Barbaro is even money on Saturday

The Kentucky Derby winner drew the No. 6 spot which has had the most winners.
ELKTON, Md. (AP) -- Trainer Steve Klesaris sees the Preakness unfolding this way:
"The only way Barbaro loses is he beats himself," Klesaris said Wednesday at tranquil Fair Hill Training Center while his long shot, Diabolical, grazed near Barbaro's barn. "I think he's better than the field. He toyed with them in the Derby."
Not everyone agrees.
Especially not all of the seven other trainers, who will try to stop the unbeaten Kentucky Derby winner and even-money favorite for Saturday's $1 million stakes race at Pimlico.
"I know how it looks on paper," said trainer Nick Zito, whose long shot Hemingway's Key will challenge Barbaro. "It's not always the way it looks. You have to play the game. If you don't play the game, you can't even lose."
Top challengers
Among Barbaro's top challengers are Derby rivals Brother Derek and Sweetnorthernsaint. Both endured troubled trips two weeks ago at Churchill Downs and finished fourth and seventh, respectively, in a 20-horse field.
Pimlico oddsmaker Frank Carulli installed Santa Anita Derby winner Brother Derek as the 3-1 second choice, and Sweetnorthernsaint at 4-1.
Also entered are Withers winner Bernardini (8-1), Gotham winner Like Now (12-1), Greeley's Legacy (20-1) and Platinum Couple (50-1). Diabolical and Hemingway's Key are both 30-1.
"You never know with a race like this, long shots have won at Pimlico before," Barbaro's trainer Michael Matz said. "Brother Derek, he might have just had traffic problems, and Sweetnorthernsaint might have had the same thing. They might run real well when they have a clean trip. And the Withers winner ... he's a pretty nice horse and bred very well."
No signs of fatigue
However, Barbaro has shown no signs of fatigue after this 61/2-length Derby romp -- the largest victory margin in 60 years, when Triple Crown winner Assault won by eight lengths.
"He came back here and relaxed," Matz said, "and I think once we get him down to Pimlico, he'll be pumped up for it."
Barbaro will leave from the No. 6 post position, a post that has produced the most Preakness winners (15) since 1909. 2004 Derby winner Smarty Jones added his Preakness win from the No. 6 post.
Matz has been pointing his horse toward the Triple Crown even before the Derby and had made no secret that's his goal -- to have the powerful colt become the first winner of thoroughbred racing's grandest prize since Affirmed in 1978.
A Preakness win by Barbaro would set the stage for a seventh Triple Crown attempt in the last 10 years at the Belmont Stakes.
Smallest field in six years
However, the smallest Preakness field in six years should mean there will be much less bumping than there was in the Derby. And a clear trip could boost the chances of Brother Derek and Sweetnorthernsaint, and who knows if Barbaro will be just as good off two weeks rest.
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