Stewart Elliott's eyes turned upward, toward the roof of the Philadelphia Park paddock.
He then slowly closed his eyes.
Trying to describe the last month of his life which has put him in sight of US thoroughbred horse racing's Triple Crown, the 39-year-old jockey said: "Unbelievable."
Not quite right. He thought some more, eyes still closed. "A gift from God."
Whether it is merely unbelievable or the result of divine benevolence, Smarty Jones's jockey has become an international celebrity after toiling in relative anonymity for most of his career.
"I've always been a confident rider," Elliott said this week at Philadelphia Park. "I've always felt I've some ability. I could ride.
"I just needed the opportunity and you have to have the horse, you know?"
Just a month ago Elliott was riding in modest races at Philadelphia Park, a small-time track a few furlongs outside the city.
Now, with Smarty Jones on the cusp of sporting history, Elliott has a chance next week to accomplish what just a handful of jockeys have realized -- win the coveted Triple Crown.
It has been 26 years since the last Triple Crown -- Affirmed achieved the feat in 1978 -- and in all only 11 horses have managed to conquer the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes.
That is not a bad position for Stewart Elliott to be in, especially for a former alcoholic.
But that is the way this story has gone -- it seems like everyone associated with Smarty Jones has been an underdog, from 78-year-old co-owner Roy Chapman, an ex-alcoholic himself who suffers from severe emphysema, to trainer John Servis, a fixture at provincial "Philly Park."
Chapman and his wife Pat sold most of their horses after their ex-trainer was murdered in December 2001. But they were persuaded to keep Smarty Jones, a promising red chestnut.
When Smarty Jones became a colt with Kentucky Derby potential, Servis could easily have secured a host of Hall of Fame jockeys itching for a ride.
But Servis stuck with Elliott, a three-time Philadelphia Park champion but hardly known outside the Pennsylvania-New Jersey region.
Servis, however, had to sell the idea to the Chapmans, who might have been tempted to try to land big-timers such as Gary Stevens or Jerry Bailey for their first Kentucky Derby colt.
"I told them what I wanted to do and quite frankly there wasn't any question," the 45-year-old Servis said. "The only thing Chappy [Roy] said to me is, `Do you feel comfortable with him riding in the Derby with 20 horses?'
"And I said, `Absolutely.' And then he said, `It's a done deal.' It never came up again."
Elliott manoeuvered Smarty Jones through the field to win the Kentucky Derby and two weeks later blew away his closest Preakness rival by 11.5 lengths, the largest winning margin in the history of the 129-year-old race.
Celebrity status has not been without its anxious moments for Elliott.
His former problems with alcohol surfaced, as did his arrests for assaulting his girlfriend and beating an acquaintance with a cue stick, bar stool and beer bottle.
Elliott though is relieved to have his problems out in the public domain.
"I don't have to be afraid to tell anybody anything they want to know," he said. "I feel a lot better about the way I live these days. Life is much easier."
Should Smarty Jones win the Belmont next weekend in Elmont, New York, Elliott's days of riding before several dozen people along the rail at Philadelphia Park will also be a faraway memory.
Despite a pedigree that some believed was questionable for the Triple Crown series, Smarty Jones enters the Belmont with eight career wins in eight starts -- all at different distances.
The colt will be the prohibitive favorite and should the son of Elusive Quality capture the final jewel of the Triple Crown, he would become the richest earning racehorse in United States history at about US$12 million.
The soft-spoken Elliott paused to glance at the fans leaning on the race track fence, many of them pleading for an autograph. It was not always thus.
"I guess it's like I'm being rewarded for the hard times, the trouble in my life," he said with a smile. "Unbelievable."
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