PREAKNESS CAPSULES

1. LIKE NOW (12-1)

Owner: John Dillon. Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin. Jockey: Garrett Gomez.

Sire: Jules. Dam: Can’t Bluff Me. Record: 8-4-2-0 (races-wins-seconds-thirds). Earnings: $278,932.

Comment: Upset winner of the Gotham on March 18 at Aqueduct skipped the Kentucky Derby to wait for the second leg of the Triple Crown. Has done his best work when he has been able to make the lead, so there’s no secret about his strategy. Ran in maiden claiming races twice early in his career, finishing second against $50,000 claimers, then beating $75,000 claimers. Had a three-race winning streak stopped in the Lexington. Gomez takes over for Fernando Jara, who had ridden the colt in all but one of his previous races.

2. PLATINUM COUPLE (50-1)

Owner: Team Tristar Stable. Trainer: Joe Lostritto. Jockey: Jose Espinoza.

Sire: Tale Of The Cat. Dam: Ingot’s Dance Away. Record: 9-2-1-2. Earnings: $125,457.

Comment: The longest shot in the field and deservedly so. In his lone appearance in a graded stakes, the New York-bred finished fifth, 10 1/2 lengths behind winner Bob And John. Both of his wins have been with this rider, who is the older brother of Victor Espinoza. Winless in four starts as a 3-year-old. This will be his first start outside New York. Co-owner Glen Lostritto is the son of the trainer.

3. HEMINGWAY’S KEY (30-1)

Owner: Kinsman Stable. Trainer: Nick Zito. Jockey: Jeremy Rose.

Sire: Notebook. Dam: Whirl’s Girl. Record: 6-2-0-0. Earnings: $49,498.

Comment: In four starts in graded stakes, his best finish was sixth in a weak Lane’s End on March 25 at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky. Kinsman is the stable name for New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Zito, who didn’t have a Kentucky Derby starter this year after having five runners in the 2005 Derby, won the 1996 Preakness with Louis Quatorze. Pimlico will be the sixth track at which this colt has run. He has already competed at Churchill Downs, Calder, Gulfstream Park, Turfway and Keeneland.

4. GREELEY’S LEGACY (20-1)

Owner: Donald Flanagan. Trainer: George Weaver. Jockey: Richard Migliore.

Sire: Mr. Greeley. Dam: Deceit Princess. Record: 11-2-0-2. Earnings: $97,691.

Comment: Connections chose to run in the Preakness instead of the Sir Barton Stakes on the undercard. Best finish in a graded stakes was a fourth, in each the Gotham and the Lexington. Migliore will be aboard for the first time. Worked very well at Belmont Park before shipping to Maryland. He went five furlongs in 58 3/5 Sunday, which was the fastest of 63 drills at the distance. Finished 26 lengths behind Bob And John, who was nowhere in the Kentucky Derby, in the Wood Memorial.

5. BROTHER DEREK (3-1)

Owner: Cecil Peacock. Trainer: Dan Hendricks. Jockey: Alex Solis.

Sire: Benchmark. Dam: Miss Soft Sell. Record: 9-6-0-0. Earnings: $1,242,080.

Comment: The Derby was his first loss in six starts around two turns. Raced wide throughout, hardly a shock, given that his connections chose to break from Post 18, instead of choosing from two available inside posts, 1 and 3, when they drew three days before the Derby. Solis is hoping the colt makes like Snow Chief did 20 years. A disappointment in the 1986 Derby, Snow Chief made amends by winning the Preakness. Almost certain to be ridden more aggressively leaving the gate than he was two weeks ago.

6. BARBARO (1-1)

Owner: Lael Stables. Trainer: Michael Matz. Jockey: Edgar Prado.

Sire: Dynaformer. Dam: La Ville Rouge. Record: 6-6-0-0. Earnings: $2,302,200.

Comment: No Derby winner has been more impressive than this colt was when he won by 6 1/2 lengths. His margin of victory was the largest in the Derby since Assault won by eight lengths in 1946. Most believe the Preakness will be the hardest of the Triple Crown races for him to win, and if he gets through Saturday, he should be very difficult to beat in the Belmont Stakes on June 10. The two-week turnaround from the Derby to the Preakness will be the first time he has had fewer than 34 days between races.

7. SWEETNORTHERNSAINT (4-1)

Owner: Joseph Balsamo and Ted Theos. Trainer: Michael Trombetta. Jockey: Kent Desormeaux.

Sire: Sweetsouthernsaint. Dam: Ice Beauty. Record: 7-3-0-1. Earnings: $377,000.

Comment: Will get a lot of local support because his trainer is based in Maryland. The gelding has run twice in Maryland, but both earlier races were at Laurel. On Dec. 21, he won a maiden claimer by 16 lengths but was disqualified and placed fourth for causing problems at the start. On Feb. 4, he returned to Laurel and won the Miracle Wood by 10 lengths. Had some early trouble in the Derby, a race in which he was surprisingly the favorite. Desormeaux won the Preakness with Real Quiet in 1998.

8. BERNARDINI (8-1)

Owner: Darley Stable. Trainer: Thomas Albertrani. Jockey: Javier Castellano.

Sire: A.P. Indy. Dam: Cara Rafaela. Record: 3-2-0-0. Earnings: $110,480.

Comment: Didn’t debut until Jan. 7 and was fourth in his first start, going six furlongs at Gulfstream Park. Has won his two races since by a combined 11 1/2 lengths, including a 3 3/4 -length victory against only three opponents in the Withers on April 29 at Aqueduct. Sire won the Belmont Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1992 and was later named Horse of the Year. Almost certain to be part of the pace.

9. DIABOLICAL (30-1)

Owner: Puglisi Stables and Steve Klesaris. Trainer: Steve Klesaris. Jockey: Ramon Dominguez.

Sire: Artax. Dam: Bonnie Byerly. Record: 8-2-4-1. Earnings: $171,930.

Comment: Connections decided to run based on an 8 1/2 -length allowance victory April 25 at Delaware Park. Has seen Barbaro’s hind end before. Finished a distant second to the Derby winner and Preakness favorite on turf in Laurel Futurity last year. Hit the board in two other graded stakes at Belmont Park and Monmouth as a juvenile. Dominguez will ride and the jockey hopes this Preakness brings better memories than last year. He was on Scrappy T., who veered out, nearly causing eventual winner Afleet Alex to fall.