Horsephotos

Trainer John Servis celebrates after Smarty Jones's Derby victory. He will head back to Philadelphia Park to train for the Preakness.

As of Monday, only Lion Heart, The Cliff's Edge, and Borrego - who finished second, fifth, and 10th in the Derby - were scheduled to head to Baltimore for a rematch with Smarty Jones, who earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure for his victory last Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Eddington and Rock Hard Ten, who were denied berths in the Derby because of insufficient earnings, are also pointing to the Preakness, as is Maryland-based Water Cannon, who has won three consecutive stakes, most recently the Federico Tesio. Since 1984, only one colt, Red Bullet in 2000, has won the Preakness without competing in the Derby.

There are several others who could jump in at the last moment, such as Imperialism, the Derby's third-place finisher, but it seems unlikely the Preakness field will come close to the maximum of 14 that can run in the race.

A Pennsylvania-bred colt, Smarty Jones was scheduled to return Tuesday to Philadelphia Park, where he began his career and where he will do most of his training in preparation for the Preakness. His trainer, John Servis, said Smarty Jones will probably not be sent by van to Pimlico until the night before the Preakness.

Smarty Jones became the second favorite to win the Derby in the last five runnings, but his plebeian pedigree, down-to-earth connections, and unbeaten record have put him on the verge of crashing through the clutter of popular culture. Not even Funny Cide, who had a high-profile five-week run during last year's Triple Crown, could make the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Sports Illustrated cover with Smarty Jones.

But Smarty Jones has broken through. Sports Illustrated is putting him on the cover of this week's magazine, which marks the first time a Derby winner has graced SI's cover since Sunny's Halo in the May 16, 1983, edition.

"I think this horse could be a big, big star," said Terry McDonell, the managing editor of Sports Illustrated. "He's handsome. He proves something every time he runs. He's a great story. And his name is hilarious. It's fetching in a way that people want to root for him.

"Funny Cide was different in that he came out of nowhere. He was a great human-interest story, like this horse, but it just didn't seem the same. Funny Cide would have made the cover if he had won the Triple Crown, but Smarty Jones was interesting going in."

If Smarty Jones goes on to add the Preakness and the June 5 Belmont Stakes to his record, he will become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978. He also will pick up a $5 million bonus from Visa, the Triple Crown's sponsor. Smarty Jones already earned a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park on Saturday for adding the Kentucky Derby to his victories in the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby. In just seven starts, he has earned $6,733,155, which puts him sixth on the all-time North American earnings list.

Servis said that Smarty Jones "came out of the race so well." Servis was not sure if he would work Smarty Jones in the two weeks between the Derby and Preakness, but if Smarty Jones becomes as aggressive as he was in the week leading up to the Derby, Servis might have to give him something to take the edge off.

"He loves to train and trains hard and, in two weeks' time, I don't think there's a lot to be done," Servis said.

Others plot trip to Maryland

Lion Heart returned Saturday night to Keeneland, where he has been based since before the April 10 Blue Grass Stakes, and jogged Monday. He is scheduled to fly to Baltimore on May 12.

Also scheduled to fly to Maryland from Kentucky on May 12 are Borrego and Rock Hard Ten, who will remain at Churchill Downs for the next week. Rock Hard Ten was scheduled to work Monday, but his drill was postponed one day because of an off track, trainer Jason Orman said.

The Cliff's Edge will travel to Pimlico on May 10, according to trainer Nick Zito, who said The Cliff's Edge lost both of his front shoes in the mud at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Stablemate Birdstone, who was eighth, also lost a front shoe.

Eddington will travel by van to Pimlico from Belmont Park on May 12. He worked six furlongs in 1:12.68 Saturday over Belmont's main track, and will work again this weekend. He was excluded from the Derby because of insufficient earnings, but his trainer, Mark Hennig, said there were two sides to that development.

"Obviously the fact we didn't get to run was disappointing, but something to look forward to is we enter the Preakness on five weeks' rest instead of two," Hennig said.

"I don't think anybody in this day and age likes running back in two weeks."

Derby was rough experience for some

Imperialism was scheduled to fly back to California on Wednesday and will only go to the Preakness "as a last-minute deal," said trainer Kristin Mulhall on Monday. Mulhall said stablemate Cheiron, who won the recent Snow Chief Stakes at Hollywood Park, would not go to the Preakness.

"Honestly, I don't think Smarty Jones is beatable," she said of the Preakness.

Limehouse, who finished fourth in the Derby, will only run in the Preakness if there are significant defections between now and next Wednesday, when entries are taken. His trainer, Todd Pletcher, said Kentucky Oaks winner Ashado would remain with fillies for now and would be pointed to the June 4 Acorn Stakes at Belmont Park.

As with Limehouse, Derby also-rans Friends Lake (15th), Master David (12th), Read the Footnotes (seventh), Song of the Sword (11th), and Tapit (ninth) also are unlikely for the Preakness unless a major defection occurs.

"We're battered, bashed, and bruised, but we'll live to fight another day," said Michael Dickinson, who trains Tapit. "I trained him to breeze, not swim."

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Dickinson said the Belmont was a more likely next spot for Tapit.

Trainer Bob Baffert said he was considering Bornwithit and Preachinatthebar for the Preakness, but would not commit definitively to either colt.

Action This Day, who finished sixth in the Derby, is heading back to California and could be a candidate for the Belmont, trainer Richard Mandella said. Stablemate Minister Eric, who was 16th, will need throat surgery.

"He choked pretty bad," Mandella said. "He almost fainted after the race."

Pro Prado (13th) will point for summer stakes at Churchill Downs. Castledale (14th) is going back to California and will be freshened, trainer Jeff Mullins said. Quintons Gold Rush, who was eased when finishing 18th and last, will be freshened at co-owner Satish Sanan's farm in Florida.

- additional reporting by David Grening

All-sources betting on the Derby itself and the 12-race Churchill card were records, while attendance, despite the construction and thunderstorms at the track, was relatively strong. Overnight ratings for the Derby broadcast were up as well, adding to a string of strong numbers for the telecast since NBC took over from ABC in 2001.

It is hard to estimate the impact of advertising worn by jockeys, an issue brought to the forefront Derby Week by a lawsuit that was temporarily resolved in favor of riders. The only sponsor to receive significant airtime on Derby Day was the clothing company Wrangler.

Betting figures were unquestionably strong. Wagering on the Derby established a North American one-race record at $99,348,706, up 13 percent compared to the 2003 record, according to Churchill Downs. An 18-horse field that produced a tepid 4-1 favorite in Smarty Jones, the winner, helped drive handle.

