The biggest racing story of 2004 clearly was Smarty Jones, and much of the Smarty Jones Story was written during Oaklawn Park’s centennial racing season last winter and spring.

Despite winning his first three starts, two at his home base of Philadelphia Park, and the Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct, Smarty Jones was pretty much an unknown commodity last January when he was shipped to Oaklawn Park, a century-old racing facility located in the lovely resort town of Hot Springs in southwestern Arkansas.

But Smarty didn’t remain unknown for long. By mid-April, he was regarded right up there with FDR, native son Bill Clinton and Al Capone as Hot Springs superheroes. Victories in the Southwest, Rebel and Arkansas Derby elevated Smarty Jones to rock star status.

And when the little chestnut won the Kentucky Derby, he became the biggest story in the world of sports. And, two weeks later, when he won the Preakness by a record margin to remain undefeated at eight-for-eight, he transcended sports. He was bigger than Oprah. Bigger than Dr. Phil. And, in Hot Springs, the heart of Elvis country, he was bigger than “The Man” himself.

When asked during the Triple Crown what made Smarty Jones so special, his trainer, John Servis, replied:

“He’s Arkansas tough!”

Smarty, of course, fell a length short of winning the Triple Crown in the Belmont and, soon after, was retired to stud in Lexington, Ky.

Smarty Jones won’t be back to Arkansas in 2005, but trainer Servis will be. And he’s bringing a three-year-old named Rockport Harbor, who is regarded in some quarters as the potential equal of Smarty Jones.

Rockport Harbor, winner of Aqueduct's Grade II Remsen, will be housed in the same stall in the same barn as Smarty Jones, and Servis plans to run Rocky in the same races as Smarty — the Southwest, the Rebel and the Arkansas Derby, the highlight of the 55-day Oaklawn season that commences on Jan. 21.

What’s more, Afleet Alex, runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Lone Star Park and a leading contender for champion two-year-old, also is coming to Oaklawn Park, and he will be pointed by trainer Tim Ritchey for the same races, beginning with the Southwest on Feb. 19.

That said, it is not too far off the wall to suggest that the two best three-year-olds on the planet will hook up in one or more of the three Oaklawn races.

Oaklawn management did its part by doubling the purses for the Southwest and Rebel, and keeping the Arkansas Derby at $1 million. All that will be missing in 2005 will be the $5 million bonus that went to Smarty for winning the Rebel, Arkansas Derby and Kentucky Derby in 2004.

When Oaklawn president Charles J. Cella programmed the bonus for 2004, it seemed like a 500–1 shot that he would have to pay out. After all, only one horse in history — Sunny’s Halo in 1983 — had won those three races.

Obviously, Mr. Cella (and the insurance company) never counted on Smarty Jones.

But the $5 million turned out to be money well spent. The bonus received incalculable publicity throughout the racing world and added to the Smarty mystique as well as to his bank account.

Oaklawn gave some thought to offering the bonus in 2005, but the insurance companies were not excited about the prospect.

It stood to reason that Smartymania would wind up providing long-term benefits for Oaklawn Park, and that’s exactly what seems to be the case.

Pat Pope, the longtime racing secretary at Oaklawn, reports that he has 2,500 horses for 1,600 stalls. It was only a few years back that Pope had to go begging for horsemen to come to Oaklawn. Now his problem is where to put them.

“Quality-rise,” says Pope, “this will be the best Oaklawn meet ever. The daily purses will be at an all-time high of $250,000, and the stakes program will be the best ever.”

With that in mind, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and champion owner Michael Gill, two of the biggest names in racing, will run strings at Oaklawn in 2005.

Back in the 80’s and early 90’s Lukas consistently sent a string to Oaklawn and, in fact, leads the league in Racing Festival of the South winners with 12, topped by Azeri’s brilliant victory in the Apple Blossom Handicap last April. In fact, that was the third straight year that Azeri, one of the all-time great mares, won the Apple Blossom.

(Azeri is expected to be retired this winter, leaving Ashado, the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner and champion three-year-old filly, as the long-range favorite for the ’05 Apple Blossom.)

As for Lukas, this will mark the first time since 1993 that he will campaign an entire season at Oaklawn.

