ESPN Horse Racing

BALTIMORE - Standing in front of the stakes barn at Pimlico Race Course, jockey Steve Hamilton shook his head while recounting the strange sequence of events that led to his first Preakness assignment.

"Eighteen months ago, I never thought I'd be in this spot right now," said Hamilton, who will be aboard Maryland-bred Malibu Sunshine on Saturday.

The chestnut colt will be part of the first 14-horse Preakness since 1992. Nick Zito added High Fly to his tentative list of entries on Tuesday, giving him three horses in his bid to unseat Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, who was expected to arrive at Pimlico on Wednesday.

Hamilton, 31, enjoyed a successful career as a jockey before quitting in 2001 to spend more time with his wife and two boys.

"It was a big deal to quit riding, because any time you do something you love for any amount of time, it gets in your blood," he said. "But it was a decision that, at the time, was the right thing to do."

He couldn't find a job that came close to simulating the thrill of entering the winner's circle after an exhilarating ride.

"I worked in the oil field with my dad, operated a bulldozer and turned a bunch of pipe wrenches," he said. "I worked heating and electric for a while, and broke horses at the house."

He also ballooned to 150 pounds.

Hamilton eventually decided that his life wasn't complete without riding at the track, so he packed his family in the car and left Oklahoma for Maryland in 2003. He worked out horses at Pimlico and toiled on his farm, keeping busy enough to skip many a meal.

"Before I knew it, I was 130 pounds," he said. "I thought, `Fifteen more pounds and I can get back to riding.' The last 15 was a little tough, but I did it."

After dropping 35 pounds in just over eight months, Hamilton returned to the track in January 2004. He won with his second mount aboard a 69-1 underdog and enjoyed a wildly successful year, winning 164 races and dominating the Pimlico spring meet.

In retrospect, his biggest ride might have come in December, when he finished fourth aboard Malibu Moonshine. The horse has since won four of his last five races, including the $100,000 Tesio Stakes at Pimlico on April 23, and now Hamilton gets the chance to parlay that success into the biggest win of his career.

Malibu Moonshine won't be among the favorites Saturday, but he does have one advantage: familiarity with the track.

"He's been over the course and he's ran good here," Hamilton said. "I don't think they can count this horse out, given that he comes running, knows how to win and overcame a lot his last two races. Hopefully we can do it again."

The odds on the horse won't be nearly as overwhelming as those that Hamilton overcame to receive his first Preakness mount.

"You just do the best you can," he said. "When you work hard, things pay off. But yeah, I'm lucky to be in this spot."

Malibu Moonshine is trained by 72-year-old King Leatherbury, who ranks third in racing history with 6,078 wins, including eight in 17 starts this spring. It will likely take a bit of good fortune for Leatherbury to get career win No. 6,079.

"We need to run our race," the trainer said, "but we also need some of the heavy hitters not to run theirs."

Such as Giacomo, who won the Derby as a 50-1 underdog. His trainer, John Shirreffs, scoffed at those who insist the horse won't win again.

"I understand what the press is saying and some people are saying, I guess," he said. "But, that being said, they were all in the gate, and Giacomo won the race."

Giacomo beat five of Zito's horses, three of which will seek revenge on Saturday.

High Fly, who will be ridden by Jerry Bailey, finished 10th in the Derby. Noble Causeway was 14th and Sun King finished 15th. Zito's other Derby horses -- Bellamy Road and Andromeda's Hero -- won't run Saturday.

The only time Zito won a Preakness was in 1996, when Louis Quatorze outdistanced the field after finishing 16th in the Derby. Zito hopes history will repeat itself Saturday.

"It can happen," he said. "The Derby is the Derby. I saluted the winner. Now, it's another race."

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press