All-sources wagering on the entire Kentucky Derby card from Churchill Downs was $142,775,857, up 2 percent compared to last year's record. Churchill ran 12 races this year on the card, compared to 11 last year. Heavy rains during the day, including a powerful thunderstorm that struck approximately 90 minutes before the Derby was run, dampened handle on some races.

The poor weather also took its toll on attendance figures. Attendance dropped 6 percent compared to last year to 140,054.

Overnight TV ratings strong

The Derby broadcast overnight rating was an 8.3, up 8 percent over last year's broadcast, according to NBC. Each overnight rating point represents approximately 717,000 households. Share for the broadcast was an 18, up over last year's 17 share. Share is the percentage of televisions in use that are tuned to the broadcast.

NBC has now strung together four strong Derby telecasts, reversing a trend that had started in the early 1990's. In 2000, the last year that ABC broadcast the race, the overnight Derby rating was a 6.6, the eventual nadir after a 10-year freefall. The next year, NBC's inaugural Derby broadcast, the rating jumped to an 8.3, up 26 percent.

Smarty Jones's popular win will likely pay dividends down the road for NBC's Preakness and Belmont broadcasts. With his win in the Derby, Smarty Jones because the first undefeated winner of the race since Seattle Slew in 1977.

"We now have a huge story going into the Preakness," said Kevin Sullivan, a spokesperson for NBC Sports.

Little airtime for jockey sponsors

The story leading up to the Derby, from a business standpoint, was jockey advertising.

Five jockeys filed a lawsuit two weeks before the Derby arguing that a Kentucky rule prohibiting advertising violated their free-speech rights. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority on Thursday, and shortly thereafter, the authority suspended its own rule so that all jockeys could take advantage of sponsorship deals. As a result, at least nine of the 18 riders in the Derby wore ads during the race.

Most riders on the Derby card also wore a Jockeys' Guild patch on their pants legs. People familiar with racing or the Guild may have been able to recognize the logo, a black and yellow riding boot with the word "Jockeys'" above the boot and "Guild" below it. Those unfamiliar with the logo likely saw what looked like a backward "L" in a square.

Sponsoring companies received little airtime on Derby Day broadcasts, and the ads, which appeared in most cases on the right and left pant legs of riders, were difficult to read, especially through the rain. Wrangler's association with Shane Sellers was the most fruitful because of an interview he conducted with NBC commentator Bob Costas in the jockeys' room wearing a Wrangler cap.

Stewart Elliott, the Philadelphia Park-based rider of Smarty Jones who dominated airtime during the Derby broadcast, did not have an endorsement deal. Kelly Weitsma, the president of Equisponse, which represents jockeys in negotiations with companies, said companies have begun to express an interest in sponsoring Elliott for the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes, in two weeks.

Cella reduces his liability

Smarty Jones's win in the Derby also meant a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park, which offered the incentive - to honor its 100-year anniversary - to any horse that could win Oaklawn's Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby and then win the Kentucky Derby. That made Smarty Jones's Derby victory the single greatest payday in racing history.

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Initially, the bonus was structured so that an insurance company would cover $2.5 million, with Oaklawn Park owner Charles Cella - who is known as a high-stakes gambler - covering the other half. But after Smarty Jones won the Arkansas Derby, Cella went back to the insurance company to negotiate a new policy.

"When I watched Smarty win the Arkansas Derby with a last eighth in 12 and change over a wet track, I said, 'My god, this horse is going to win the [Kentucky] Derby,' " Cella said Monday. "So I went back to the underwriter, and last Thursday we signed a deal."

Cella would not disclose the cost of either policy. "I don't think that's fair to the underwriter, and really, right now they're furious with me," Cella said.

Cella also said that if he was unsuccessful in getting a new policy, he likely would have made a hedge bet on Smarty Jones in the Kentucky Derby to cover his exposure. Cella could have wagered $500,000 on Derby day to recover most of the $2.5 million (not taking into account the effect of the wager on the odds).

And will the bonus be in place next year? "I think we're going to wait until our next centennial," Cella said. "But seriously, I could not be happier. These are great people, this is a great horse, and this story could be a movie. By the time this is over, this story is going to pale 'Seabiscuit.' "

This was the Derby easily most affected by the 3 1/2-year, $121 million renovation at Churchill, and some people were concerned that the partially finished facility might harbor difficulties for customers. Further complicating this issue were the heavy downpours that soaked Churchill on Saturday, including one particularly strong storm about two hours before the Derby.

Probably the most potentially hazardous situation Saturday was a severe overcrowding during the heaviest rain of the two side-by-side tunnels leading back and forth from the grandstand to the infield. John Asher, Churchill Downs's vice president for racing communications, said that type of situation "could occur at any Derby, and it's the kind of thing we're always conscious of. It just so happened during a year when we were in the middle of a massive makeover."

Other reported problems involved the Infield Village tent, where about 3,500 customers were moved this year after being displaced from their traditional prime-viewing seats in the old clubhouse section. There were severe plumbing problems in the tent Friday, and the wind and rain led to major leaks there Saturday.

Drainage overflows and leaks also were evident throughout the plant Saturday, including massive poolings just outside the paddock and in the infield near the first turn, although sewer officials reported short-term flooding as being a commonplace problem throughout the Louisville area.

The Saturday attendance was 140,054, down nearly 10 percent from the 150,000-plus that have descended on Churchill in recent years, but more than the 130,594 who attended in 1994, when similarly wet conditions led to the most recent sloppy track in the Derby.

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Asher said Monday that, despite the reconstruction and weather, "We feel like this was an extremely successful Derby - in fact, a great, great Derby that thousands of people will always remember as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"We always knew that the potential existed for people to be inconvenienced or uncomfortable, but we did what we could to minimize that, and hopefully most everyone would agree that we were successful, in spite of the weather. All in all, we couldn't be more thrilled with how everything went Saturday, and now we'll look ahead to having our spectacular new facility next Derby," when the renovation is scheduled to be complete.

Asher said no decision has been made regarding whether the Infield Village would be set up again next year in order to accommodate demand for premium seating.

For the first time in the six-year history of the futures, the field was favored in all three pools. As a field member, Smarty Jones returned a mere $5.60 for a winning $2 wager in Pool 1, and $10.80 for Pool 2. He was listed as a separate entrant in the third of three futures pools, returning $23.60 as second choice.

Smarty Jones returned $10.20 to win Saturday.

In the Oaks Futures, the payoffs reflected considerably more value on Ashado, who was a separately listed entrant during all three pools. Ashado, who returned $6.60 as the Oaks favorite Friday, paid $48.40 in Pool 1, $21 in Pool 2, and $17.80 in Pool 3. This was the first year Churchill had offered as many as three futures pools on the Oaks.

