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BALTIMORE - Big Brown had an acclimating gallop over the Pimlico racing strip Thursday morning.

Making his first appearance on the track where the Preakness Stakes will be run Saturday, the Kentucky Derby winner seemed right at home. He went a leisurely 1 1/2 miles with regular exercise rider Michelle Nevin aboard.

"He went good," trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said. "I was very happy with his gallop. He was comfortable, cool, relaxed. We're as happy as we can be right now."

Big Brown is the 1-2 favourite from post No. 7 for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.

"The horse is good, so he leads me where I go, so I'm as cool as I can be," Dutrow said. "There is no way of telling how he'll like it, but he was happy out there. I'm not going to complain if he gets beat because of the track."

Dutrow had expressed past reservations about Pimlico's dirt track, claiming it was too hard. He seemed satisfied with the current condition of the strip.

"It had a nice little cushion to it," Dutrow said. "You couldn't hear the horses galloping past you. I was pleasantly surprised it had a cushion. I would like a nice, safe track when the horse runs. That's what I'm praying for."

The Big Brown gallop was the focal point of a busy morning as the Preakness tempo finally picked up at Pimlico. On Wednesday morning, only two Preakness horses were there: long shots Hey Byrn and Kentucky Bear. Big Brown was one of eight Preakness horses to arrive throughout the afternoon and evening.

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MOTORING BY: If the early pace in the Preakness is fast enough and the speed horses falter, look for Racecar Rhapsody to come zooming past.

The 30-1 long shot from post No. 6 is a classic drop-back closer. In his most recent effort, Racecar Rhapsody lagged 17 lengths off the lead before picking up the tempo to finish fourth, beaten only two lengths in the Lexington Stakes at Keeneland.

Since breaking his maiden last October, Racecar Rhapsody has run in four stakes races, earning a third and a trio of fourths. He was entered in the Kentucky Derby but failed to make the cut, lacking enough graded stakes earnings to secure one of the 20 starting spots.

Racecar Rhapsody is trained by Ken McPeek, who pulled off one of the greatest upsets in Triple Crown history when Sarava won the 2002 Belmont Stakes at 70-1.

"Other than Big Brown, it looks like the race is wide open," McPeek said. "We all know that anything can happen. You can't have any fear."

The colt was named by co-owner Jerry Carroll, who built and operates Kentucky Speedway and frequently gives his horses names connected to auto racing.

Before shifting from horses to cars, Carroll owned Turfway Park in northern Kentucky located across the Ohio River from Cincinnati.

Racecar Rhapsody will be ridden by Robby Albarado, who won last year's Preakness with Curlin. McPeek also has a Curlin connection.

During a one-year hiatus from training, McPeek was a bloodstock agent who advised owners on potential purchases. One of his finds was Curlin, a $57,000 yearling buy who developed into the 2007 Horse of the Year.

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FINISH LINES: The extended weather forecast for the Baltimore area on Saturday calls for temperatures in the mid 70s with a 30 per cent chance of showers. .... Jockeys' Guild, Churchill Downs and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association raised $500,000 to benefit the NTRA Charities - Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. John Velazquez, who rides Stevil in the Preakness, will present the gift to representatives of the fund Friday morning at Pimlico. NetJets contributed $200,000 of that total on behalf of the jockeys who participated in the Derby and will extend the rider sponsorship to the Preakness.