BALTIMORE -- Karen Taylor, co-owner of 1977 Triple Crown champion Seattle Slew, will present the winner's trophy after the running of the Seattle Slew Memorial on Saturday's Preakness undercard.

Seattle Slew, horse racing's 10th Triple Crown winner, died May 7 in Lexington, Ky.

"It was like losing a child," said Taylor, who owned Slew with her husband, Mickey. "We don't have children, and he was like our son. We had him for 27 years."

Seattle Slew, purchased for $17,500, won 14 of 17 races during his career. Upon retirement, he sired 102 stakes winners who have earned more than $75 million in purses.

"He had heart and speed and he left his genes," said Taylor, accompanied by Slew's longtime groom, Tom Wade. "We had a wonderful time with him. We were fortunate to be blessed with Seattle Slew."

Feeling lonely
While everyone gathered around trainers Bob Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas and John Ward in front of the stakes barn at Pimlico Race Course, Nick Zito stood alone at the back of the building.

No matter how his two horses fare in the Preakness, Zito was right about one thing this week: Once the favorites arrived at Pimlico, no one cared much about Straight Gin and Crimson Hero anymore.

Zito and the two horses he trains were the focus of attention before Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem and runner up Proud Citizen showed up Wednesday at Pimlico and settled into their berths.

From then on, as Zito predicted, Baffert (War Emblem), Lukas (Proud Citizen) and Ward (Booklet) received most of the media coverage.

Zito wasn't starving for attention Friday; he actually enjoyed working in relative solitude. But he was a bit miffed at the lack of respect his two horses received as Saturday's $1 million race drew closer.

Both horses galloped around the track Friday, but no one except Zito seemed to care. The bettors apparently aren't that interested, either, given that Crimson Hero was a 23-1 choice and Straight Gin was listed at 35-1 shortly after noon.

"I don't know if you've been watching them train, but they look fabulous," Zito said. "I think they'll both do well; they like the track."

Zito was the first trainer to arrive at Pimlico. The last time he had the barn to himself was in 1996, when he shipped Preakness winner Louis Quatorze.

"Let's hope it works out the same way this time," he said.

Not so easy
Sometimes, winning comes too easily. That's what happened to D. Wayne Lukas, who eventually found out just how difficult it is to win a Triple Crown race.

Lukas made his Triple Crown debut in 1980, saddling Codex before the 3-year-old cruised to victory in the Preakness.

"After winning the first one, I said, `I don't think this is such a big deal. I don't think it's so hard to win.' Well, I went about 10 years without getting another one," Lukas said.

Actually, he had to wait until 1985, with Tank's Prospect. Lukas has since won 11 more Triple Crown races, leaving him tied with "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons for the career lead at 13.

A win with Proud Citizen or Table Limit on Saturday would put Lukas over the top.

Of all his Triple Crown victories, the most gratifying came in 1994 with Tabasco Cat. That started an amazing run of six straight Triple Crown wins for Lukas, but that's not what made the victory special.

Months earlier, his son, Jeff, was nearly killed when trampled by Tabasco Cat.

"That horse was a project," Lukas recalled. "My help was down on the horse, and there was a stigma attached to him because of Jeff, who was still in a coma.

"That was the most satisfying one," Lukas concluded.

What, me worry?
He's the only trainer in town with a chance at the Triple Crown, yet Bob Baffert showed no signs of nervousness on the eve of the Preakness.

"The pressure is the first one. The second one, you're flying high, just seeing if you can do it again," Baffert said. "Was it a fluke? People are not sure. But after you win this, then the pressure builds back up again because you're going for the third crown."

His only concern Saturday will be getting War Emblem to the starting gate.

"What I worry about is just getting him there and getting a saddle on him. Once I put the jockey on him, I've done my job," he said. "Right now, I've just got to get to the paddock in one piece and get a saddle on him. He can be a little wild."