PREAKNESS CAPSULES

1. MALIBU MOONSHINE (20-1)

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Owner: Woodrow Marriott. Trainer: King Leatherbury. Jockey: Steve Hamilton. Record: 10-6-0-0. Earnings: $190,280. Sire: Malibu Moon. Dam: Time To Coast. Comment: Two of his six wins have come at Pimlico. Has a two-race winning streak, having won the Private Terms and Federico Tesio. Leatherbury, who ranks third on the all-time list with more than 6,000 victories, has started three horses in previous Preaknesses. I Am The Game was fourth in 1985, Thirty Eight Paces was fourth in 1981, and Indigo Game was sixth in 1978. Purchased for $33,000 as a yearling in 2003. 2. HIGH FLY (9-2) Owner: Live Oak Plantation. Trainer: Nick Zito. Jockey: Jerry Bailey. Record: 7-5-0-1. Earnings: $897,300. Sire: Atticus. Dam: Verbasle. Comment: Was in contention fairly late in Kentucky Derby before weakening to finish 10th in the field of 20. There were questions about his ability to handle the Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles because of his bloodlines. If skeptics were right, that plus the swift early fractions might explain why he finished off the board for the first time. Jockey Bailey’s last Preakness victory came with Red Bullet, who upset Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. 3. NOBLE CAUSEWAY (10-1) Owner: My Meadowview Farm. Trainer: Nick Zito. Jockey: Gary Stevens. Record: 7-2-3-0. Earnings: $245,780. Sire: Giant’s Causeway. Dam: Mimi’s Golden Girl. Comment: Had some early trouble in the Derby and never threatened, finishing 14th. It was the first time he had been worse than second since finishing fifth in his debut in a sprint over the Belmont Park turf course on Oct. 7, 2004. Trainer Zito won his lone Preakness with Louis Quatorze in 1996 after the colt ran 16th in a Derby won by Grindstone. 4. GREELEY’S GALAXY (15-1) Owner: B. Wayne Hughes. Trainer: Warren Stute. Jockey: David Flores. Record: 5-3-0-0. Earnings: $358,480. Sire: Mr. Greeley. Dam: Ascot Starre. Comment: Hughes supplemented him for $200,000 into the Triple Crown races and didn’t receive a return on his investment in Louisville, where the colt finished 11th. All of his wins have come when he has been on or near the lead, so expect him to try to stay close under new rider Flores. 5. SCRAPPY T (20-1) Owner: Marshall Dowell. Trainer: Robert Bailes. Jockey: Ramon Dominguez. Record: 9-3-4-2. Earnings: $279,120. Sire: Fit To Fight. Dam: Perpetual Light. Comment: Won the Withers after finishing a distant third behind Bellamy Road in the Wood Memorial. It was his first victory in a graded stakes. Hard-trying gelding has yet to finish worse than third. Jockey Dominguez will be riding the $35,000 2-year-old purchase for the first time. 6. HAL’S IMAGE (50-1) Owner: Rose Family Stable. Trainer: Barry Rose. Jockey: Jose Santos. Record: 16-2-2-3. Earnings: $126,820. Sire: Halo’s Image. Dam: Mia’s Hope. Comment: Got his second career win in a $100,000 stakes at Calder in his last start, on April 30. Figures to be up on the pace, but the Florida bred has never raced beyond 1 1/16 miles. Half-brother to Hal’s Hope, who won the Florida Derby in 2000, finished 16th in the Derby and eighth in the Preakness. Jockey Santos won the Preakness two years ago with Funny Cide. 7. CLOSING ARGUMENT (5-1) Owner: Philip and Marcia Cohen. Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin. Jockey: Cornelio Velasquez. Record: 8-3-3-2. Earnings: $986,984. Sire: Successful Appeal. Dam: Mrs. Greeley. Comment: Had the lead in the stretch at the Derby but couldn’t hold on, losing by a half-length. The longest shot in the field at odds of 71-1, he would have been a bigger upset than Giacomo. Only graded stakes victory came when he won the Holy Bull on Feb. 5 at Gulfstream Park but has now hit the board in consecutive Grade I stakes. Was third behind Bandini and High Limit in the Blue Grass three weeks before the Derby.