The record high payoff in Churchill futures history is $188 on Funny Cide in Derby Pool 1 last year.

Horsephotos

Smarty Jones, ridden by Stewart Elliott, wins the Derby and earns a $5 million bonus.

A new Philadelphia story unfolded Saturday at Churchill Downs. Smarty Jones, a Pennsylvania-bred who began his career at Philadelphia Park, is trained and ridden by horsemen based there, and is owned by a couple from nearby Bucks County, scored the richest prize in racing history when he captured the 130th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Smarty Jones completed a dream story that ranks among the best of Derby lore. He nearly killed himself last summer in a starting gate mishap. His pedigree was questioned over his ability to handle a classic distance. His trainer had never run a horse in the Derby, and inherited the horse after the shooting death of his owner's previous trainer. His jockey had never ridden in the Derby, either. Smarty Jones might have tried to break his own face at age 2, but on Saturday he broke all the rules.

The little colt who could collared pacesetter Lion Heart at midstretch and pulled away to victory on a wet, rain-soaked afternoon. He ran his record to a perfect 7 for 7 and became the first horse to emerge from the Derby unbeaten since Seattle Slew in 1977. That colt went on to sweep the Triple Crown.

Smarty Jones broke the bank. In addition to the $854,800 first prize from an overall purse of $1,154,800, Smarty Jones earned a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park for sweeping that track's Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby in addition to the Kentucky Derby.

That largesse goes to owners Roy and Pat Chapman, who race as Someday Farm and bred Smarty Jones in Pennsylvania. Smarty Jones is by Elusive Quality and is out of the Smile mare I'll Get Along.

Smarty Jones is trained by John Servis, who hooked up with the Chapmans after trainer Bob Camac was murdered in 2002. He was ridden by Stewart Elliott, whom Servis and the Chapmans stuck with despite pressure to switch to a better-known rider.

Another $5 million payday could await Smarty Jones in five weeks. If Smarty Jones adds the May 15 Preakness Stakes and June 5 Belmont Stakes to his Derby victory, he will become the sport's first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 and will earn a $5 million bonus from Visa, the Triple Crown's sponsor.

A crowd of 140,054, and thousands more at offtrack wagering shops across the country, sent Smarty Jones off as the 4-1 favorite. He paid $10.20. The Oaks-Derby double, which began with favored Ashado in Friday's Kentucky Oaks, returned $60.20, nearly twice the parlay.

Eighteen ran in the Derby after the scratches on Friday of St Averil and Wimbledon. They competed over a track that was sloppy following storms most of the afternoon. The track was sloppy when the day began, turned to fast midway through the day, but became a sea of mud after a torrential downpour a little less than two hours before Derby post time.

Smarty Jones was given a perfect ride by Elliott. Lion Heart, as expected, broke sharply from the gate and took the lead while setting fractions of 22.99 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 46.73 seconds for a half-mile. Smarty Jones was in a pack of horses just behind Lion Heart as the field came under the wire for the first time, but Elliott held his position by making his colt bull his way between Read the Footnotes and Pollard's Vision.

As the field advanced down the backstretch, Lion Heart continued to lead, but Smarty Jones emerged from the pack and became the primary challenger. After six furlongs in 1:11.80, Lion Heart and Smarty Jones began to distance themselves from their 16 rivals. By the time the field reached the top of the stretch, after a mile in 1:37.35, it was a two-horse race.

Smarty Jones, with Elliott switching his whip from his right hand to his left, and back to his right, reached Lion Heart a furlong out, then drew away in the final yards to win by 2 3/4 lengths. He completed 1 1/4 miles in 2:04.06.

Lion Heart held second, 3 1/4 lengths in front of late-running Imperialism, who closed furiously over a track that seemed to favor front-runners.

Limehouse was fourth and was followed, in order, by The Cliff's Edge, Action This Day, Read the Footnotes, Birdstone, Tapit, Borrego, Song of the Sword, Master David, Pro Prado, Castledale, Friends Lake, Minister Eric, Pollard's Vision, and Quintons Gold Rush, who was beaten so badly he was eased by jockey Corey Nakatani.

On Saturday, Elliott was rewarded for a career of riding those types of horses when he guided Smarty Jones to a convincing 2 3/4-length victory in the 130th Kentucky Derby at soggy Churchill Downs. Elliott, a 39-year-old journeyman who was born in Canada, became the first jockey since Ron Franklin in 1979 to win the Derby with his first Derby mount.

The soft-spoken Elliott, who nearly quit the game in the 1980's due to a weight problem, had a hard time putting his feelings into words.

"I crossed the wire in front," he said. "I can't explain it; it's unbelievable that I won the Kentucky Derby. It feels great. There's no words for it."

Some pundits wondered whether Elliott would be savvy enough to handle the nerves associated with riding in his first Kentucky Derby. Those questions were answered just before the 18-horse field entered the first turn when space began to tighten up for Smarty Jones, who was outside of Read the Footnotes and inside of Pollard's Vision and Quintons Gold Rush.

But Elliott handled it with aplomb and stood his ground. He kept Smarty Jones on a straight course entering the backside and he soon moved past that trio into second position midway down the backside. From there, he set his sights on front-running Lion Heart.

"There were a few more horses than I expected and it jammed up a little bit," Elliott said about the first turn. "No big deal; things worked out fine. We got clear sailing down the backside. When he did get outside of Lion Heart he got on the bit, and I knew we were going to be very dangerous."

Elliott's ride even impressed Jerry Bailey, the two-time Kentucky Derby-winning rider who provided commentary for NBC Sports after his Derby mount, Wimbledon, was withdrawn on Friday due to injury.

"He looked like he was riding at Churchill Downs all his life and in this race every year," Bailey said. "He was just flawless on this ride."

Before this, Elliott's biggest win had come in the Coaching Club American Oaks with Jostle. That ride was for John Servis, the trainer of Smarty Jones, who stuck with Elliott when agents of other riders had contacted him to ride.

"Absolutely masterful ride, unbelievable ride by Stew," Servis said.

And the ride may just be beginning.

But no one is running to the hills to flee Imperialism or Limehouse. No one's much running away from anyone. Come one, come all 20. A full field of 20 is entered in this year's Derby, which is acknowledged as the most competitive, wide-open Derby in years.

And as if this year's inscrutable preps aren't enough of to give handicappers a headache, an added factor may get thrown their way on Saturday - the potential for a wet track. The National Weather Service is predicting thunderstorms, following a day of isolated showers on Friday. The predicted high temperature is 74 degrees.

