Unbeaten BARBARO (Dynaformer) moves to Pimlico in search of the second leg in the Triple Crown, and he's taken the Thoroughbred racing world by storm by virtue of his incredible 6 1/2-length Kentucky Derby (G1) victory. Saturday's 131st running of the Preakness S. (G1) may produce a more competitive race than the Kentucky Derby, with top challengers BROTHER DEREK (Benchmark) and SWEETNORTHERNSAINT (Sweetsouthernsaint) both eligible to give a better account of themselves, but we can't envision any three-year-old stopping him.


We're jumping on the Barbaro bandwagon as the Michael Matz-trained colt returns off only a 14-day rest, but the manner in which the dark bay colt captured the Kentucky Derby indicated that there was still plenty in the tank. He practically pulled jockey Edgar Prado to the lead midway on the final turn and then finished extremely fast while completely unopposed through the stretch, recording one of the fastest final quarter-miles (:24 1/5) in the Derby's storied history. The muscular Kentucky-bred possesses a rare combination of speed and stamina, and he's able to overcome obstacles with his athleticism. Barbaro didn't make his dirt debut until early February and entered the Kentucky Derby lightly raced this year, indicating that he's got plenty of room for improvement. His BRIS Speed ratings are increasing, earning a 109 in the Kentucky Derby following a 104 in the Florida Derby (G1), and he wasn't tested at Churchill Downs. We'd love to see him raise his game up another level at Old Hilltop.

Brother Derek has proven impossible to get past when he has the lead at the top of the stretch, winning two Grade 1 stakes and three Grade 2s, but he didn't get that opportunity in the Kentucky Derby, traveling wide into the first turn in midpack and remaining hung out to dry the rest of the way while losing a shoe. He still ran very credibly in defeat, rallying gamely through the stretch to dead-heat for fourth, and the California-bred colt figures to receive a much favorable trip this time around. Jockey Alex Solis will probably have the Dan Hendricks runner close to the lead from the start, closely tracking LIKE NOW (Jules) through the opening stages, and Brother Derek should get first run on the Derby winner when the pacesetter begins to weaken. We still feel that Barbaro will run him down, but we're anxious to see these two hook up in what could be a fantastic duel to the finish.


BERNARDINI (A.P. Indy) brings limited experience into his Triple Crown debut, but the thrice-raced colt owns plenty of talent. He'll offer much better value in the exotics, and we feel he's got a chance to challenge for runner-up honors. The well-bred colt didn't break his maiden until his second start, winning a one-mile maiden special weight at Gulfstream Park by 7 3/4 lengths, and he stepped up to face stakes rivals last time in the Withers S. (G3) at Aqueduct, winning easily by 3 3/4 lengths and registering a 110 Speed rating. Bernardini will have to stretch out to two turns for the first time and faces an extreme class hike, but the Tom Albertrani trainee is bred to run all day and has earned strong BRIS Late Pace numbers in his last two outings. He'll be able to carve out a good trip with his natural speed and may have enough in reserve to make his presence felt in the stretch.

Sweetnorthernsaint is a bounce-back candidate off his seventh in the Kentucky Derby. The Florida-bred gelding was heavily bet in the final minutes that afternoon, going off favored over Barbaro, but he was shuffled to near the back of the pack approaching the first turn and had to use plenty of energy to move into a striking position, launching his rally early on the backstretch. The Michael Trombetta charge advanced into contention turning for home but ran out of gas in the final furlongs. He could have much more to say on Saturday. Sweetnorthernsaint has displayed an excellent turn of foot this season, winning the Illinois Derby (G2) by 9 1/4 lengths in stunning fashion, and he should be in a much better position in the early stages Saturday under Kent Desormeaux. We wouldn't be surprised to see him offer a strong rally into the stretch this time around.

GREELEY'S LEGACY (Mr. Greeley) has some appeal for the bottom of the trifecta or superfecta at long odds. A confirmed closer, he rallied well to be a solid fourth, beaten 1 1/4 lengths, in the Gotham S. (G3) three starts back but was up against it in his last two outings, catching a sloppy track in the Wood Memorial (G1) and a speed-favoring Keeneland strip in the Lexington S. (G2). The dark bay colt has earned Late Pace figures as high as 108, and there will be plenty of speed to set up his rally in the Preakness. Greeley's Legacy still has class concerns at this level, but the George Weaver pupil is bred to handle longer distances and could get involved late if the front runners come back to him.


Like Now brings solid credentials into the Preakness -- winning the Gotham two starts back and second in the Lexington last out -- and he's committed to going to the lead from the rail with Garrett Gomez. The jockey switch is a positive for the Kiaran McLaughlin-trained gelding, and Like Now owns some solid Speed ratings this year. However, his best efforts have come over Aqueduct's inner track and Keeneland's speed-favoring oval, and he's never raced past 1 1/16 miles. We like Like Now at middle to shorter distances, but we can't envision him sticking around for the latter stages on Saturday.

HEMINGWAY'S KEY (Notebook) merits respect because of his connections (trained by Nick Zito), but the chestnut colt is unplaced in four starts this year. His career-best 94 Speed rating won't cut it at this level. DIABOLICAL (Artax) is a fast colt who probably doesn't want any part of this distance. PLATINUM COUPLE (Tale of the Cat) looks overmatched at this level.

1st-BARBARO
2nd-BROTHER DEREK
3rd-BERNARDINI