And as for Gill, this will be the first time that the Massachusetts resident has raced at Oaklawn. Mark Shuman, who will train Gill’s string at Oaklawn, instantly becomes the main challenger to four-time defending Spa champion Cole Norman.

Norman, a rising star nationally in addition to dominating the Oaklawn standings, is eager for the challenge.

“Gill is a major force everywhere he goes,” Norman told American Turf, “and I’m sure he’ll be strong here.

“... and if he’s looking for another trainer, you can tell him that I’d be more than happy to help him out.”

Message delivered.

As usual, Norman will be strong in every division, including the stakes where he has Pie N Burger and Beau’s Town ready to go long and short, respectively. Beau’s Town appears completely recovered from the physical ailments that cost him much of the ’04 season, and no doubt will be the one to beat in the Spa sprint stakes — the King Cotton, Hot Springs and Count Fleet.

Gill, like Norman, does most of his business in the claiming ranks but, also like Norman, will be a major player in the Oaklawn stakes program.

Another newcomer to the Oaklawn backstretch this year will be Rodrigo Madrigal, the top gun on the Ohio circuit.

And, of course, Servis and Ritchey will be represented by a full complement of horses beyond Rockport Harbor and Afleet Alex, respectively.

Servis will send four other three-year-olds to Oaklawn, all highly regarded.

Three of the four are maidens: Sidetrack, an El Prado colt whom Servis compared favorably to Rockport Harbor last summer; Overrocks, a Capote filly, and Pot Shot, a Charismatic colt.

The fourth is a Royal Academy filly named Mackenzie Nicole, named by the owner of D J Stable for his two grandchildren. The filly won her first start by daylight then was beaten a nose after a rough trip in her second start. The chestnut is a long-range prospect for the Fantasy.

It will be interesting to see if Gill/Shuman can make an impact against the Big Three — Norman, Steve Asmussen and Bob Holthus — who have dominated Oaklawn racing in recent years ... or, in the case of Holthus, forever.

In 2004, Norman earned his fourth straight Spa title by saddling 56 winners from 205 starters, a 27 percent batting average. That’s pretty much the same rate of success Norman achieves wherever he goes in the mid-south.

“I’d love to win another Oaklawn title,” says Norman, “and I believe I have the ammo to do it. I’d also like to come up with the big horse this year.”

Asmussen, who in 2004 smashed Jack Van Berg’s record set in 1976 of 496 victories in a single year, had his usual successful Oaklawn season last year, saddling 33 winners from 79 starters, a remarkable 42 percent. And with a 33-12-13 record, Asmussen was in the money an amazing 73 percent.

At age 70 in 2004, Holthus, a nine-time Spa champion, enjoyed numbers-wise his best year ever, winning two training titles. At Oaklawn, he saddled 27 winners from 117 starters ... or 23 percent.

Norman, Asmussen and Holthus figure to enjoy the same success at Oaklawn in ’05 as they did it ’04.

Norman and Asmussen, of course, win with everything in the barn, but look for Holthus to make a major impact in the three-year-old races — Afleet Alex and Rockport Harbor notwithstanding.

Of Team Holthus’ three-year-olds, the most accomplished at this point are Greater Good and Kota, graded stakes winners at two in the Midwest.

Here are some other gunners in the Holthus barn: Skeet and Pro Prado, both of whom have recovered from season-ending injuries; Proper Prado, Level Playingfield, Bullion, Diane’s Debut, Miss Concerto, River Mountain Road, Sir Laff Alot, Copy My Notes, Beaugeste and Vendage, a first-time-off-the-claim winner for Holthus at Churchill Downs in November.

Otherwise, the same trainers who have been winning at Oaklawn for years will continue to win in ’05, notably the Von Hemels (Don and Donnie); Steve Wren, Stanley Roberts, David Vance, Pete Vestal, Morris Nicks, Randy Morse, Gary Hartlage, Larry Jones, Mike Tomlinson, Steve Hobby, Hal Wiggins, Lynn Whiting, Terry Brennan, Jinks Fires, Kenny Smith, Ron Moquett, Bernie Flint, Elaine Ferri, the Whiteds, the Robertsons and Sonny Wigginton.