The more than 140,000 fans expected for this Derby will find a Churchill Downs that is the midst of a construction project that will not be completed until next year. A number of box-seat holders, and celebrities accustomed to Millionaire's Row, have been moved to temporary spots this year. But the Jockey Club Suites, which debuted last year, will handle thousands of high rollers and corporate bigwigs.

Space was at a premium in the starting gate, too. There were 22 horses entered in the Derby, but a maximum of 20 are permitted to start. Eddington and Rock Hard Ten were excluded because they have insufficient earnings in graded stakes races, the tiebreaker. But both colts, who are considered among the most promising of this 3-year-old crop, are pointing to the May 15 Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, and will be laying in wait for the Derby winner.

Handicappers who can divine the outcome of this Derby should be richly rewarded. "Whoever hits the trifecta can buy a new Mercedes, and whoever hits the superfecta can by a new house," said John T. Ward Jr., who trained Monarchos to win the Derby in 2001.

If all 20 entrants run, the Derby's purse will be $1,214,800, with $914,800 going to the winner. But owners, trainers, and jockeys are chasing greater glory. "It's not about the money," said Bob Baffert, who will seek his fourth Derby victory with Wimbledon and has been openly critical of the Derby's relatively low purse; the Breeders' Cup Classic is worth four times as much money. "It's an emotional race. It's been around so long. It's a dream."

Twenty horses will be led over from the stables, but only one will go back with roses draped around his withers. Only one will have his name inscribed for eternity next to the paddock at Churchill Downs. Only one will move on to the Preakness with a chance to become the sport's first Triple Crown winner since 1978.

Who will it be? Based on this year's prep races, you could run this Derby 10 times, and get 10 different winners.

"There's eight or nine, maybe 10 or 12, who, if they run their best race, can win the race," said John Servis, the trainer of Smarty Jones. "It's a very wide-open race."

So much so that Smarty Jones, who enters the Derby unbeaten in six starts, is not the morning-line favorite. That role has fallen to The Cliff's Edge, the winner of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, who along with stablemate Birdstone will seek to give trainer Nick Zito his third Derby victory.

"One thing about this race - if they get right at the right time, watch out," Zito said.

Tapit visited the track for the first time on Thursday after arriving Wednesday afternoon. Asked if remaining at his Tapeta Farm in Maryland gave him a competitive edge, trainer Michael Dickinson said, "The competitive edge I've got is I've got Tapit."

Pro Prado, one of the race's longshots, was the only Derby horse to work on Thursday. He went three furlongs in 36.60 seconds.

The only commonality among this year's Derby runners is that each will race as a separate betting interest and will carry 126 pounds. Nothing else is the same.

They are not even competing for the same prize money. Smarty Jones, who is adding Lasix for the first time, is seeking the richest payday in racing history. He can earn a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park for sweeping the Rebel Stakes, Arkansas Derby, and Kentucky Derby. Half that bonus is insured, the other half would come out of the pocket of Charles Cella, Oaklawn's owner.

Servis and Stewart Elliott, who rides Smarty Jones, are both in the Derby for the first time. So, too, are Tapit's team of Dickinson and jockey Ramon Dominguez. No first-time trainer and jockey combination has won the Derby since Bud Delp and Ronnie Franklin with Spectacular Bid in 1979.

Kristin Mulhall, the trainer of Imperialism, and Jennifer Pedersen, the trainer of Song of the Sword, are seeking to become the first females to win the Derby. Mulhall, 21, would become the youngest trainer to win the Derby.

Friends Lake, the Florida Derby winner, and Read the Footnotes, who won the Fountain of Youth Stakes, are both coming into the race off a seven-week layoff. No horse has won the Derby without racing in April since Needles in 1956. Both Friends Lake and Read the Footnotes are New York-breds, as was the 2003 winner, Funny Cide.

Friends Lake and Smarty Jones have been known to balk at the starting gate, so they will bear watching as the horses are being loaded. Roger Nagel, Churchill's starter, has informed trainer John Kimmel that Friends Lake will be the first horse loaded into the starting gate.

Action This Day is trying to become the first Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner to capture the Derby. His trainer, Richard Mandella, also is represented by Minister Eric.

In addition to Mandella and Zito, Todd Pletcher will saddle two runners, Limehouse and Pollard's Vision. Pollard's Vision is blind in his right eye. Though no records are kept on such an esoteric statistic, it is believed he would be the first horse with that impairment to win the Derby.

In such a large field, trips will be paramount. Lion Heart is the acknowledged front-runner, but as many as a dozen horses have the potential to be laying just off the pace. A traffic jam at the first turn seems inevitable.

"I've watched a lot of Derbies," Servis said. "If you get off a step slow, then everyone comes over on you, and then you want to run but you have nowhere to go. It snowballs from there."

It's spring, but you still have to dodge the snowballs.

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Pollard's Vision, on the track Wednesday, will start from post position 17. Trainer Todd Pletcher wanted him outside the other speed horses.

Horses are normally loaded into the gate in a specific order according to their post positions, with numbers 1 and 11 loaded first, 2 and 12 second, and so on. Being in post position 6, Friends Lake normally would have been loaded with the second half of the field.

Friends Lake acted up in the starting gate prior to his victory in the Florida Derby. As a result, Kimmel asked longtime New York Racing Association starter Bob Duncan to come to Payson Park training center and also to Kentucky earlier this week to help school the horse in preparation for the Derby.

Kimmel took Friends Lake to the starting gate for three consecutive mornings beginning Tuesday. The New York-bred was a bit difficult to handle on the first of those visits, but appeared to settle down nicely on Wednesday and Thursday morning. As a result, Nagel's decision came as a bit of a surprise to Kimmel.

"He balked for a second this morning, but then went in uncomplicated three consecutive times," Kimmel said.

But Kimmel discussed Nagel's decision with Duncan, after which he decided not to lodge any formal protest with the stewards.

"After talking it over with Bobby, I can see this is probably the right thing to do," said Kimmel. "Friends Lake is very good once he gets into the gate, so in the long run this might prove less traumatic for him. I'd rather have him go this way than take the chance of having another incident like we had in Florida."

Nagel said Friends Lake has gotten better over his three-day schooling session, but the raucous Derby Day atmosphere could change things.

"They're just not ready for all that noise," Nagel said. "I don't trust him. And I don't want to mess it up for somebody else. He does what he wants to do, and if he doesn't want to go in, he won't go in. They've been working on him for a year and a half and they don't have him walking in yet."

Tapit acclimates to Churchill

Wood Memorial winner Tapit seemed a lot more comfortable in his new surroundings Thursday morning than did his trainer, Michael Dickinson.

