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Jerry Moss never hesitated when asked if his horse -- Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo -- would win the Preakness."Absolutely," the owner said Thursday after Giacomo returned from a gallop around Pimlico Race Course. "That's what I think. I think he's good enough to do it. And everything is about pace ... I think he's a horse that can definitely get the distance -- and we'll see how he handles it."Moss, who co-founded A&M Records with Herb Alpert, watched from the grandstand as Giacomo got his first look at the track where he'll try to defeat 13 rivals. The gray colt galloped 11/2 miles under exercise rider Frankie Herrarte."Giacomo seemed to enjoy it," Moss said. "His head was down, and it looked like he was feeling OK."Trainer John Shirreffs agreed."He was comfortable on the racetrack," Shirreffs said. "He wasn't looking at all the tents in the infield. When he jogged on the backside and got into his gallop, he got into a nice, easy, long gallop, a nice stride. He wasn't going short. He looked like his normal self."If Giacomo wins the Preakness, it would set up a fourth straight Triple Crown attempt in the Belmont Stakes.___PICK THE WINNER: Before he released the morning line of the Preakness, Pimlico oddsmaker Frank Carulli asked Kiaran McLaughlin, the trainer of Closing Argument, for his assessment of the race."I told him, 'Afleet Alex favored, Giacomo second and us a close third,"' McLaughlin said.Carulli ended up making Afleet Alex the 5-2 favorite, followed by High Fly (9-2), Closing Argument (5-1) and Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo (6-1).Said McLaughlin: "I had High Fly fourth. I think on the day we go into the race, we could actually end up being the second choice."___ENVELOPE, PLEASE: The Alibi Breakfast enables the trainers to make their excuses on the Thursday before the race, and serves as a forum to recognize several special people in the horse racing industry.Dick Jerardi of The Philadelphia Daily News won the David F. Woods Memorial Award for writing the best Preakness story of the previous year, a piece about the people surrounding Smarty Jones.Jockey Jerry Bailey received a special award of merit, and arguably the most touching moment came when former jockey Rick Wilson was named Honorary Postmaster for the 130th Preakness. Wilson, 51, sustained serious head and neck injuries after being thrown from his horse at Pimlico last May.It is unlikely that he will ever return, but he told the crowd, "I'm not going to say I'm ever going to retire."___SAY CHEESE: Hal's Image galloped 11/2 miles around the Pimlico oval Thursday, his first outing since his arrival Wednesday morning."We let him jog around first," trainer Barry Rose said. "He got to do a little sightseeing, and then he stopped to pose for pictures. He's doing fine."Hal's Image, who skipped the Derby, will start from the No. 6 gate Saturday. More horses have won from that post position (15) than any other spot.

The morning after the second-most stunning upset in the 131 years of the Kentucky Derby, some still-shocked sportswriters gathered at the barn of Wayne Lukas to ask the master to explain it all.Lukas is a four-time Derby winner, the closest thing we have to Yoda on this annual Triple Crown voyage, but handicap Giacomo as a contender, he did not."I had a huge superfecta ticket and I didn't even have those first two at all on it," Lukas said of the wacky 1-2 finish of 50-1 Giacomo and 71-1 Closing Argument. "To me it will do a couple of things. No. 1, everybody that's got a 3-year-old that's alive and well and has got a heartbeat will be looking at the Derby next year. And you can rest assured that we will never have less than 20 in, because these kind of things just fuel that fire. There might even be a cry for running 24."Lukas could accelerate his prediction by 11 1/2 months and apply it to Saturday's Preakness. Giacomo has thrown so little panic into his rivals that if the Pimlico starting gate could accommodate more than 14, people would be showing up with stable ponies and carousel horses to take a shot at him. High Limit, who was dead last in the Derby, will be in the Preakness field. Golden Man's people are willing to put up an extra $100,000 for the honor of beating him.Giacomo has every chance of being the longest-priced Derby winner in the Preakness since 1953, when Dark Star upset Native Dancer by a head in the Derby and paid $51.80, only to go off in the Preakness at 11-1. Dark