The craziness and, you might say, idiocy, of the Jose Santos battery situation was slinking its way into the background Tuesday morning, a refreshing development if there ever was one. Nobody had to worry about spots on pictures, inquiries, cue rings, Q Rays, the Miami Herald and baseless conspiracy theories.

Another sideshow, which hadn't gotten nearly as much publicity as the battery story, had also passed. On Monday, Tagg was steaming over a newspaper report that questioned whether or not he was cracking under the pressure of the Triple Crown spotlight. The story included a little jab from trainer Bobby Frankel, who said Tagg was "unraveling." Reporters were confronted by a grumpy Tagg Monday morning. A day later, Tagg had calmed down considerably and was downright jocular. Yes, it was time to move on.

So, guys, what about Funny Cide and the Preakness?

The question brought abundant smiles to the face of two men who had not had a whole lot to cheer about the last couple of days. When it comes to the horse, the news has been nothing but good. Confidence is clearly building among Team Funny Cide, and with good reason. From the Wood Memorial up to, at least, four days before the Preakness, the karma has been, well, fantastic.

"Everything has been going perfectly," Tagg said. "What a blessing."

It started with a strong second-place performance in the Wood, which was what was needed to get the horse to the Kentucky Derby in the first place. Tagg, a pessimist by nature, was more interested in a series of races for New York breds later in the year that offers a big bonus. He wasn't sure about the Derby, but after the solid performance in the Wood Memorial, the owners wouldn't have dreamt of skipping the race.

From the Wood, Funny Cide started to blossom, peaked at the right time and got a perfect trip in the Kentucky Derby, thanks to a heady ride from Santos. He came out of the race perfectly and moved back to his home at Belmont. The last serious steps were taken on this chilly morning at Belmont Park, where Funny Cide ripped through a four-furlong workout in :47 1/5. Of course, Tagg said the work was exactly what he was looking for, which is what every trainer has ever said after every workout in the history of horse racing.

But this was more than just the usual tired quotes trainers spew forth. It was, by all accounts, a very good workout. It was an indication that the Kentucky Derby winner has maintained his sharpness in the 10 days that have followed his victory at Churchill Downs. With just two weeks between the Derby and the Preakness, it is these sort of positive signs that trainers look for when assessing whether or not the horse is holding up to what can be a very stressful situation. "He seems to be peaking right now and he's training very, very well," Tagg said.

Now it's on to Pimlico, where there simply isn't much to fear.

Taking nothing away from Funny Cide, a very good horse whose Derby victory was not the least bit fluky, but is he the best 3-year-old in the country? That's open to debate. He's 1-and-1 versus Empire Maker and probably wouldn't have been favored over him in the Preakness had Frankel chosen to run his stable's star. He's yet to meet Dynever, who was so impressive in the Lone Star Derby and is now preparing for the Belmont. A lot of people are still high on Atswhatimtalknbout, especially after he closed so well for fourth in the Derby. Those are three very good, healthy 3-year-olds who won't be running in the Preakness.

What's left is Peace Rules and a bunch of horses who don't scare anyone. The entire Preakness may come down to whether or not Funny Cide can run well enough again to beat Peace Rules, the same horse he handled in the Kentucky Derby by one-and-three-quarter lengths in the Kentucky Derby.

"Definitely, Peace Rules is the horse to beat," Santos said. "But I am not afraid of anyone in this race. You have to respect the connections, Bobby Frankel and Edgar Prado, but Funny Cide is the horse to beat."

All things considered, the Preakness is not a very tough assignment, not the type you'd expect in a Triple Crown race.

That's just another break for Funny Cide. He's good and he's been lucky, and that can be a potent combination. Will he win the Preakness? It's questions like those that led man to invent the betting window. But the pieces keep falling smoothly into place and Barclay Tagg was smiling. It's looking good for Funny Cide.