Tapit arrived in Louisville from Maryland on Wednesday afternoon and spent his first morning at Churchill Downs walking the paddock, standing in the starting gate, and galloping once around Churchill's one-mile oval. Dickinson had a tough time maneuvering around Churchill Downs to watch his horse.

"Here, it's a job to get around," Dickinson said, after catching up with his gray colt in the paddock. "I'm spoiled."

Back home, at Dickinson's Tapeta Farm on the north edge of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, Tapit would have trained at about 8:45 a.m. On Thursday, Dickinson sent Tapit to the track at 6:15, hoping to avoid the traffic that occurs on the track after the renovation break.

Tapit galloped once around the Churchill oval under exercise rider Jonathan Ferriday. Tapit's head was often cocked as he looked at the unfamiliar scenery of tents and stands.

Following the gallop, Tapit walked around the paddock at a brisk pace for almost 30 minutes before standing in the starting gate. Tapit got a little hot in the paddock. After leaving the gate, he lightly galloped another half-mile before pulling up and walking home.

"It's hard to train horses in the dark - they look like little dots," Dickinson said after meeting Tapit in the paddock. "Is that my little dot or someone else's little dot?"

The only accoutrements of home for Tapit were the large chunks of organically grown grass Dickinson brought for Tapit to graze on, and two air purifiers for his stall. Dickinson also brought some Guinness beer - Tapit gets a pint with his dinner around 5 p.m.

In a session with reporters, Ron Winchell, owner of Tapit, said that Dickinson has a competitive edge because of his training center.

Said Dickinson: "The competitive edge I've got is I've got Tapit. That's the only edge I need, really."

Sackatoga reliving Derby 129

Nine of the 10 members of Sackatoga Stable, the group that owned 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide, were at Churchill Downs on Thursday, primarily to participate in a book signing. The book chronicles the 2003 Triple Crown campaign of Funny Cide, who won the Preakness but finished third in the Belmont.

Prior to the signing, at the Derby Museum, Jack Knowlton, the head of the syndicate, was on the backside visiting with many of the connections of this year's Derby field. Funny Cide became the first New York-bred to win the Derby. This year there are two New York breds in the field, Read the Footnotes and Friends Lake.

"They're absolutely in my betting scheme," Knowlton said.

Knowlton said that he believes Smarty Jones is the horse whose story most resembles that of Funny Cide.

"We weren't an undefeated horse or had a lot of publicity, but he's a Pennsylvania-bred, and only one Pennsylvania-bred had ever won it before," Knowlton said. "The trainer [John Servis] has never been in the Derby, and Barclay Tagg had never been in the Derby."

Post-position maneuvers

Prominent Southern California owner B. Wayne Hughes had his first Derby starter last year when Atswhatimtalknbout finished a fast-closing fourth behind Funny Cide following a somewhat unlucky trip. Atswhatimtalknbout wore saddlecloth No. 4.

When Hughes had a chance to grab No. 5 for Action This Day at the post-position draw Wednesday, he again took No. 4, leaving an open spot between Action This Day and posts 6 to 10, which had already been drawn.

Said Hughes: "We didn't want to be next to Friends Lake," who already had claimed No. 6. Hughes's obvious intention was to avoid the possibility of Action This Day being adversely affected in case Friends Lake acts up again Saturday.

One other somewhat surprising post-position draw was No. 17 for Pollard's Vision. Todd Pletcher had the choice of several gates closer to the rail, but explained that he wanted to ensure - without getting too far outside - that Pollard's Vision would start outside of other speed horses, since an outside position generally allows more freedom of movement.

Servis an Arkansas traveler

John Servis is a native of West Virginia and has lived most of his 45 years there and in Pennsylvania. He is based year-round at Philadelphia Park. But this winter, Servis took much of his stable to Oaklawn Park because he thought that track had the best 3-year-old stakes program for his colt Smarty Jones.

In the months he spent there, Servis sent out Smarty Jones to three stakes victories. He put the colt in position to claim a $5 million bonus should he add the Kentucky Derby to victories in the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby. And he made plenty of friends.

Servis had visitors aplenty at Oaklawn. He left there with all manner of University of Arkansas Razorback paraphernalia. For much of this week, Servis wore a baseball-style cap from the Hot Springs Country Club before switching to a Smarty Jones cap.

Smarty Jones became a fan favorite at Oaklawn Park. "They're having a Smarty Party on Derby Day," Servis said.

His fan base also extended to the north. Servis received a fan letter from a 4-year-old girl in Illinois whose father wrote an accompanying letter saying he was teaching his daughter to write the letter "S" by using Smarty Jones. Servis has the letter, and the child's crayon-colored drawing, in his tack room at Churchill Downs.

- additional reporting by David Grening, Marty McGee, and Jay Privman

Horsephotos

Imperialism, with trainer Kristin Mulhall aboard, blows out a quarter-mile Wednesday morning. He drew post 10 for Saturday's Derby.

A victory in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, which followed a late-running third in the Florida Derby, has propelled The Cliff's Edge to the top of an inscrutable group of 3-year-olds. He is 4-1 on the morning line set by Churchill's Mike Battaglia, and is the 5-1 favorite on the line set by Mike Watchmaker, Daily Racing Form's national handicapper. The longest-priced favorite in Derby history is Harlan's Holiday, who went off at 6-1 in 2002.

The Cliff's Edge landed post 11 when post positions were selected Wednesday evening in the Kentucky Derby Museum during a one-hour telecast on ESPN. Shane Sellers, who is seeking his first Derby victory, will be his rider. The choice of 11 was curious. The field is loaded into the starting gate in pairs, meaning number 11 will be loaded first, along with number 1. Zito had the eighth pick overall. Still available were 14, the outside post in the main gate, or 15, the first stall in the auxiliary gate.

Zito acknowledged The Cliff's Edge would be among the first loaded. "I'm okay with that. I'd rather have that than fool around and get some other one," he said.

Smarty Jones, the unbeaten winner of the Arkansas Derby, wound up in post 15, and is the 9-2 second choice on the Churchill line. His trainer, John Servis, is participating in his first Derby, but showed shrewdness with his post selection.

"We wanted to force the hand of the other speed to go inside, and we liked the idea of being the first horse in the auxiliary gate," Servis said.

Tapit, the Wood Memorial winner, ended up in post 18. He is the third choice at 8-1. Lion Heart, who was second to The Cliff's Edge in the Blue Grass and is expected to be the early pacesetter in the Derby, will start from post 3. He is 10-1 on the Churchill line. Birdstone, the stablemate of The Cliff's Edge, is the highest price on Battaglia's line, at 50-1.

