Smarty Jones Crushes Foes In Preakness Stakes; Record Crowd Sees Record Setting Performance

BALTIMORE , 05-15-04 ---A record crowd of 112,668 was witness to history at Pimlico Race Course this afternoon as Someday Farm's Smarty Jones moved one step closer to winning the coveted Triple Crown with a resounding, record setting victory in the 129 th running of the Grade I, $1,000,000 Preakness Stakes®.

Not only was this a record crowd, but fans at Pimlico and around the country sent $85,120,667 through the pari-mutuel windows, which established another new record. Betting on the Preakness alone set a record, with $58,791,406 put into play on today's feature offering.

The pride of Pennsylvania and now the hero of American horseracing galloped home an 11-1/2 length winner, topping the winning margin of ten lengths set by Survivor in the inaugural running of this classic in 1873.

Smarty Jones completed the mile and three-sixteenth distance in 1:55.59. The track record for the distance is 1:52 2/5.  The Preakness record is 1:53 2/5, which is shared by both Tank's Prospect (1985) and Louis Quatorze (1996).

Smarty Jones broke on top but let Triple Crown rival Lion Heart slip ahead as the horses approached the first turn. Lion Heart raced extremely wide around the turn with Smarty Jones in close attendance. When jockey Mike Smith could not move Lion Heart any closer to the rail, Stewart Elliott sent Smarty Jones inside that one and the race became a two-horse duel around the turn and into the home stretch.

Smarty Jones bounded away from his rival to a widening five-length lead at the furlong pole and the crowd, which could sense that victory was imminent, erupted in approval.

Rock Hard Ten, who had delayed the start, rallied down the stretch to finish second. Eddington came from even farther back to be third. Lion Heart tired in the stretch and finished fourth.

According to Equibase, the $650,000 first place purse moves Smarty Jones to fourth on the all-time list with earnings of $7,363,535. With a victory in the Belmont Stakes, he would become the 12 th Triple Crown winner and would surpass Cigar as the all-time money winning horse with the $5 million bonus from Visa.

Winner: Smarty Jones
Owner: Someday Farm
Trainer: John Servis
Jockey: Stewart Elliott
Time: 1:55.59
On-site Attendance: 112,668

Payoff:            
Win      $3.40
Place    $3.00
Show   $2.60

In-State Handle on Preakness:                $3,808,863
Out of State Handle on Preakness:        $52,851,535
Separate Pool:                                         $2,131,008
Total Handle on Preakness:                   $58,791,406   
Overall Handle                                    $85,120,667