It wasn't even close

BALTIMORE -- Eight-for-eight and one to go.

And the way Smarty Jones ran away with the Preakness Stakes, there seems to be no stopping him now.

Smarty blazed into the lead turning for home and won by a record 11 1/2 lengths on Saturday, setting the stage for a dramatic Triple Crown try at Belmont in three weeks.

The undefeated colt has a chance to become just the 12th Triple Crown champion and the first to sweep the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont since Affirmed in 1978.

He would also claim another $5 million bonus and become racing's richest horse.

The crowd at Pimlico roared as jockey Stewart Elliott asked Smarty for his patented run for home. As he moved to the inside of pacesetter Lion Heart around the far turn, Smarty Jones turned on the afterburners and clobbered nine rivals in running his record to 8-for-8. In doing all that, he added another amazing chapter to racing's feel-good story of the year.

The margin of victory topped the record of 10 lengths by Survivor in 1873, in the first Preakness.

"He's just unbelievable. He just keeps getting better, this son of a gun," Elliott said. "I mean, he just did it so easy."

While Lion Heart faded in the stretch and finished fourth, Rock Hard Ten was second, with Eddington third. Imperialism was fifth, followed by Sir Shackleton, Borrego, Little Matth Man, Song of the Sword and Water Cannon.

Winning time for the 1 3/16th-mile race was 1:55.59, well off the record of 1:53.40 held by Louis Quatorze (1996) and Tank's Prospect (1985).

The overpowering win put in place some mind-boggling possibilities for the chestnut colt.

Smarty Jones will be the sixth horse in the last eight years with a Triple chance, but there's a big difference this time around: Smarty is the only one who hasn't lost.