Patrick Biancone, the trainer of Lion Heart, chose post 3, 12 spots inside of Smarty Jones, rather than a post outside of Smarty Jones.

"I asked Mike Smith," Biancone said, referring to Lion Heart's jockey, "and he said he wanted to go inside."

The worst posts went to Limehouse, the third-place finisher in the Blue Grass, who ended up on the rail, and Quintons Gold Rush, the Coolmore Lexington Stakes winner, who will break from the outside, post 20.

If all 20 entrants run, the Derby's purse will be $1,214,800, with $914,800 going to the winner. All 20 runners race as separate betting interests. All carry 126 pounds. Smarty Jones will be adding Lasix for the first time.

The Derby could be run over a wet track. After several delightful, spring-like days, the National Weather Service predicted worsening weather. Saturday's forecast is for thunderstorms, and a high of 74 degrees.

The Derby draw for post positions is a two-step process. Wednesday morning, a blind drawing was held to determine the selection order of the 20 horses who made up the final field. Then, Wednesday evening, a representative of each horse picked a post. Minister Eric's connections had the first choice. His trainer, Richard Mandella, picked post 7. Quintons Gold Rush's connections had the final pick, and got the last remaining stall, 20.

There were 22 horses who wanted to run in this year's Derby. Under the Derby's rules, however, a maximum of 20 can run. When a field is oversubscribed, as it was Wednesday, the tie-breaker to pare the field is earnings in graded stakes. The two who were lowest on that list, and thus were excluded from the race, were Eddington and Rock Hard Ten. Value Plus, as expected, was not entered in the race, which allowed Pro Prado to move into the final spot.

Eddington most recently finished third in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. He had been training at Belmont Park. A plane was on hold in New York if he drew into the race, but trainer Mark Hennig kept him in New York when he learned Eddington was not going to crack the lineup. Hennig said he would point Eddington to the May 15 Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown at Pimlico.

"I'm just happy it's over because now I know where I'm going," Hennig said.

Had Eddington made it into the race, Jerry Bailey would have ridden him instead of Wimbledon. Bob Baffert, Wimbledon's trainer, would have had to scramble for a replacement. Baffert was warily eying his cell phone Wednesday morning for calls from Bailey's agent, Ron Anderson.

"Every time Anderson calls, I put it on block," Baffert said.

Rock Hard Ten also will be pointed to the Preakness, according to his trainer, Jason Orman. Rock Hard Ten was disqualified from second to third in the Santa Anita Derby, a decision whose monetary impact cost him a spot in the Derby. Orman was disappointed.

"To have a horse like this, with a chance to win the Derby, you'd like to run," Orman said. "He's doing so good. The last week, he's really come around. As long as he's training as good as he is, he'll train up to the Preakness."

Three Derby runners had short, quick workouts on Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs in final preparation for the race.

Action This Day zipped three furlongs in 35.20 seconds with his regular exercise rider, Paul Nilluang. Imperialism blew out a quarter-mile through the homestretch with his trainer, Kristin Mulhall, aboard. Song of the Sword worked a half-mile in 49.40 seconds with exercise rider Kevin Grau.

Tapit arrived Wednesday afternoon after a flight from Maryland.

Lion Heart will be the final Derby horse on the grounds. He has been training at Keeneland, and will be sent by van to Churchill on Saturday morning, Biancone said.

- additional reporting by Karen M. Johnson and Marty McGee

It could be rather intimidating.

"No, it won't be intimidating at all," McKee said prior to Wednesday's first race at Churchill. "We're all human, we all get good trips, we all get bad trips. It's the horse that makes us who we are."

McKee has ridden Pro Prado in all seven of his races, including a trio of third-place finishes behind the undefeated Smarty Jones at Oaklawn. McKee has seen improvement in each of Pro Prado's three races this year and believes the 10 furlongs of the Derby should suit his big gray colt.

"I think the mile and a quarter will help him more than it will hurt him," McKee said. "He keeps improving, he's training great, he settled in here pretty well, and he's training over the track really good. I look for a big effort."

McKee was one of the leading apprentice riders in 2002, a year in which he won riding titles at River Downs, Turfway Park, and tied for second at the Churchill fall meeting. After riding the winter of 2003 in New York, he spent this past winter at Oaklawn, where he was the leading rider with 71 victories.

Bob Holthus, the trainer of Pro Prado, said there was never a doubt McKee would keep the mount aboard Pro Prado for the Derby.

"I'm like Smarty Jones's trainer," Holthus said, referring to John Servis, who is sticking with Derby rookie Stewart Elliott. "He's my jock. We've come this far together; we'll stick together. I think he's very cool. I did tell him that if he doesn't get goose bumps when they play 'My Old Kentucky Home' then he's not alive."

In addition to McKee and Elliott, other first-time riders in this year's Derby are Ramon Dominguez (Tapit), Norberto Arroyo (Song of the Sword), and Jose Valdivia (Castledale).

Busy schedule for Song of the Sword

Ordinarily, the only time a 3-year-old attempts to run three races in five weeks is during the Triple Crown. When Song of the Sword starts in the Kentucky Derby, it will mark the second time this year he has run three times in less than five weeks.

Song of the Sword, a son of Unbridled's Song, didn't debut until Feb. 3, when he won a maiden race. Sixteen days later, he won an entry-level allowance race and two weeks after that he took an optional claiming race. All three races were run over Aqueduct's inner track.

After a month without a race, Song of the Sword finished second to Pollard's Vision in the Illinois Derby on April 3. Two weeks later, he ran third behind Quintons Gold Rush in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.

Trainer Jennifer Pedersen believes Song of the Sword can handle such a schedule because he has yet to put out a complete effort.

"You see horses that run hard and put in 100 percent, and I know he hasn't done that yet," Pedersen said.

Pedersen confirmed that Song of the Sword will run in blinkers known as "cheaters," or thin-cupped blinkers. He had been running in regular blinkers.

"Early on in his training the three-quarter cut-outs were really appropriate," Pedersen said. "When he got older, he changed. Maybe he wants to see a little bit more, eyeball to eyeball."

Wednesday, Song of the Sword blew out three furlongs in 35.77 seconds over the Churchill main track under exercise rider Kevin Grau.

"It's the first time I saw him do something with ease," Pedersen said. "I was impressed by him this morning. Kevin had a nice long hold and it looked like he was enjoying it."

Future wagers: The good, the bad, and the ugly

The weeks and months of waiting are almost over for the thousands of fans who took part in the Kentucky Derby and Oaks future wagers. While some players probably would love to sell their tickets for pennies on the dollar, there are other fans who surely believe they will be taking a statistical edge going into the weekend.

