BALTIMORE (AP) -Nine hours before post time in the Preakness, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was sitting alone in front of his stall at the Pimlico Stakes Barn.

Wearing a baseball cap.

Lukas' trademark cowboy hat was notably absent this week, mainly because the weather in Baltimore was either windy, rainy or both.

``Today I should have it on, but I've always said a cowboy hat is overrated if it's raining or it's windy,'' Lukas said.

Lukas entered two horses in the Preakness, an event he won five times previously. Even if Dublin or Northern Giant didn't fare well, it wouldn't have ruined an otherwise enjoyable week.

``Of the Triple Crown races, I like this one the best. It seems like there's a little bit less tension,'' Lukas said. ``Everyone's not quite so competitive. My fellow trainers and colleagues, we all kid and hang out together a little bit. A lot of it might because we're all in one barn, whereas at Churchill we're all scattered and don't see each other.

``It's a fun, fun week and now we have a beautiful day, so it's going to cap it off great.''

Lukas spent a lot of time with trainer Bob Baffert, who saddled Lookin at Lucky in the Preakness.

``The media over the years has portrayed Bob and I as bitter rivals, or competitive rivals, you might say,'' Lukas said. ``But we have really been friends for a long time. During Derby week we went to dinner a couple nights. He was there and I live there in Louisville. He was out to the house. Here we go to dinner during Preakness week, so it's a lot different than people think.

``Of course, we try to help you guys in the media by taking a couple shots at each other, stir it up a little bit. But behind the scenes we're pretty good,'' Lukas said. ``Actually we take pretty good shots at each other when it's 1-on-1.''

Lukas comes to Baltimore for the race, but while he's in town he makes sure to indulge in the city's most famous dish.

``Best crab cakes in the world,'' he said. ``Everyplace else they make them with cereal. Here, they're pure crabs.''

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BACK IN THE SADDLE: One day after taking a nasty spill on the track, jockey Julien Leparoux was back in the saddle again.

Leparoux was tossed from Diva Delite during the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on Friday evening. He chipped a tooth and was left sore and bruised, but left the hospital with no broken bones and his spirit intact.

Leparoux rode Kurbat in the first race at Pimlico on Saturday and finished second. He also planned to ride Pleasant Prince in the Preakness.

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ZITO WON'T BEND: The Preakness entrant with the most experience also had one of the sport's most esteemed trainers.

Jackson Bend, trained by Nick Zito, came in a long shot in the race. But no other horse had run as many as 10 races, and this will be his second trip under jockey Mike Smith.

Although Smith finished 12th aboard Jackson Bend in the Kentucky Derby, the team remained optimistic.

``Mike Smith is one of the reasons we considered coming to Baltimore,'' Zito said. ``He told me last Sunday he would do well at Pimlico. This tough little guy deserves another chance.''

Louis Quatorze won the Preakness for Zito in 1996. That was Zito's only Preakness victory, but he has four other Triple Crown wins.