Star finished fifth in the Preakness, won by odds-on favorite Native Dancer.It's not unusual for Derby winners to not go off as the betting choice in the second leg of the Triple Crown. In fact, in four of the last eight runnings of the Preakness, the Derby winner was not favored. It is worth noting that three of those ignored Derby winners did win the second jewel and went on to the Belmont for a chance at the Triple Crown: Silver Charm was the third choice in the 1997 Preakness after Captain Bodgit and Free House. Real Quiet (1998) was the second choice behind Victory Gallop. Charismatic (trained by none other than Lukas) garnered no respect in the 1999 Preakness, going off as the fifth choice in the wagering at 8-1.Giacomo is not likely to go off at Dark Star double-digit odds. The beaten Derby favorite, Bellamy Road, is injured and will miss the race. Another reason is that souvenir hunters and eBayers will buy $2 win tickets on Giacomo, just in case. It would be no surprise, though, if he is second or even third choice.And given that Visa will end its $5 million Triple Crown bonus and series sponsorship program after this year, ah, wouldn't it serve them right if Giacomo forced them to pay up? After that improbable Derby, don't bet against it.ALEX-AID: Alex's Lemonade Stand, the children's cancer charity that is partners with the owners of Derby third-place finisher Afleet Alex (the likely Preakness fave), raised $11,000 at Churchill Downs on Derby Day. Liz Scott, whose late 8-year-old daughter Alex founded the charity, has been invited to both the Preakness and Belmont to continue fund-raising and awareness efforts.RACE OF THE WEEK: Aside from the obvious Preakness, on Friday the $500,000 (Grade I) Pimlico Special is expected to feature the overdue 2005 debut of 2003 Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide. Unless, of course, it's too hot, or it rains, or if jockey Jose Santos has too hearty a breakfast that morning.

Now that you've recovered from the shock of Giacomo winning the Kentucky Derby at 50-1, as well as being a Daley Longshot Special, it's time to focus on the 130th running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore next Saturday. While you'll be hearing much about the chances of the new shooters, those who skipped the Derby awaiting the Preakness, one fact is unmistakably clear: The Preakness winner will come from the Kentucky Derby. Other than Red Bullet's tally in 2000, in 18 of the last 19 years a horse who raced in the Derby won the Preakness Stakes. Some of them have been generous prices, such as Risen Star (1988, 6-1), Hansel (1991, 9-1), Louis Quatorze (1996, 8-1) and Charismatic (1999, 8-1). Afleet Alex, third in the Derby, will most likely be the Preakness favorite next week, but Giacomo will be disrespected as Charismatic was in 1999, and others could wake up at more than reasonable odds, especially High Fly, Greeley's Galaxy or Going Wild. Regarding the Derby angle in the Preakness, Jim Mazur, in his Triple Crown Handicapper 2005, points out that in the past 19 years, 194 horses have competed in the Preakness, with approximately 55 percent of those starters coming from the Derby. According to Mazur, about 10 winners would be expected out of the Derby sample. In reality, as stated above, 18 winners of the Preakness emerged, or 172 percent more than expected. In fact, if you extend the statistics to the last 36 Preaknesses, 32 have been won by horses exiting the Kentucky Derby. That's a powerful stat. It's pretty much a given, because of Giacomo's extreme wakeup, the low Beyer Derby figure of 100, and the way the Kentucky Derby was run (fast early-slow late), that the “Now” horses, newcomers A.P. Arrow, Golden Man, Hal's Image, Malibu Moonshine and Scrappy T. will receive a disproportionate amount of attention in the coming seven days, even at the betting windows. Though none will win, a horse like King Leatherbury's Malibu Moonshine could sneak into the exotics. One or more may help make your superfecta, though not to the tune of $634,689 as in the Derby. Here are some capsule comments on the newcomers. Keep in mind that the average winning Beyer figure for the Preakness Stakes is 106. A.P. Arrow -- Still a maiden after two starts, including a ninth in the Santa Anita Derby. Top Beyer figure of 86. