BALTIMORE -- Alysweep was removed from the Preakness field Tuesday after tests showed an irregular blood count following a workout in New York.

The withdrawal dropped the field to 11 horses, but trainer Bob Baffert is considering bringing a second horse with Senor Swinger. Baffert was unsure whether to enter During in the Preakness or the Sir Barton Stakes, which also will be run Saturday at Pimlico.

"I just don't know about During yet,'' Baffert said. "I'm still looking at what riders I could get, and other factors. This could truly be a last-minute decision.''

Baffert has won the Preakness four times, including the last two with Point Given and War Emblem.

Alysweep, winner of the Gotham at Aqueduct in March, covered five furlongs in 1:01 Tuesday. But trainer Patrick Reynolds declared the horse out of the Preakness after a test showed an improper balance of red and white blood cells.

Such readings are usually taken when a horse appears sluggish. If the red and white blood cells are not within a certain range, it could mean a virus is coming or the horse simply is not 100 percent healthy.

Meanwhile, New York Hero entered the race after a solid workout Tuesday at Belmont.

"I was pleased. He was real relaxed,'' said trainer Jennifer Pedersen, who plans to bring the Maryland-bred horse to Baltimore on Thursday.

Empty Nest
The stakes barn is stocked with hay and lined with fresh flowers. The corporate tents are in place, the infield grass is mowed and thousands of temporary chairs extend from the backstretch to the finish line.

Pimlico Race Course is primed and ready for the 128th Preakness. About the only thing missing Tuesday was the horses.

Several entrants were expected to arrive Wednesday, shortly before the draw for Saturday's $1 million race. Several others, however, won't get to Baltimore until hours before post time.

Stall 40, which customarily houses the Kentucky Derby winner, was lined with a bed of clean wood shavings Tuesday. Bales of hay were stacked nearby, too.

But Funny Cide isn't expected to show until Saturday, which means Stall 40 could remain empty until the day of the race.

"I'm going to Baltimore as late as I can,'' Funny Cide trainer Barclay Tagg said.

So much for tradition.

Pimlico is only a few dozen miles from Bowie, where Maryland-bred Cherokee's Boy is training. The horse won the Federico Tesio at Pimlico last month and won't return to the track until Saturday.

"He's comfortable here. I see no reason to van him over until show time,'' trainer Gary Capuano said from Bowie. "He knows what the track at Pimlico is like.''

Trainer Nick Zito doesn't have a horse in the Preakness, but a year ago he brought two entrants to Baltimore the week before the race.

"All my life, we were taught you have to go in early and get a feel for the track,'' Zito said. "The Preakness is probably the only place, besides the Derby, that you should probably be there before time. It definitely helps the horse.''

Homecoming
Kissin Saint trainer Lisa Lewis will enjoy a homecoming of sorts at the Preakness.

The New York-based trainer grew up in Timonium, which is just minutes from Pimlico. Both Lewis' parents trained horses in Timonium; her mother, Penny, was trainer for Hegar, which finished ninth in the 1993 Preakness.

Kissin Saint will be racing for the first time since finishing third behind Empire Maker and Funny Cide in a muddy Wood Memorial last month.