Smarty Jones' bold jaunt through the slop at the Kentucky Derby was a frolic compared to the challenge he faces as the overwhelming favorite in the Preakness.
The withdrawal of The Cliff's Edge on Friday left nine horses to compete today against Smarty Jones, who will seek to keep alive his bid to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.
PHOTO: EPA
Smarty Jones has won all seven of his races, highlighted by a come-from-behind victory at Churchill Downs on May 1. Now, in his first performance as Kentucky Derby champion, comes his most difficult test.
"I think this is the toughest race he's had," Smarty Jones trainer John Servis said. "To come out of the biggest race of his life and run in just two weeks against the same horses is difficult enough. Then you throw in the three or four fresh horses and kind of put the bull's-eye on our back, I think he's going to have to step his game up."
Virtually everything went right for Smarty Jones in Kentucky, including a steady rain that made the track a gooey mess.
"Not to take anything away from the Derby horses, but we got a sloppy track which, I don't know if it helped, but it certainly didn't hurt us," Servis said.
Smarty Jones probably won't get a similar dose of luck on Saturday -- the weather forecast in Baltimore calls for temperatures in the high 20s with a 40 percent chance of rain in the late afternoon.
Still, Smarty Jones will have fewer horses to beat this time. Eighteen ran in the Derby, and the Preakness field dwindled to 10 when trainer Nick Zito scratched The Cliff's Edge with a foot injury.
The stone bruise in the horse's front right foot probably occurred when he lost both front shoes in the slop at the Derby, Zito said.
"I'm just hoping that now that we've pulled his shoes, he gets through all this," Zito said. "Sure it's hard. You want to win. But the horse comes first."
Zito's hope of winning a second Preakness now rests on Sir Shackleton, who comes in with a three-race winning streak after capturing the Derby Trial on April 24.
The other newcomers are Little Matth Man, Eddington, Rock Hard Ten and Water Cannon. Lion Heart, Borrego, Song of the Sword and Imperalism will take another crack at Smarty Jones after coming up short in the Derby.
The withdrawal of The Cliff's Edge altered the morning line, making Smarty Jones a 6-5 favorite instead of 8-5. Smarty Jones moves to the No. 6 post, inside of Imperialism, Eddington and Rock Hard Ten.
Although Lion Heart is expected to bolt from the No. 1 post and take the early lead, trainer Patrick Biancone attempted to mask his strategy in an effort to leave a little doubt.
"If I tell you what we will do, everyone will know," he said. "Tonight we decide exactly what we want."
Lion Heart already has the attention of Smarty Jones' jockey, Stewart Elliott.
"We might have to be a little closer to Lion Heart this time," Elliott said. "It's a little shorter distance, and this track favors speed a little more. We will probably have to be watching him."
Elliott must also be concerned about the horses to his right.
"We've got a couple of real tough horses outside us, and they kind of have the same running style that we do," Servis said. "So it might set up a lot like the Derby, where we have some horses outside of us pushing us down to the inside."
Bottom line: Smarty Jones is going to have to run his best race to win.
"My horse has been running strong the last few races, and you always have to worry about fresh horses," Elliott said. "I expect a big effort, but this could be his toughest race."
Servis, Elliott and owners Ray and Pat Chapman can only hope that Smarty Jones has enough strength left to come up with one -- perhaps two -- more strong performances.
``He's had a hard year and he's run hard all year long,'' Servis said. ``I just keep wondering when the day comes that I walk in here and see that he's worn out.''
That's been a major concern for Servis. Smarty Jones will run his sixth race of the year today. If he fails to win he will receive a long overdue rest.
"If he gets beat in the Preakness, I guarantee he won't run in the Belmont," Servis declared. "He's had a long haul since January."
And there's no stopping now.
"The horse is doing real good and I've got a real good rider," Servis said. "The question from here is: Is he good enough?"
Winning the Kentucky Derby brought attention to Smarty Jones jockey Stewart Elliott. Not all of it has been positive.
Since his victory, details of his troubled past have come to light. He pleaded guilty to charges stemming from fights with a friend and a former girlfriend, and was fined US$1,000 on Thursday for omitting mention of the misdeeds in his application for a license to ride in the Derby.
"I kind of thought they might dig up some of my bad stuff," Elliott said on Friday, a day before he was to ride Smarty Jones in the Preakness.
"I have nothing to hide," he said. "I've had a lot of personal problems and I've done some things that I'm not proud of, but that's behind me. I want to just look ahead to the future and hopefully all that mess is behind me."
Elliott attributed his difficulties to alcohol abuse.
"All of it because of that," he said. "The people I was with, they were all the same."
Elliott said he's been sober since October 2000.
ZITO'S BACKUP
Nick Zito will go deep into his stable for Sir Shackleton in the Preakness at Pimlico Race Course today. The trainer started the winter with a barn full of strong Triple Crown contenders including Eurosilver, Birdstone and The Cliff's Edge.
Illness, injury and poor performances depleted Zito's pool of 3-year-olds.
The Cliff's Edge, the Blue Grass Stakes winner, was the latest loss. Zito scratched him from the Preakness on Friday morning due to a foot abscess.
That leaves Sir Shackleton, the winner of the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs. The victory was the colt's third straight, but none were longer than one mile. The Preakness is 1,900m.
BAFFERT LIKES SMARTY
Bob Baffert played Preakness handicapper on Friday and picked Smarty Jones to win the race.
``I like the way John Servis has trained that horse,'' said Baffert, a four-time Preakness winner who does not have an entrant this year. ``He's doing a great job. Smarty Jones is a beautiful, well-balanced horse.''
Baffert envisions Lion Heart setting the pace and Smarty Jones passing him down the stretch.
"Lion Heart will lead him to a spot and he will pass the baton," Baffert said.
While picking the favorite to win, Baffert likes long shot Borrego for second.
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