BALTIMORE (AP) – John Servis was still glowing over Smarty Jones’ spectacular performance Saturday when someone told him the margin of victory was a Preakness Stakes record.

Servis raised his eyebrows, wiped his brow and smiled.

Seems as if there’s no end to the surprises Smarty Jones has for his proud trainer, owners Roy and Patricia Chapman and the rest of the horse-racing world.

Smarty Jones wouldn’t be going to the Belmont if he had lost in the Preakness, but his 11-length victory means he’ll have a chance to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown since Affirmed in 1978.

“As long as he tells us he’s ready, we’re on to the Belmont,” Servis declared.

After Smarty Jones rolled to victory in the Kentucky Derby, Servis decided he would go easy on his undefeated horse in preparing for the Preakness. Smarty Jones had already run five races in 2004, and Servis realized the chestnut colt desperately needed a break.

“The only change for me was in his training,” he said. “We did a whole lot less with him.”

Like any good trainer, Servis discussed strategy with jockey Stewart Elliott before the race. It was a brief conversation in the paddock.

“I said it looked like it was going to be the same race as the Derby,” Servis said. “When you’ve got a rider like this, just let him go out there and do his job.”

At the Derby, the excitement almost seemed too much for the 78-year-old Chapman, who had to take a series of deep breaths to calm himself after his horse’s victory. He stays hooked up to an oxygen tank because of emphysema, and he uses a wheelchair.

For the Preakness, Chapman was able to keep his emotions in check.

“I made my mind up I was going to try to stay a little calmer,” he said. “I was really pretty calm. I had to hold back tears a little bit. Really, emotionally it hit me just how good this horse is.”

It’s something to sleep on, for sure.

“I was like John. I didn’t sleep too good last night,” Chapman said. “There were a lot of good horses in this race. I thought he might win, but I never thought he would blow them away. I’m just happy.”

Someone asked Chapman if he ever saw Seabiscuit, who ran in the late 1930s. The venerable owner took the question in stride.

“I trained him!” Chapman quipped, winking at his wife, Patricia.

Upon taking the job of training Smarty Jones, Servis nearly ruined him. When he took the horse to the starting gate for the first time, Smarty Jones reared up, banged his head on an iron bar and knocked himself unconscious.

Servis has since become much more adept at handling the horse.

“I was obviously concerned going into the race,” he said. “Someone asked me this morning if I was as confident as I was going into the Derby, and I said no, I was not. I think he’s a little vulnerable.”

Smarty Jones made it eight wins in eight career races with remarkable ease, taking control before the stretch and galloping to an overpowering victory.

“Smarty Jones is obviously a super horse,” said Imperialism owner Steve Taub, who watched his horse lose for the second time in two weeks. “He had his ears pinned back, and it looked like he was just having a ball out there. He’s just a spectacular racehorse.”

Good enough to make Servis’ job pretty easy.

“Once again, everything I’m asking for, he’s stepped up to the plate,” he said. “I’m so impressed with his effort today, I really am. I knew he had to bring his best game. I knew this was the toughest race he was going to be in for a long time. And he brought it. He brought it big time.”

And now it’s on to the Belmont. But first, Servis will take Smarty Jones back to Philadelphia, where all the attention should get rather hectic.

Luckily for Servis, his wife, Sherry, will make sure he doesn’t get more overworked than the horse.

“After the Derby, once we got back to Philly things were so nerve-racking,” Servis said. “It took about 24 hours, and my wife stepped in and said, “I’m going to get an appointment book and I’m going to work it out.’

“She’s done a great job. I’m sure she’ll continue to do a great job the next three weeks. That’s why we’re a great team.”