BALTIMORE - War Emblem showed he has speed when he won the Illinois Derby. He showed he could win the big one in the Kentucky Derby. And in Saturday's Preakness Stakes, War Emblem showed he has perhaps the most important ingredient of all: heart.

PHOENIX - We have been somewhat spoiled in recent seasons. Stars like Bienamado, Sunshine Street, Sandpit, and Marlin have carried the Southern Californian marathon division.

This year there's less star power and more competitiveness. But that's always fine for those looking to make a wager, and Sunday's Jim Murray at 1 1/2 miles on the Hollywood turf offers some opportunities.

That doesn't mean a star can't emerge in this restricted stakes. Last year's winner, Kudos, has since gone on to big things, including a win in the Grade 1 Oaklawn Handicap.

Speed ruled in the Kentucky Derby with front-runners War Emblem and Proud Citizen leading all the way around the track en route to a 1-2 finish. This Saturday, both horses will try to do it again as they lead a field of 13 horses entered in the 127th running of the Preakness.

Just four Kentucky Derby horses have made their way to the Preakness, including War Emblem and Proud Citizen as well as the fourth- and seventh-place Derby finishers, Medaglia d'Oro and Harlan's Holiday. Rounding out the field are nine new-shooters, none of whom are particularly inspiring prospects.

Until he was clobbered and had the wind knocked out of him on the first turn of the Santa Anita Derby, U S S Tinosa was the most rapidly improving 3-year-old in California. He was fast, class-qualified, and versatile. Unfortunately, his bad racing luck at Santa Anita led to a fifth-place finish and an earnings deficiency that prevented him from starting in the Kentucky Derby.

Last May the pick four opened to rave reviews at Belmont Park, frequently producing payoffs that far exceeded win-parlay value. And like last year, Pimlico is offering two pick fours on Friday and two more on Saturday, which have guaranteed minimum pools and a bettor-friendly 14 percent take-out.

Pimlico's Friday card last year was pretty chalky, you may recall. The first pick-four sequence consisted of winners at 4-5, 2-1, 2-1, and 6-5, and paid $201.80. The day's second pick four was even chalkier, after winners at 6-5, 8-5, 1-5 and 6-5 produced a miserly $80.40 return.

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Proud Citizen, who was second in the Kentucky Derby and is one of the favorites for the Preakness, has a pedigree that teems with important breeders, both with regard to his distinguished sire Gone West and also through his extraordinary female family.

Bred in Kentucky by Edmund Loder, Proud Citizen is the third foal of the 12-year-old mare Drums of Freedom. Loder bought the mare for $245,000 at the 1994 Keeneland November breeding stock sale when she was carrying her first foal, a son of leading European sire Caerleon later named Toho Spark.

LAS VEGAS - The Preakness has its distinctive place in the historic Triple Crown series. It's more than just the tail on the Kentucky Derby dog, especially in the realm of the Beyer Speed Figures.

In fact, it's the Preakness that has produced the highest winning Beyer figure in any recent Triple Crown race - a 118 by Silver Charm in 1997. And he defeated a superb field that included Captain Bodgit, Free House, and Touch Gold - undoubtedly the most talented group of 3-year-olds in the 1990's.

WASHINGTON - As a boy growing up near the Pimlico racetrack, where the 127th Preakness will be run Saturday, I never saw a Preakness. But I cannot count all the days I spent at Pimlico. My father always took me on weekdays when he had "room to think," never on a day when 35,000 or 40,000 people were sure to be there. Yet the track always seemed crowded to me, with men wearing suits and hats jammed together in the sun between the grandstand and the rail.

LAS VEGAS - It looks like only four runners from the Kentucky Derby (1 1/4 miles) will be contesting the Preakness Stakes (1 3/16 miles). None of the new Preakness starters have been beyond 1 1/8 miles. Here is a brief pedigree analysis of the probable Preakness field:

NEW YORK - The Kentucky Derby has been around since 1875. The Breeders' Cup has only been on the scene since 1984. But I think the young whippersnapper can teach a thing or two to the old veteran.

It became clear in the days leading up to this year's Kentucky Derby that there are problems with the entry procedures and the system of using graded stakes earnings to select the starting field of 20. Perhaps Churchill Downs should look to the model constructed by the Breeders' Cup.