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War of Will on the track at Pimlico. Photo by Dottie Miller.

By Thursday, the battle lines are drawn; the horses are all in place. D. Wayne Lukas jokes that he — trainer of Market King — Bob Baffert, trainer of Improbable, and Mark Casse, trainer of War of Will, have combined for 13 Preakness wins: Lukas has six, Baffert has seven, and Casse, well, is searching for his first. It draws a laugh at the Alibi Breakfast, though of course, both the other trainers have more likelihood of leaving Baltimore with a Preakness win this year than does Lukas, whose horse is likely to be among the longest shots in the field. In the hazy morning, horses stretch their legs over the racing strip at Old Hilltop, media and fans crowd around the barns, and sunrise tours wend their way among the barns. 

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