Pete Van Trump guides Smarty Jones during his well-attended Saturday workout in Philadelphia.

"I guess I've only been here three or four times," Panaro said. "But I've been here for both public workouts. The first time I was standing on a trash can to get a glimpse. The second time, we got here early and I was the second person from the rail. My height (6-feet-2) helped me see right over the first person's shoulder."

Welcome to the Smarty party that is greater Philadelphia.

The hysteria that began May 1 with a Kentucky Derby victory has transcended a city known best for its gruff and tough sports image. Loveable losers would be an incorrect stereotype. This city hates to lose. Smarty Jones became an overnight success with his dashing wins in Louisville and Baltimore. Although he ran in Philadelphia twice last fall as a two-year-old, you won't find many who were there to see those events -- or even those who claim to have been there.

"Honestly, there haven't been a lot of those types," said Dick Jerardi, who has covered sports and horse racing for the Philadelphia Daily News since 1985. "Most who jumped on the bandwagon are new to horse racing. For the first time, they saw a local horse they could attach themselves to. People in this area think they have some stake in this horse. People cash tickets all the time. These people thought they were riding the horse. It's a credit to the team that everybody feels that way."

While much of the nation has embraced Smarty Jones for his Seabiscuit-esque story, Philadelphians have latched on to him because he's a winner. Unbeaten in eight career starts, Smarty Jones can join Seattle Slew as the only undefeated Triple Crown winners in history. His undefeated run comes on the heels of Philadelphia's tiny St. Joseph's University completing a perfect regular season and entering the 2004 NCAA men's basketball tournament as the nation's No. 1-ranked team.

"There are a lot of similarities, beyond the fact even that they're two S.J.s," said Jerardi, who is also respected as one of America's top collegiate basketball writers. "The word 'undefeated' has such a cache in sports. It just doesn't happen a lot. Fans got behind St. Joe's and Smarty Jones in the same manner.

"The timing couldn't have been better. The Eagles had just lost their third straight NFC Championship game when St. Joe's came into the radar as a potential unbeaten. Then, the first major story to come along after St. Joe's was knocked out of the NCAA tourney was Smarty Jones winning the Arkansas Derby."

Trainer John Servis knows that Philadelphians prefer substance to style. He also admits that Smarty Jones has captivated the nation with sentiment. Elementary schools everywhere are sending Smarty Jones their crayon drawings, arriving at Servis' barn by the envelope-full. As a fan of racing history, Servis said that he has no problem taking the reins as a modern day Seabiscuit.

As for the movie, Servis said, "I enjoyed it very much. I guess I'm a bit of a sentimentalist. I remember watching the Triple Crown races in the 1970s from home with knots in my stomach. I remember as a kid, not a young kid but rather (age) 15 or 16, actually crying when Ruffian broke down. I was sitting on the couch crying like a baby. I know how emotionally attached people can get to a horse."

	A large crowd of fans watch Smarty Jones gallop at Philadelphia Park last Saturday.

A wide range of people came to Philadelphia Park to watch and wager on the Kentucky Derby and Preakness via simulcast, from grizzled racetrack veterans, to children, to newcomers of all ages. Norm Hawkes has worked at Philadelphia Park as a mutuel teller for 35 years and thought he had seen all there was to see of the place. Smarty Jones changed all that.

"On Preakness day, people were asking, 'Can we go back and see Smarty Jones in the stables?'," Hawkes said with a laugh. "They were bringing apples and carrots to the track. They weren't bringing them for me, I can tell you that."

Some of those newcomers may have been surprised that the horse was in Baltimore for the big race, but they did not hesitate to show their support at the mutuel windows.

"People tried to bet the Belmont the minute they cashed their Preakness winnings," Hawkes said. "I was tempted to take their money and smile. I had to tell them that they had not even selected the horses to run in the Belmont yet and they'd have to come back in a few weeks.

"The new folks didn't know much about betting. Those who got 4-to-1 in the Derby thought they were going to get the same return when they cashed their Preakness tickets. They didn't realize what happens when you bet a favorite that everyone else is betting on. They were a little surprised in some cases at how little they got back."

Even if Smarty Jones pays just $2.10 for every $2 bet in the Belmont, chances are that won't squelch the new-found enthusiasm Philadelphians have invested in horse racing. Panaro said that he'll definitely increase his frequency of visits to the track in the wake of Smarty mania.

"You always watch on TV and think you have the best seat in the house with all of the camera angles," he said. "But nothing replaces being here and seeing the horse in the flesh - even for just the workout. It was awesome. I feel like I'm watching history."

"We're selling more and more programs on the weekdays," Hawkes said. "It definitely has generated interest. I'm surprised it has carried over to the weekdays, but it has. You know how starved this area is for a winner. It's nice they've finally gotten one."