There are riders in the Kentucky Derby who have won hundreds of races over this track, have been enshrined in the Hall of Fame, have been in so many big races that nothing fazes them. There are riders in the race named Jerry Bailey, Victor Espinoza, Pat Day, Jose Santos, Kent Desormeaux, all of them Derby winners. Then there's a guy named Stewart Elliott. He rides a lot of $5,000 claimers at a betting factory called Philadelphia Park. Yes, he's been to Churchill Downs before, sometime back in the eighties, as a tourist.

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So what's Stewart Elliott doing in this race, let alone on the second choice in the morning line, Smarty Jones?

The answer is loyalty, something that can be in short supply come Kentucky Derby time.

"No way we were going to make a change," said Roy Chapman, who owns Smarty Jones along with his wife, Pat. "He is Mr. Cool. Watch him in those races. He knows how to ride this horse."

That much is obvious. Elliott, who has quietly won more than 3,000 races in his career, has been on Smarty Jones six times and six times he has visited the winner's circle. He hasn't done anything wrong. You can go one better and say he's been perfect.

But perfect often isn't good enough, especially when it comes to an obscure rider from a small track who's never been tested in a race like the Kentucky Derby. There are plenty of people who would have told Elliott his services were no longer needed and picked up the phone and called Jerry Bailey.

Naturally, Elliott had that fear.

He is the leading rider at Philadelphia Park, where Servis is based. He was an obvious pick to ride the horse in his first start, a maiden race at Philly Park which he won by 7 3/4 lengths. Elliott was back aboard for his next start, a 15-length romp in a Pennsylvania-bred stakes races.

From there, it got serious. Smarty Jones went to Aqueduct, where, even in the winter, there are some pretty big name riders hanging around. It was there that he won the Count Fleet Stakes by five lengths and emerged as a horse that people needed to take seriously. From there, he went to Oaklawn Park, to take the Arkansas route to the Kentucky Derby. It was time for Servis to make a decision on his jockey.

"Sure, I was worried about it a little bit," Elliott said. "John told me that he was going to stick with me It was right before or right after the Southwest Stakes. I don't remember. He just said he was happy with the way things were going."

"I know he has a world of confidence in my horse," Servis said. "I think he and the horse have developed a very good rapport for each other. And you know, he hasn't done anything wrong. So far he's done absolutely everything perfect. Stewart's a very good rider. He's a very good friend of mine. And I think he's more than capable. And I've told many people this, I have a feeling that when all the smoke settles, I don't think Stewart's going to be at Philadelphia Park very long."

Nothing changed after Smarty Jones won the Rebel or the Arkansas Derby. Elliott wasn't going anywhere.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Stewart Elliott. Born in Toronto, the 39-year-old veteran has been riding since he was 16, mainly at Philadelphia Park and at Suffolk Downs and Rockingham. He may not be flashy, but he's steady and you won't find him doing anything foolish on a horse. Give him the best mount and he's going to win.

His riding style fits his personality. He's quiet, polite and seems unflappable. Will he be nervous Saturday?

"I guess a little," he said. "But I've been doing this a long time and that will help. I'm just going to do my job and hope for the best. Who wouldn't be a little nervous? Anybody who wouldn't be nervous isn't human."

To make matters easier for Elliott, his instruction s will be pretty straightforward. There's no great secret as to how the race is going to unfold. The speedy Lion Heart is going to go to the front and Smarty Jones is going to chase him. He's got to be careful not to get into a speed duel with him, but neither can he let him get away from him. In all likelihood, Smarty Jones should get a good trip. Then again, maybe he won't. A lot has been made of the fact that the last time a jockey won the Kentucky Derby in his first appearance in the race was in 1979 when Ronnie Franklin was aboard Spectacular Bid. And you could have taken any 10-pound bug boy from Finger Lakes and won with that horse. Should Elliott do anything even remotely wrong, Servis and the Chapmans will have set themselves up for a great deal of criticism.

They don't seem to care. They've stuck with a guy who has done a good job for them and has been an important part of their team. Good for them.