(Monday, May 14) Jockey Calvin Borel's ride aboard Street Sense in the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday of May has been called everything from "lucky" to a "perfect trip."

Borel was 19th in the early going at Churchill Downs and managed to go from 17th to third around the far turn without encountering any traffic in a full field of 20.

Yes, it was both "lucky" and a "perfect trip." However, for horseplayers who have watched Borel ride the past two decades, it was just another day at the office. In the vast majority of races where Borel has a mount, you don't need a saddlecloth number to figure out where the veteran jock is. Just look for the horse hugging the rail.

Borel used a similar path to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last fall aboard Street Sense. At the back of the pack early, Borel came up the inside with a rail skimming ride and drew clear to win that race by ten lengths.

On Saturday in the Preakness, the focus is going to be on Borel as much as it's going to be on Street Sense. It seems unlikely the other jockeys are going to give Borel free reign down along the inside.

Mario Pino, who will again be on board the Derby runner up Hard Spun, knows the Pimlico racing strip as well as anyone. While the notion the Pimlico racing surface has tight turns and is inside speed favoring is more fiction than fact, don't expect Pino to be too far off the rail. There is a good chance if Street Sense wins the Preakness, it will be done with a rally outside of horses.

Borel still should manage to find the running room he needs. Instead of negotiating through 19 horses, on Saturday he will only have to pass seven or eight.

Chelokee Likely Out: Trainer Michael Matz said on Sunday that Chelokee will likely skip the Preakness and will race on the undercard on Saturday in the Barbaro Stakes, named after his 2006 Kentucky Derby winner. The Maryland Jockey Club renamed the race, which was previously called the Sir Barton Stakes.

"I would say unless something happens where some of those top three horses scratch out, we'll probably go in the Barbaro," Matz said.

A final decision would have to be made by Wednesday when Preakness entries are drawn.

Pletcher Sending Two?: Three time Eclipse Award winning trainer Todd Pletcher, who went 0 for 5 in the Kentucky Derby this year, may send a second entrant to run in the Preakness. King of the Roxy is confirmed for the race.

"That's my decision as of this moment," Pletcher answered when asked if King of the Roxy would be his lone starter in racing's Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. When asked if that decision was subject to change, Pletcher responded, "Always."

With the field size for the Preakness hovering at seven or eight, I have a hunch we may see another runner from this barn make the trip. Pletcher nominated 32 three year olds to the Triple Crown this year.

Don't Forget the Locals: Mint Slewlep, coming off a fourth place finish in the Grade 3 Withers, will give Maryland fans a reason to cheer. The colt broke his maiden and beat allowance foes at Laurel Park. The colt is trained by Robert Bailes, who sent out Scrappy T. to finish second behind Afleet Alex in the 2005 Preakness. Bailes is based at Bowie.

Horses with Maryland connections have finished in the runner up spot in four of the last 12 runnings of the Preakness. The other three are Sweetnorthernsaint (2006), Magic Weisner (2002), and Oliver's Twist (1995).

Xchanger is also Maryland based. He is prepping at Fair Hill for Mark Shuman, best known as a former trainer for controversial owner Michael Gill. The colt won the Federico Tesio stakes at nine furlongs over the main track at Pimlico in his last start, which was his first start in Maryland.

Lone Star State in a Tizzy: If Street Sense comes out of the Preakness unscathed with a chance to win the Triple Crown; he likely is going to run into a few new challengers in New York at Belmont Park. Among those likely will be Slew's Tizzy. The colt was a good-looking winner on Saturday in the Grade 3 $300,000 Lone Star Derby. His connections elected to skip the Preakness and trainer Greg Fox stated after the race that his three year old is a "real possibility" for the Belmont Stakes.

Preakness Analysis Available Friday: As a Maryland bred, I have been covering the Preakness for three decades. I did not miss attending a Preakness for over ten years, missing a few weddings and family functions along the way. While racing in Maryland is in decline with neighboring states fueled by slot machines, Preakness Week is now one of the few bright spots for Maryland racing.

I handicapped and wagered on Maryland racing five days a week for years, and even got involved in ownership. I was lucky enough to visit the winners circle a couple of dozen times with the Hampshire Racing Partnership.

Since moving to Florida, I don't spend as much time playing Maryland racing, but we'll dive in on Saturday. I'll have my full card analysis and selections for Preakness Day up on the web site by Friday morning.