Baltimore ? 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 111/2-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 already had 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 78-year-old Roy 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.

Jockey Stewart Elliot and trainer John Servis, right, congratulate each other after Smarty Jones won the Preakness. Smarty Jones took the second leg of the Triple Crown on Saturday at Pimlico race track in Baltimore.

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.