ESPN Horse Racing

BALTIMORE - Giacomo sauntered off the van, his tongue lapping in delight as he surveyed the surroundings at Pimlico Race Course.

The Kentucky Derby winner then took a few relaxing laps around the stakes barn before gingerly stepping into prestigious stall 40, which has served as a temporary home to many of the greatest horses in racing history.

An uneventful trip from Kentucky formally ended at 1:44 p.m. on Wednesday, when Giacomo entered the stall reserved exclusively for the winner of the Kentucky Derby.

"What an honor to go in that stall, what an honor," Giacomo trainer John Shirreffs said, turning to look at a sign that listed 14 exceptional horses that once occupied the same space as his entrant in Saturday's Preakness.

"Look up, Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Spectacular Bid ... It's awesome," he concluded.

Although Giacomo doesn't yet deserve a place on that list, he certainly belongs in the stall after overcoming 50-1 odds to win the Derby.

It's too soon to determine if Giacomo can contend for the Triple Crown, but this much is a given: He's the only one in the 14-horse field that can.

Shirreffs hopes Giacomo's performance in the Derby was only the beginning of a hot streak that followed five straight non-winning efforts.

"He came out of the Derby very well, and he's been improving all along," Shirreffs said.

The arrival of Giacomo brought out the media to Pimlico, which had been relatively quiet on Monday and Tuesday. Shirreffs was surrounded by about two dozens reporters and cameramen as he leaned against a wall at the corner of the barn.

"I appreciate horse racing and how important horse racing is to us as professionals in this business," he said. "It's not just about cashing a bet."

No hard feelings
A last-place finish in the Kentucky Derby cost Ramon Dominguez the chance to ride High Limit again in the Preakness.

Before he began to lament his fate, however, the talented jockey accepted the ride aboard Scrappy T in Saturday's race.

"I feel fortunate to have a mount in the race. I guess I was a little disappointed to get taken off High Limit, but it goes with the game," Dominguez said Wednesday. "They were good to me. I won a few races with the horse. No hard feelings. I'm very lucky to get another horse right now and I feel like I have a good chance. I'm very optimistic."

High Limit won three times and took second in his four races under Dominguez before coming up empty in the Derby. As a result, Bobby Frankel, who trains the horse for owners Gary and Mary West, switched from Dominguez to Edgar Prado for the Preakness.

Dominguez, who has finished seventh, eighth and 13th in three Preakness runs, expects good things from new shooter Scrappy T, who has never finished out of the money in nine races.

"Every year you have real high expectations," he said. "I feel fortunate to again receive the opportunity."

Dominguez finished seventh in the nation last year with 383 wins and was ninth in earnings with a career-best $11.5 million.

Do me a favorite
The favorite in the Preakness has won each of the last four races, a fact that Afleet Alex trainer Tim Ritchey found encouraging.

Operating on the assumption that his horse would be picked to win, Ritchey said, "That's a good thing. Anytime you're the favorite, obviously you have a better statistical chance to win the race. Hopefully that statistic will hold true."

Ritchey lives in Maryland, so training the favorite in the state's most prestigious race is truly something special.

"I'm very gratified, and I feel very lucky to be in this position," he said. "But at the same time I can't get caught up in the emotions because I've got a job to do. If I don't do my job, being the favorite isn't going to help us."

Twenty years later
King Leatherbury has saddled more than 6,000 winners during his stellar career as a trainer -- none of them in the Preakness.

It's been 20 years since Leatherbury had a horse in the race, a drought that will end Saturday when he sends Malibu Moonshine into the fray.

"He's fine. He's doing great," Leatherbury said of the local entry, who's training in nearby Laurel.

Leatherbury was fifth with Indigo Star in 1978, fourth with Thirty Eight Paces in 1981 and fourth with I Am The Game in 1985.

Watch the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, May 21 at 5 p.m. ET on NBC

Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press