Smarty Jones won’t be back to Hot Springs, but there’s a good chance that Sir Cherokee, the 2003 Arkansas Derby winner, will be back. Injuries cost Sir Cherokee a good chunk of his three- and four-year-old seasons, but the chestnut returned to action last October at Churchill with an impressive last-to-first allowance score.

Trainer Tomlinson will point Sir Cherokee for the major races for older horses at Oaklawn, including, of course, the Oaklawn Handicap.

Wigginton, a perennial top-percentage trainer at Oaklawn, includes Wicked Witch and Southern among his horses to watch in ’05.

And a newcomer to watch in ’05 is David Clark, a perennial top gun at Prairie Meadows.

If Holthus’ horses live up to expectations, then John McKee stands an excellent chance to repeat as champion jockey.

As an Oaklawn rookie in 2004, McKee, riding first call for Holthus, dominated the standings from start to finish, winning the title with 71 winners from 384 mounts, an 18 percent average. Overall, he was 71-68-52 for a .500 in-the-money average.

Those are Pat Day numbers ... and that’s not surprising since Hall of Famer Day, a 12-time Spa champion from 1983 through 1994, is McKee’s role model. They share a common physique and patient riding style.

For the first two weeks of the ’04 Oaklawn meet, McKee didn’t get many outside mounts, but once he started winning races in bunches for Holthus his popularity soared, and by April he was riding for virtually every top barn on the grounds.

McKee continued to put up good numbers the rest of the year, mostly in Kentucky, and following a year-end vacation cruise, figures to be well rested for his title defense.

Tim Doocy, a two-time Oaklawn champion (’98 and ’99) and second to McKee in ’04 with 52 winners, will try to topple McKee in ’05, as will Jamie Theriot, Roman Chapa and Terry Thompson, 3-4-5 last year.

If form holds, Theriot will ride his share of winners for main man Norman.

Thompson, a top-five rider at Oaklawn for several years, broke a leg in a horrific spill at Prairie Meadows last summer and missed the second half of the year. But Thompson’s re-hab has been going well, and he plans to return to action on opening day.

That brings us to Calvin Borel.

An Oaklawn regular for years, Borel has won virtually every major stakes at the Spa, including the Arkansas Derby and Oaklawn Handicap, and topped the standings in 2001.

Two years back, Borel changed his winter/spring venue to Fair Grounds and rode with considerable success at the New Orleans track, notably for trainer Tom Amoss.

But Borel decided late last year to return to Hot Springs in 2005 and, no doubt, will be a force. And expect to see a winner’s circle celebration early in the Oaklawn meeting when Borel nails his 4,000th career winner.

Otherwise, the usual jockey suspects will be back — Monte Berry, Joe Johnson, Willie Martinez, Don Pettinger, Justin Shepherd, Luis Quinonez, Rodney Trader, Travis Hightower ... and two of the best lady riders in the business, Cindy Noll and Greta Kuntzweiler.

Missing from this list is Carlos H. Marquez, a top-ten rider his first two seasons at Oaklawn. Marquez will be at Fair Grounds this season as the go-to rider for trainer Mike Stidham.

Jon Court, the 2000 Spa champion and son-in-law of Jinks Fires, moved on to Florida two years back, and last year moved his tack to Southern California where he is enjoying considerable success.

PIESEN CUES: For years, this reporter established 1½ as the over/under for disqualifications at the Oaklawn meet. It will be interesting to see what happens this year because there will be a new steward in the stand. He is Gary Wilfert, for years a prominent official on the Kentucky circuit. Wilfert replaces John Ferrara, who recently resigned as an Oaklawn steward to become director of racing for the Texas Racing Commission. The remaining stewards are ex-jockey great Larry Snyder and Johnny Johnson. Snyder, who rode more than 6,000 winners, remains a conspicuous absentee from the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame.... Two reasons for the purse increases this year are the popularity of Instant Racing and simulcasting at Oaklawn. Maiden-specials will race for $31,000; open allowance runners for $40,000 and the bottom claiming price will be $5,000.... With one exception, post position is a non-factor at Oaklawn. The exception is outside posts at two-turns. In ’04, horses breaking from post #9 and beyond went a combined 9-for-220.... This reporter will conduct seminars on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings throughout the Oaklawn meet across Central Avenue at the Longshot Restaurant.