BALTIMORE -- The heck with tradition: Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem will be stabled in stall 32 at the Pimlico Race Course stakes barn instead of stall 40.

Stall 40 usually houses the Derby winner, but War Emblem trainer Bob Baffert feared his horse would be distracted by a filly next door. So, shortly after his arrival at the track Wednesday, Baffert bucked tradition and moved War Emblem one stall down.

"Those two stalls are too close to each other; that means he would be trying to bite the other horse. They could be touching noses," Baffert said.

That's one reason for the switch. Superstition is another.

Although Baffert never has lost a Preakness after winning the Kentucky Derby, pulling off the feat with Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Quiet in 1998, he's still seeking the coveted Triple Crown.

"I've never been able to win the Triple Crown out of that stall," he muttered upon making the move. "I think it was meant for that to happen."

War Emblem made his first flight, arriving from Kentucky shortly after noon.

"He made the flight with no problem," Baffert said. "You never know what they're going to do the first time. Some horses get really hot, rambunctious and kick a lot, but he was pretty cool."

First time no charm
The Preakness field is full of horses who didn't run in the Kentucky Derby.

History says the nine newcomers shouldn't have bothered coming to Baltimore.

Only one horse in the past 18 years has won the Preakness without having first run in the Derby: Red Bullet in 2000. The main reason is that the best 3-year-olds in the nation usually run in Kentucky, then move on to Baltimore.

War Emblem, Proud Citizen, Harlan's Holiday and Medaglia d'Oro are the only horses to come from the Derby to the Preakness this year.

"I think historically, if you look at the record books, the horses that were tested in the Derby are the ones that usually show up here," said D. Wayne Lukas, trainer of Derby runner-up Proud Citizen.

"I wouldn't look for big surprises. I haven't had a chance to evaluate the field yet and I'm the world's worst handicapper, but it seems to me in my 20 years of coming here, that the horses that were tested in the Derby usually show up on the board here," Lukas said. "Once in a while you get a new shooter, a fresh horse, but I don't buy into the fresh horse theory too much."

Bookends
The trainer of Booklet said Wednesday that his horse will try to stick with War Emblem in the Preakness.

"You are probably going to see those two locked together for much of the race," Booklet trainer John Ward said. "Mr. Baffert's Derby game plan was very successful, so I figured we would hook onto him and let him drag us along."

Pat Day, who has won the Preakness five times, will be aboard Booklet.