BALTIMORE – There was a palpable sense of pride mixed with frustration for trainer Simon Callaghan following the Kentucky Derby, for his colt Firing Line had again performed brilliantly, finishing second to the favored American Pharoah. Yet again, Callaghan had finished second to a Bob Baffert trainee in an important stakes race. Twice previously, Firing Line had finished second to Dortmund, in the Los Alamitos Futurity and the Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Now, in their third matchup, Firing Line had finally gotten the best of Dortmund, but that wasn’t good enough to win. On Saturday, Firing Line will try for a fourth time to clear that formidable hurdle when he takes on both American Pharoah and Dortmund in the 140th Preakness Stakes here at Pimlico. Those three – the first three across the line in the Derby – scared away most other rivals. Eight were entered Wednesday morning, including Mr. Z, who was sold by owner Ahmed Zayat – the colt’s namesake – to Calumet Farm. “There’s no issue about the price,” Zayat said in a phone call from Italy, where he was on a brief business trip. “They gave us an offer we could not refuse.” :: Preakness: Contenders and news D. Wayne Lukas has trained Mr. Z throughout his career and will remain as his trainer. Corey Nakatani was named to ride. Mr. Z finished 13th in the Derby. The other Preakness entrants are Danzig Moon, who was fifth in the Derby, and three newcomers to the Triple Crown trail – Bodhisattva, Divining Rod, and Tale of Verve. It’s a case of quality over quantity. Four of the top five finishers from the Derby are in the Preakness, but with just eight runners, this would be the smallest Preakness field since 2000, when Red Bullet beat Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus and six others. Firing Line was off for six weeks after the Lewis before his runaway victory in the Sunland Derby – his lone stakes win – and then had another six weeks coming into the Kentucky Derby. Callaghan thinks the schedule prior to the Derby has yielded a horse who is fresh enough to come back in two weeks. “He’s done everything you’d like to see,” said Callaghan, 32, who will be sending out his first Preakness starter. “He took the race very well. “The way he’s acted since the race, I’d be surprised if anyone bounced out of the Derby any better than us. That and the cutback in distance gives us confidence to run back in a short time.” The Preakness, at 1 3/16 miles, is 110 yards shorter than the Derby and is the shortest of the Triple Crown races. Firing Line had a tricky assignment in the Derby that was left to the skill of jockey Gary Stevens. Firing Line had to chase Dortmund and then try to stave off American Pharoah. “He sat a good trip and moved up at the right time,” Callaghan said. “He beat Dortmund, and American Pharoah came and got him at the end. Gary is exceptionally experienced. He’s one of the top riders in the world. He’s a top-class horseman. In these top-end races, I don’t think you can have anyone better on your horse.” This will be the fourth time Stevens has ridden Firing Line. They have never finished worse than second. “Simon’s meticulous in his planning,” Stevens said. “He’s wise beyond his years. He went to the Sunland Derby because he needed points, and to give the horse confidence. He was training like a bear coming into the Derby.” After the race, Stevens said Firing Line “was still a fresh horse.” “I liked his energy level pulling up,” he said. “He had a light schedule. I think the Derby did him a world of good.” Firing Line arrived here Wednesday after a short flight from Louisville that also included American Pharoah and Dortmund.