The 2004 Derby and Oaks futures were offered at three separate four-day intervals: Pool 1, Feb. 12-15; Pool 2, March 11-14; and Pool 3, April 1-4. As always, some of the 23 separately listed entries during each of those pools long ago fell off the Derby or Oaks trail, and tickets on those horses are worthless today.

As for wagers that are still alive, the range of "value" varies widely. Here are some noteworthy Futures possibilities that have emerged for each race:

In the Derby, for the first time the mutuel field, or the 24th and "all others" option, was the favorite in all three pools; beginning with Pool 1, the closing odds were 9-5, 4-1, and 6-1. Ten of the 20 Derby starters are Pool 1 field horses, including Smarty Jones, Friends Lake, Wimbledon, Castledale, and Limehouse; seven are Pool 2 field horses, most notably Smarty Jones, Friends Lake, and Castledale; and just three are Pool 3 field horses: Castledale, Pollard's Vision, and Pro Prado.

* The Pool 1 tickets with easily the most value are The Cliff's Edge (28-1) and Borrego (52-1). Probably the best of Pool 2 are The Cliff's Edge (16-1), Tapit (18-1), Limehouse (35-1), Imperialism (24-1), and Minister Eric (52-1). And except for Tapit at 23-1, the final odds for Pool 3 offer few overlays, although The Cliff's Edge (16-1), Smarty Jones (10-1), Quintons Gold Rush (76-1), and Song of the Sword (77-1) might qualify.

* Apparent underlays include the Pool 3 field at 6-1; Birdstone (12-1, 13-1, 19-1, in order); Action This Day (14-1, 16-1, 16-1); Read the Footnotes (14-1, 20-1, 17-1); and St Averil in Pool 2 at 15-1.

With virtually none of the top contenders eliminated by injury or illness along the Oaks trail, the field in all three Oaks pools (5-1, 9-1, 10-1) amount to a terrible bet.

With the probable exception of Halfbridled (7-2, 7-2, 4-1), future wagers on several of the major Oaks contenders will yield value relative to what their odds will be here Friday. The best of those are Victory U. S. A. (31-1, 30-1, 29-1), Ashado (23-1, 9-1, 7-1), House of Fortune (67-1, 27-1, 20-1), and Silent Sighs (41-1, 9-1, 9-1).

Chance for highest-priced favorite

Harlan's Holiday is the highest-priced favorite in Kentucky Derby history, having been sent off at odds of 6-1 in 2002. He finished seventh behind 20-1 shot War Emblem.

There are many who believe this year's Derby favorite - whomever it is - could be in the same vicinity price-wise. Churchill Downs linemaker Mike Battaglia made The Cliff's Edge the 4-1 morning-line choice followed by Smarty Jones (9-2) and Tapit (8-1).

The only other years the actual favorite went off greater than 4-1 was in 1999 when the entry of Excellent Meeting and General Challenge was 4.80-1 and in 1993 when Prairie Bayou was sent off at 4.40-1.

Return of the Oaks-Derby double

As usual, there will be no lack of enticing wagers at Churchill this weekend.

The Oaks-Derby Double, the wager that links the track's two major races, will be available once again, having first been offered in 1996. Also, the track will have huge jackpots for pick four wagers on both days: a $500,000 pool is guaranteed for the Friday wager that ends with the Oaks, and a $1 million pool is guaranteed for the Saturday pick that ends with the Derby.

- additional reporting by Marty McGee

Bailey, at 24, was on his way to New York to make it big. His Derby horse's name had not escaped his imagination.

"I hoped it would be one, but it didn't quite pan out," Bailey recalled in the Keeneland jocks' room on closing day of the spring meet. "He was a longshot at best, but I was glad I rode a horse like that because it's a lot to take in. Like they said, chills went down my spine when they played 'My Old Kentucky Home.' It was a great experience, and I couldn't wait to get back."

That would take another five years. Bailey finished ninth on longshot Conquistarose in 1987. A year later, 27-1 Proper Reality gave him a taste of having a live horse when he flashed into second at the eighth pole. But Winning Colors kept running, and Proper Reality faded to fourth.

Bailey skipped the next two Derbies and arrived with his first legitimate chance in 1991. Hansel went off the favorite but was evidently waiting for the Preakness and finished 10th. A year later, second-choice Technology was through leaving the backside and wound up 10th.

In 1993, Bailey's chances didn't look any better. Longtime client Mack Miller had Champagne winner Sea Hero for the Derby, but the colt had suffered through a dismal winter.

"I spent two months prior to the Derby trying to find a better mount, looking everywhere," Bailey said. "I just thought, 'He can't be the one.' I simply didn't have any options so I rode him. Lo and behold, it was meant to be."

Sea Hero went through traffic as if he were pulled by a magnet, and it was the last time Bailey didn't have a choice in the Derby.

One year later, Bailey picked Blumin Affair instead of front-running winner Go for Gin. The next year he opted for Tejano Run over Thunder Gulch and gave Gary Stevens his second Derby winner when Thunder Gulch won at 24-1. Bailey got the decision right in 1996, when he partnered Grindstone to a nose victory.

After that, rides on Phantom on Tour, Cape Town, and Worldly Manner made little impact. Bailey turned down 2002 winner War Emblem to ride Castle Gandolfo and can't remember if it's three or four winners that have slipped through his agent's book. Winning a Derby or two helps ease the pain of the ones that got away, but it's still the ultimate race for a jockey and an agent to handicap.

This year is no different. Bailey had the choice of Lexington winner Quintons Gold Rush, Fountain of Youth winner Read the Footnotes, and Louisiana Derby winner Wimbledon. Never mind bubble horse Eddington, whom Bailey would most likely choose if Pro Prado or one other dreamer stayed home.

"I wish I was three people, but I can only ride one," Bailey said of his choice to ride Wimbledon for trainer Bob Baffert. "It's an extremely hard race to pick right, and you have to pick right to win. Once you think you've picked right, everything pretty much has to unfold in your favor unless you're on way-the-best, which doesn't happen that often. The two I won, everything went my way."

Like so many Derby winners, Sea Hero and Grindstone had perfect trips, charging from the back. Of course, some Derbies are won on the front end. Others have been won by horses stalking the pace. There is no blueprint for picking the best horse or riding the perfect race.

"The two I won, I was doing things right - you have to pick the right horses to follow, and you have to pick the right times to go in and the right times to go out," Bailey said. "I hate to say this because I'll probably screw it up this year, but I think I've ridden every Derby without a mistake. I didn't always win, but I don't think I made a mistake."