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas. Would need to show huge improvement. Golden Man -- Claimed by Richard Dutrow Jr. for owners Sandy Goldfarb, Michael Dubb, and Ira Davis for $60,000 on Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park. They also own Sis City, who lost the Kentucky Oaks at 3-5 odds. Will be supplemented to the Preakness for $100,000. Broke his maiden in a $12,500 claiming race in December at Calder and is 4-11 lifetime, though he defeated Derby entrant Coin Silver at Gulfstream in April. Jockey Edgar Prado is high on the horse but may ride Sun King if entered by Zito. Dutrow is from Maryland originally. Hal's Image -- From the same barn and family who brought you Hal's Hope several years ago. Has won only two of 16 starts but did win the $100,000 Unbridled Stakes at Calder in his last out. Has yet to finish ahead of such noted contemporaries as B.B. Best, Favre, Closing Argument, Sun King, Survivalist, High Fly, or Magna Graduate. Top Beyer figure of 85. Look elsewhere. Malibu Moonshine -- Is 6 for 10 lifetime for noted Maryland trainer, King Leatherbury. Won the Tesio Stakes over the track on April 23, but the Beyer figure of 82 is low. Still, raced competitively in the Battaglia at Turfway Park with Magna Graduate and Pavo, two nice horses. Is at home and jockey Steve Hamilton knows the track. Would not be a complete surprise, especially in the exotic wagers. Scrappy T -- Won the Withers (Gr. 3) Stakes at Aqueduct last out over Park Avenue Ball, posting a nice Beyer figure of 102 and continues to train well. Has a good deal of natural speed and trainer Robbie Bailes is interested to see if the son of Fit to Fight can carry that speed a distance. Still, could not keep up with Bellamy Road in the Wood. Could be one of those “wise guy” horses who take a lot of money and inflate the price on the true winner. Jockey Ramon Dominguez, who rode High Limit in the Derby, will get the mount. After Dominguez' pre-Derby comments about High Limit's lack of seasoning, he and trainer Bobby Frankel are most assuredly better off parting company.

The game at the Preakness is "beat the Kentucky Derby winner." That may never be truer than this year, because Giacomo has no one quaking in his boots. After shocking the racing world with the second-largest upset in Kentucky Derby history, Giacomo will attempt to win the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, on May 21 at Pimlico. Six of the past eight Derby winners have won the Preakness, but few expect Giacomo to make it seven of nine. "This might be one of those years we have three different winners of the Triple Crown races," said D. Wayne Lukas, trainer of Going Wild, who finished 18th in Saturday's Derby. Like most others who watched the race, Lukas was still scratching his head over the results: Giacomo first at 50-1, Closing Argument second at even longer odds, Afleet Alex third at 9-2, Don't Get Mad fourth at 29-1 and Buzzards Bay fifth at 46-1."There's no way to explain that," Lukas said. "Zito had five, and Pletcher had three. That's eight head. What are the odds that none of them would finish in the top five? That's the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen." Trainer Nick Zito saddled five Derby entrants, including Bellamy Road, the favorite. Todd Pletcher saddled three, including Bandini, the third choice. The field for the Preakness is just beginning to take shape. It probably will change many times in the coming days. But it looks as if the top three finishers in the Derby will continue on to Baltimore, while several Derby also-rans may stay in the hunt and a handful of newcomers may join it. John Shirreffs, trainer of Giacomo, flew home to California after the race and could not be reached by phone Sunday. He is notoriously publicity shy, often refusing even to pose in the winner's circle with his horses. Mike Smith, Giacomo's jockey, said Sunday he saw no reason Shirreffs would not run the horse in the Preakness. Smith said Giacomo was in high spirits the morning after his half-length win. "I thanked him for yesterday," Smith said outside the barn. "I gave him a hug and kiss, and then he tried to bite me." Zito said he would remove only one of his quintet from Preakness consideration. That would be Andromeda's Hero, eighth in the Derby. Zito said he'd wait to run the colt in the Belmont. As for Bellamy Road (seventh), High Fly (10th), Noble Causeway (14th) and Sun King (15th), Zito said he would discuss the colts' immediate futures with their owners before deciding whether to send them to Pimlico. "We will definitely go on to Baltimore with somebody," Zito said. "I don't want to ship them anywhere right now. It's been a grueling situation for