2004 PREAKNESS STAKES

HORSEPHOTOS/NTRA

SMARTY JONES WINS PREAKNESS AND LOOKS TO BELMONT AND TRIPLE CROWN GLORY

THE PREAKNESS STAKES OFFICIAL RESULTS

MAY 15, 2004

PREAKNESS STAKES (129TH RUNNING)

$1,000,000 GRADE I

PIMLICO RACECOURSE, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

FOR THREE YEAR OLDS

ONE AND THREE-SIXTEENTHS MILES

MAIN TRACK: FAST

SMARTY JONES

Winner

129th Preakness Stakes

Jockey: Stewart Elliott

Trainer: John Servis

Owners: Someday Farm

Three Year Old Chestnut Colt - February, 2001

Bred by Someday Farm (PA)

Elusive Quality - I'll Get Along , by Smile

OFFICIAL ORDER OF FINISH

  23.65, :47.32, 1:11.53, 1:36.44, 1:55.59

Scratched Horses: The Cliff's Edge

SMARTY JONES CONTINUES ON THE PATH OF DESTINY

May 15, 2004

Preakness Stakes

Pimlico Racecourse: Baltimore, Maryland

Two down and one to go.  Smarty Jones just seems to keep getting better.  Remember just a few short weeks ago when there where critics challenging the integrity of the Pennsylvania breds credentials and the connections decisions about their jockey.  After the Kentucky Derby many of those people went away but a few still remained and thought that the Derby winner could be beaten.  So ten horses entered against the champ to try and play the foil in the drama now unfolding called the Triple Crown.

Smarty Jones trained well going into the Preakness and Smarty mania was growing to a fever pitch.  A public workout at The "Pha" drew over 5,000 spectators to see their hometown hero gallop down the stretch in a morning workout.  Twice the number of spectators the Bensalem, PA track gets in the afternoon.  Smarty Jones and the connections were on the television somewhere every night and while fresh entrants were readying to challenge the winner there wasn't any new angle that would show how Smarty Jones could get beat if he runs his race.  And by posttime of the Preakness Stakes everyone knew it.  As if on cue the champ broke cleanly and for a minute found himself on the lead until jockey Stewart Elliot reigned his colt back and let Mike Smith take Lion Heart to the lead.  Smith had a hard time containing his colts pension to run in the four/five path which would ultimately be part of his colts undoing.  It wouldn't really matter because as the field made its way through the far turn Smarty Jones, after good placement through the first mile, just had too many gears for his other opponents.  Smarty Jones collared the leader Lion Heart at the top of the lane and drew off without much urging from Stewart Elliott and the rest was history.  Rock Hard Ten for a split second looked as if he wanted a piece of the champ but inside the eighth pole the champ just kept increasing the gears.  At the wire Smarty Jones had won the 129th running of the Preakness Stakes and the bandwagon was getting bigger.  After the race competing opponents could only gasp at the breathtaking move through the lane the victor had unleashed and no one had an answer other than they were beaten by a truly great colt as well as few comparisons to another Preakness winner whose name starts with and "S" and went on to run the quickest Belmont ever recorded in winning his triple crown.  It is often unnerving when one compares a horse to Secretariat but in this instance it, well seems, about appropriate as a situation could get.

It is always a feat to get a horse to the Kentucky Derby healthy let alone win the race.  It is an even bigger feat to duplicate the effort or surpass it in the Preakness.  It takes a good trainer who knows his horse and a lot of racing luck.  To this point it is not even known whether we have seen the best of this horse yet as Elliott really didn't get to the bottom of this colt which would have to scare some competitors away come the Belmont.

Speaking of Elliott he seems to be the picture of composure.  After winning the derby the jockey was fined for not detailing the prior convictions part of his Kentucky jockey license application and the Asbury Park Press decided to run a piece outlining his troubled background and the media that followed was less than flattering.  But owning up to his past it seems as if Elliott has put those pieces back together and has put that part of his life behind him.  He never ran from questions or blamed others and he took his medicine when the going got tough.  And in the end it seemed to pay off as his race riding and extreme confidence in his colt was an overwhelming factor in the success on this day.  Congratulations to the Smarty Party, see you at the Belmont on June 5.

For the recap of the race see below.

The field was sent off to a good start except for Little Matth Man, who was bumped and pinched back at the start.  Smarty Jones found himself on the early lead before giving it to Lion Heart who ran well off the rail in the four/five path.  Lion Hear continued to the lead the field through the first turn and down the back side getting fractions of 47.32 and 1:11.53.  Smarty Jones was tucked in running second as number of other runner including Imperialism, Song Of The Sword and Sir Shackleton took their turns trying to run at the two frontrunners.  In the far turn the pace quickened as Smarty Jones was able to run a line to the inside of Lion Heart because the leader was running so far off the fence.  As the two ran to the top of the lane Smarty Jones was ready to take command of the race.  He then quickly opened a commanding lead in mid stretch, extended his advantage when struck twice right handed leaving the furlong marker then drew off with authority under a vigorous hand ride to win the 129th running of the Preakness Stakes by eleven and one-half widening lengths.  Rock Hard Ten made a sharp move from outside to reach contention leaving the three furlong marker, angled to the inside mid way on the turn, followed the winner into the stretch but was no match for that one while clearly besting the others for the place spot as Eddington finished third.