Then Bailey stopped and remembered last year's draw. He chose the 12-hole for Empire Maker instead of the 5. He still wonders if losing ground on the first turn cost him the race.

Bailey has won two Derbies. He's in the Hall of Fame. He's earned more money than he can count. He believes he has never made a riding mistake in 16 Derbies. But just like a two-dollar bettor, his handicapping the Derby comes down to opinions, trends, and history.

"There's no crystal ball, but you just try and give yourself the best percentages," Bailey said. "Read the Footnotes is by Smoke Glacken. It's in the back of my mind that he might not go that far. Quintons Gold Rush - three races in a month. As much as you try to handicap horses to ride, you also have to handicap trainers. And, you know, Bob does well in the Derby."

Last year, Bailey won his seventh Eclipse Award and hinted that his time was running out.

"The chances are pretty good I'll be here next year," Bailey said. "Your mind frame doesn't change. You go into every Derby trying to make the right choice. Each one is so important that you never say, 'Oh I only have one, two, three years left.' They're all so important."

Horsephotos

Shane Sellers, rider of The Cliff's Edge, believes in speaking his mind.

"Put a bridle on another dream and saddle up the wind," Sellers crooned on "Back to Riding Rainbows," the first track of an 11-song compact disc he recorded several years ago on the Nashville-based Lofton Creek label. "I'm back to riding rainbows again."

Indeed, as the rider of The Cliff's Edge, one of the favorites for the 130th Kentucky Derby, Sellers is only two minutes-plus from finding more than a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. As deeply complex as his life has become - Sellers not only is an accomplished jockey and singer, but a husband, father of three, and controversial figure within the industry - what transpires Saturday at Churchill Downs could distill his innumerable facets into one glorious label: Kentucky Derby winner.

"To be in that winner's circle, that would be the greatest feeling of my life," said Sellers, 37. "So many things would be running through my mind."

For nearly two years, it seemed that Sellers would never have the kind of opportunity that awaits him Saturday. In December 2000, he suffered a severe knee injury in a freak post-parade incident at Fair Grounds, and for the better part of two years, he was haunted by the very real thought that his career was over.

"I was able to sit on my couch for two years and ask myself, 'Would I have done anything different?' " Sellers said Tuesday in the Churchill Downs jockeys' lounge. "And the answer was absolutely not. I looked back on how I played the game, and it made me proud."

Therein lies a character trait that quite possibly has kept Sellers from being recognized among the elite jockeys of his era. Although on March 28 he became just the 42nd rider in North American racing history to win 4,000 races, and despite a lengthy list of truly impressive accomplishments in racing, including two Breeders' Cup wins, he seldom is included on the short list of the world's greatest active jockeys. That could be for any number of reasons, including where he regularly rides (not New York or California), but Sellers long has believed that a primary cause is his outspoken nature.

Sellers is the first to admit that he has burned bridges and rubbed important people in racing the wrong way. At the same time, he is not about to back down from his strongly held beliefs.

"The way I live my life on the streets is the way I live my life on the racetrack," he said. "I don't let the horses or the horsemen dictate the life I live. I can look everyone in the eye and have no regrets."

An issue that for several years has pitted Sellers against some of his racetrack brethren became the talk of the racing industry this week. "Jockey," an HBO documentary that addresses the issue of weights for jockeys, focuses largely on Sellers and his fellow riders' campaign to have the scale of weights raised at tracks throughout North America. Sellers, who on Tuesday rode at 117 pounds, has been more vocal than anyone in insisting that the current scale is badly outdated and imperils the health of jockeys.

Most trainers oppose him on the issue, including Hall of Fame trainers D. Wayne Lukas and Bobby Frankel, and even some jockeys, including Pat Day, have said they generally disagree with what changes should be considered.

Lukas frequently rode Sellers on his horses in previous years but no longer uses him, in large part because of the divisiveness the weight issue created. And Day said that while he harbors "no ill will toward Shane whatsoever," he added that Sellers' history of falling out with people in racing "certainly isn't a well-kept secret. He has his opinions, and he's certainly entitled to them."

Undeterred, Sellers keeps digging in his heels. Because of this stubbornness, which detractors interpret as obstinacy or arrogance, not everyone here Saturday will be pulling for Sellers to prevail aboard The Cliff's Edge.

Of course, how people are rooting will have nothing to do with whether The Cliff's Edge will win. Except for the two runnings he missed (2001-02) because of the knee injury, Sellers has ridden in every Derby since 1990, and believes The Cliff's Edge rates closely with his two most notable previous mounts: Skip Away, who ran 12th in 1996, and Pulpit, who was fourth in 1997 despite sustaining a career-ending injury in the race.

"Both were great, great horses," said Sellers. "Skip Away, though, I could tell he probably wasn't going to be at his best because of the way he had worked over this racetrack. Pulpit, I really believe he would have won if he hadn't gotten hurt. I'll remember his race until the day I die."

The Cliff's Edge, said Sellers, has made such steady progress since his 2-year-old season that the colt deserves his status as one of the betting choices. "His race in the Blue Grass was so impressive," he said. "We're where we want him to be. Now we just need the trip."

A Derby victory would "mean everything to my family," said Sellers, who lives in Louisville with his wife, Kelli, and children ages 13, 11, and 7. "They're the ones that have sacrificed so much so that I could live out my dream. They've suffered in a lot of ways, and this would make up for a lot of that."

Sellers also said a Derby win for him would almost be like a Derby win for his close friend and fellow Louisiana native Randy Romero, the retired jockey who is among the 2004 Hall of Fame nominees and also was one of the featured personalities in HBO's "Jockey." Romero, who won nearly 4,300 races but went winless in nine Derby mounts, continues to suffer from liver and kidney disease.

"Randy is the toughest man I've ever known," said Sellers. "It kills me to see him suffering the way he is. He'd love it as much as I would for this colt to win."

Like any other jockey, Sellers knows a Derby victory would forever stand as the pinnacle of his career. Few other jockeys, however, have traveled the same route that once again has him putting a bridle on his dreams and a saddle on the wind.

Shane Sellers in the Derby

Year	Horse	Odds	Finish
2003	Lone Star Sky	52-1	15th
2000	Graeme Hall	46-1	19th
1999	Vicar	8-1	18th
1998	Parade Ground	22-1	6th
1997	Pulpit	5-1	4th
1996	Skip Away	7-1	12th
1995	Lake George	11-1(f)	18th
1994	Meadow Flight	16-1(f)	11th
1993	Wild Gale	8-1(f)	3rd
1992	Conte Di Savoya	21-1	4th
1991	Paulrus	16-1(f)	7th
1990	Fighting Fantasy	111-1	15th

(f) - mutuel field