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*--* 8. GALLOPING GROCER (30-1) Owner: Robert Rosenthal and Bernice Waldbaum. Trainer: Dominick Schettino. Jockey: Joe Bravo. Record: 8-3-2-1. Earnings: $237,108. Sire: A.P. Jet. Dam: Little Evie. Comment: Has lost five in a row since beginning his career with three victories against New York breds. Lost as the odds-on favorite against state breds on April 24 at Aqueduct. This will be the first time he has been ridden by jockey Bravo, who was aboard longshot pacesetter Spanish Chestnut in the Derby. 9. WILKO (10-1) Owner: Susan Roy and J. Paul Reddam. Trainer: Craig Dollase. Jockey: Corey Nakatani. Record: 15-3-2-6. Earnings: $1,039,074. Sire: Awesome Again. Dam: Native Roots. Comment: Has finished behind Giacomo in three of four head-to-head meetings. Only time he defeated the Derby champion was when he was third in the much-maligned Santa Anita Derby and Giacomo was fourth. Hasn’t won since his 28-1 upset in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Oct. 31. 10. SUN KING (15-1) Owner: Tracy Farmer. Trainer: Nick Zito. Jockey: Rafael Bejarano. Record: 8-3-0-2. Earnings: $452,150. Sire: Charismatic. Dam: Clever But Costly. Comment: Earlier this year was considered by some to be the best of Zito’s quintet of 3-year-olds but has turned in two stinkers in a row, finishing fourth in the Blue Grass and 15th in the Derby. A sharp work early this week convinced his trainer to give him another try. Sire dominated his opponents in this race two weeks after his surprising Derby score in 1999. 11. HIGH LIMIT (12-1) Owner: Gary and Mary West. Trainer: Bobby Frankel. Jockey: Edgar Prado. Record: 5-3-1-0. Earnings: $552,000. Sire: Maria’s Mon. Dam: Known Romance. Comment: Returns two weeks after finishing last, beaten by 44 1/2 lengths, in the Derby. Will be running in blinkers for the first time. Has yet to show he’s anything but a one-dimensional speed horse. All three of his wins have come wire-to-wire and he was beaten the two times he failed to make the lead. This will be the first time he has been ridden by someone other than Ramon Dominguez. 12. AFLEET ALEX (5-2) Owner: Cash Is King LLC. Trainer: Tim Ritchey. Jockey: Jeremy Rose. Record: 10-6-2-1. Earnings: $1,515,800. Sire: Northern Afleet. Dam: Maggy Hawk. Comment: Was third, beaten by one length, at Churchill Downs. The morning line favorite here because of his consistency. Has not raced at Pimlico, but has won at three tracks -- Delaware Park, Saratoga and Oaklawn Park. Has not finished worse than third in any of the nine races he has been ridden by Rose. 13. GIACOMO (6-1) Owner: Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss. Trainer: John Shirreffs. Jockey: Mike Smith. Record: 8-2-2-2. Earnings: $1,866,316. Sire: Holy Bull. Dam: Set Them Free. Comment: Ended a six-race losing streak by rallying from 18th to win the Derby at odds of 50-1. The price shrinks considerably, but he still won’t be favored as he tries to become the fourth horse in a row to win the Derby and Preakness, joining War Emblem, Funny Cide and Smarty Jones. His closing charge two weeks ago looked better than it really was because the final quarter mile was a slow 26 4/5 seconds. 14. GOING WILD (30-1) Owner: Bob and Beverly Lewis. Trainer: Wayne Lukas. Jockey: Robby Albarado Jr. Record: 10-3-3-1. Earnings: $229,670. Sire: Golden Missile. Dam: Pola. Comment: Entered in the Derby despite losing his last two prep races by a combined 57 1/4 lengths, he finished 18th, 29 lengths behind Giacomo in Louisville. Thank goodness for Santa Anita or this guy might still be a maiden. He went three for four in Arcadia this winter and spring -- but is 0 for 7 at Belmont Park, Hollywood Park, Aqueduct, Keeneland and Churchill Downs.

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