everybody." Zito said he hadn't talked with George Steinbrenner, who owns Bellamy Road. But Zito said he expected Steinbrenner to take the colt's disappointing effort in stride. "George knows sports," Zito said. "I'm sure he's lost a lot of big games. I've lost a lot of big games, too. Yesterday, I lost the biggest game I've ever been in, and I got beat up pretty bad." Pletcher said it was likely he wouldn't have any horses for the Preakness. He said only Flower Alley, ninth in the Derby, was a "remote possibility." Bandini, who finished 19th, came out of the race "stiff" and would be taken to Lexington for a physical examination, Pletcher said. Although he might not send a horse to Baltimore for the Preakness, Pletcher said he could envision many others doing so, believing the Derby winner was vulnerable. The Preakness field is limited to 14. At this point, however, only three newcomers have announced their intention to compete in the middle jewel: Hal's Image, winner of the Unbridled Stakes at Calder; Malibu Moonshine, winner of the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico; and Scrappy T, winner of the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. Kiaran McLaughlin, trainer of Derby runner-up Closing Argument, said he usually doesn't run horses back in two weeks, "but this isn't a normal situation." Tim Ritchey, trainer of Afleet Alex, third in the Derby, said the popular colt would ship Wednesday to Pimlico. That would be an unusually early arrival for a Preakness horse. Ritchey said he likes his horses to train where they're going to run.

Rockport Harbor will not participate in Saturday's $1 million Arkansas Derby, one of the final preparatory races for next month's Kentucky Derby.The 3-year-old Rockport Harbor, who has been hampered by a series of ailments, including foot problems and a blood clot in his neck, completed a 7/8-mile run in 1:25.6 at Oaklawn Park on Sunday before the decision was made by trainer John Servis. Horse bettingRockport Harbor instead will start the $325,000 Lexington Stakes at Keeneland Race Track on April 23.

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Coin Silver pulled away in the stretch and won the Lexington Stakes on Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher a third horse to run in the Kentucky Derby.Rockport Harbor, trained by John Servis, who won last year's Derby with Smarty Jones, faded in the stretch and finished sixth. The loss likely will keep the 3-year-old colt out of the Derby in two weeks.Coin Silver, a 13-1 choice in the seven-horse field, is the latest horse trained by Pletcher to earn a trip to Churchill Downs. Last week, Pletcher's Bandini won the Blue Grass Stakes and Flower Alley finished second in the Arkansas Derby.Rockport Harbor, ridden by last year's Derby winning jockey Stewart Elliott, has been bothered for months by nagging leg injuries, and also is recovering from a blood clot in his neck that kept him out of last week's Arkansas Derby.The gray son of Unbridled's Song, unbeaten as a 2-year-old, never held the lead in the 1 1-16th-mile Lexington.Coin Silver, ridden by Javier Castellano, entered the race with no graded-stakes earnings but earned $201,500 for owner John Fort. Castellano also rides early Derby favorite Bellamy Road, and Pletcher will likely have to find a new rider for Coin Silver.If more than 20 horses are entered in the Derby, preference is given to graded stakes earnings.Sort It Out, trained by Bob Baffert, finished second and earned $65,000. However, it's not enough to crack the top 20 list of graded stakes earners, meaning the three-time Derby-winning Baffert will miss his second straight Derby after having at least one starter in the race for eight straight years.Coin Silver grabbed the lead near the top of stretch in the race run over a sloppy track and with temperatures in the mid-40s, stiff winds and a light rain falling.Storm Surge was third, while Going Wild, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, finished fifth two weeks after a last place effort in the Wood Memorial. Lukas, a four-time Derby winner, will send out Consolidator in the Derby.Lukas's other entry in the Lexington, Skye'n Thunder, was scratched

Over 500 people attended the "Ponies On Parade" Unbridled Gala and Auction to benefit the Northwest Center for disabled people. "Ponies on Parade" was sponsored by The Wells Fargo Bank, a public art project produced by the Downtown Seattle Association. The Gala was held at the Bell Harbor International Pavilion at Pier 66