ELMONT, N.Y. - War Emblem. He's made believers of us all, or almost all.

With another bravura performance in the Preakness, his chances of winning the first Triple Crown in 24 years look very bright, and the New York Racing Association is making plans to host a record crowd on Belmont Day, June 8.

Still, the Triple Crown remains the most elusive prize in sports. There is almost always a new shooter or two of consequence in the Belmont, and Saturday's $200,000 Peter Pan could be the vehicle that serves up a formidable challenger.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It takes more than a pedigree to win a horse race. Mom and pop can get you only so far. But if ever a filly deserved to be fueled by family ties, Ask Me No Secrets is the one.

Her bloodlines fit the times, especially with the possibility of a Triple Crown in the air. She is a daughter of Seattle Slew and a granddaughter of Secretariat, which would drive some people to wrap her in cotton and keep her under glass for fear of jeopardizing such a gem.

TUCSON, Ariz. - The state of Maryland sullied its most historic race when it introduced an insult to the Triple Crown by allowing "adjunct medications" in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.

Six Preakness trainers chose to use one or more of the adjunct medications - carbazochrome, transexamic acid, and aminocaproic acid - which may or may not have any value for horses who bleed during races. Carbazochrome, also known as Kentucky Red, is used to treat high blood pressure, and transexamic acid and aminocaproic acid are blood-clotting agents.

BALTIMORE - The 101,138 spectators at Pimlico Race Course Saturday witnessed a race that could prove to be historic in different ways.

The Preakness, won by War Emblem with one of the most impressive performances in years, may well have launched a winner of the Triple Crown for the first time since 1978. Even though the Belmont Stakes has foiled many horses before him, War Emblem was so dominant that he has an excellent chance to capture the sport's greatest prize.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - In case anyone has forgotten, this Triple Crown business only brings misery and pain. Better we should strive to witness five planets align in the Western sky, as they did near a crescent moon last week, than wish for a horse who can win the Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont Stakes.

It has been 24 years since Affirmed lit the heavens with his final blow to a dead-game Alydar. For the subsequent 23, at intervals of agonizing grief, we've had our hearts ripped out and mercilessly stomped into sawdust.

BALTIMORE - A Triple Crown in prospect? It is the most elusive goal in all of sports. A horse must be incredibly versatile and determined and lucky to win the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes in a period of five weeks.

BALTIMORE - For all its other struggles and shortcomings, the racing industry as a whole has done a magnificent job of promoting and positioning the Triple Crown races. Attendance, handle and exposure are growing in an industry where everything else is stagnant at best. By every indicator, interest among both regulars and civilians has never been

higher.

Then there's the other half of the crop - the 3-year-old fillies. They are as neglected as the colts are celebrated, and no one seems to know what to do about it.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It has been 20 years since Jim Murray took serious offense at the thought of Gato del Sol passing the Preakness after winning the Kentucky Derby.

If the horse doesn't want another tough race, why don't they just ship him to Juarez and shop for a price?" Murray wrote in his syndicated column.

"Is he a championship horse - or a common plater? Is it Gato del Sol or Pollo del Sol?"

BALTIMORE - When War Emblem crossed the finish line at Churchill Downs, I felt as stupid as I have at any moment of my gambling life. I am an apostle of speed figures, and this colt had a speed figure that towered over those of his rivals in the Kentucky Derby. Yet I didn't pick him to win, didn't bet him at 20-1, and didn't even respect him as a serious contender.

When he runs in the Preakness, War Emblem will have two superior figures that again give him a substantial edge over his competition. Have I learned a lesson?

BALTIMORE - "I don't see any surprises in the Preakness," Wayne Lukas said. "I think the horses that were prominent in the Kentucky Derby are going to be prominent here again. The order may change a little bit, but if you are handicapping the race, you have to start with the first four finishers in the Derby. "