By Dustin Dow and Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

KENTUCKY DERBY

Photo gallery: The race

Photo gallery: The scene

Get Kentucky Derby 130 news and information at courier-journal.com/derby

TOP HEADLINES

PRIOR COVERAGE

Sunday Dirty little secret Adding to grief are debts Jockey moving, but lacking in context Monday VIP guests moved to infield Castledale, St Averil committed to Derby Tuesday Layoff could be a benefit Wednesday Off the beaten track Jockeys hopeful of logo OK Thursday Hard times paved Derby road The Cliff's Edge made favorite Friday Success a quick climb Limited sight doesn't limit horse Photo gallery: Friday at Churchill Downs  Saturday 'Smarty' wins with sentimental journey Just a race - but a big one A crowd at home track Good things in the future A place in their hearts Renovations make for a contrasting infield 'Tasteful' ads raise no fuss They Said It | Celebrities Race recap | Chart The Numbers | Winners

LOUISVILLE - Talk about a hometown hero. Smarty Jones attracted about 15,000 fans Saturday to his home track, Philadelphia Park, who bet heavily on him and cheered themselves hoarse when he won the Kentucky Derby.

"It was an explosion," said track announcer Keith Jones, describing the fans' ruckus. "The scene was bedlam."

Jones said lines were lengthy for fans cashing winning tickets afterward, and he expects another huge crowd in two weeks for fans watching the simulcast of the Preakness.

"He will be returning Monday, and we will have a Kentucky Derby champion in Barn 11," Jones said. "It's unbelievable. This just doesn't happen here."

DECENT START: John McKee ended his first Kentucky Derby more muddy than mad. The 22-year-old jockey from the Brown County village of Hamersville finished 13th aboard Pro Prado, who tired badly down the stretch.

"We got a good trip," McKee said. "I had no complaints. The distance might have been beyond his reach."

The horse had closed from 10th to fifth after a mile before fading badly. McKee said the ride should prove helpful in knowing how to handle future Derbys.

"It was an awesome experience," he said.

TRACK OK: The race was run on a sloppy track for the first time since 1994 and just the fourth time overall. Jockeys were overall complimentary of how the surface held, though Shane Sellers said The Cliff's Edge didn't handle the track well. Norberto Arroyo Jr. said the same of his horse, Song of the Sword.

FIRST TO FOURTH: The Cliff's Edge, which was the early favorite, had faded to the fourth choice by the time the race began.

Trainer Nick Zito's horse went off at 8-1 odds behind Smarty Jones (4-1), Lion Heart (5-1) and Tapit (6-1). The Cliff's Edge finished fifth.

CASHING IN: Smarty Jones' win immediately made the horse the sixth all-time leading money earner in North American horse racing history. His career earnings after Saturday's race are $6.7 million. Cigar is the all-time leader with $10.0 million in earnings.

Smarty Jones' mark was boosted by a $5 million bonus from Oaklawn Park for winning the track's Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby as well as the Kentucky Derby. The horse's earnings Saturday totaled $5.9 million.

CAUGHT FROM BEHIND: Lion Heart, the horse that was expected to lead from the start, almost ran away with the race but could not hold off Smarty Jones in the final half mile.

It was the type of race trainer Patrick Biancone wanted, one in which Lion Heart jumped out to a 2-length lead and gave himself a chance at the end. Smarty Jones won by 2 3/4 lengths, but Lion Heart finished second, which pleased Biancone.

"He stayed the trip," Biancone said. "He ran a big race. I hope, if everything goes well, in two weeks we can get revenge. Perhaps we can have an Affirmed/Alydar rivalry."

In 1978, Affirmed narrowly defeated Alydar in the Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont to win the Triple Crown. No horse has won the series since.

Smarty Jones and Lion Heart are both expected to run in the next leg of the series, the Preakness Stakes, May 15 in Baltimore.