copy of Irishman Jim O’Brien’s contract, Harvey Pollack’s pink shoes, Allen Iverson’s MVP trophy or Iverson himself. Here are some of the other suggestions: Me (the Sixers fan who wrote in) Any Iverson sportswear (headband, arm sleeve, etc. Allen Iverson bobble head. A 4-leaf clover. Dr. J’s Sixers jersey. A lucky coin. The Powerball winners from Bucks County Hip Hop’s lucky foot or Hip Hop, himself. A Bible, a Cross or just pray. Billy King’s Duke University jersey. Allen Iverson’s rookie card or any picture of him. Have Billy wear a Sixers 2000-01 Eastern Conference Championship shirt. Lots of money. Box of Lucky Charms cereal. Any item with a number 1 or 2 on them. Have Billy King wear the Reebok 1996-red tipped Allen Iverson shoes A lucky rock A Philly bag of pretzels Have Billy King wear his pajamas inside out. An autographed picture of all the current Sixers players. Smarty Jones’ jockey, Stewart Elliot’s car, helmet and jersey from one of the Triple Crown races. Have Billy King wear all Sixers clothing. A voodoo doll from New Orleans An American flag An autographed basketball by all the Sixers Bring the jersey Allen Iverson wore when he scored his career high in points. Find the pen Moses Malone used to sign his contract and use that. Former Sixers mascot Big Shot A Sixers’ Samuel Dalembert jersey, he is #1. A Philly cheese steak and a order of fries.

“There were a lot of great suggestions from fans, and a few people suggested different items from Smarty Jones,” King said with unbridled enthusiasm. “But I can’t think of a better item to bring the Sixers some luck than one of Smarty’s horseshoes. There is a lot riding on it.”

Comcast-Spectacor President of Team Marketing and Communications Dave Coskey helped procure the lucky charm from Smarty’s trainer, John Servis.

“Anything that comes out of John Servis’ racing stable is lucky,” Coskey said of the horseshoe.

Smarty’s horseshoe was the trifecta choice of Joe Raieta of North Wales Pa., Bob Leahy of Drexel Hill, Pa. and former Philadelphian Jeff Schreiber of Mission Viejo, Calif. Smarty is looking to become just the second undefeated Triple Crown winner in history with a victory at the Belmont Stakes on June 5.

According to Luckfactory.com, horseshoes are lucky because they are made from iron, which has “proscribed magical powers.” Iron, itself the result of two basic elements - rock and fire, help give horseshoes supernatural powers.

In addition, the crescent shape of the horseshoe is traditionally a lucky shape. All through Europe and the United States, people believe that hanging horseshoes over their doors with the ends pointing up or down, depending on your view of luck, will allow good fortune to fall upon them.