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BALTIMORE - Without Funny Cide to contend with, Southern Image had it easy in the Pimlico Special on Friday.
Southern Image took control in the stretch and effortlessly maintained the lead in earning his fifth straight victory. He beat Midway Road by 11/4 lengths, but the race wasn't really that close.
"I was pretty confident the whole way around," trainer Michael Machowsky said. "I think this was his best effort yet."
Southern Image was the second betting choice in the $500,000 Grade I race behind Dynever, who never was a factor in finishing fifth in the six-horse field.
Funny Cide, the 2-1 morning-line favorite, was scratched early in the day. The 4-year-old gelding has a respiratory condition, and trainer Barclay Tagg has been hesitant to run the horse in the unseasonably warm weather.
The temperature at the start of the race was 86 degrees.
"I wanted to run against him. I really did," Machowsky said. "I said all along if I was going to get beat here, I would hope it would be by him."
The withdrawal of the 2003 Kentucky Derby winner ruined a rematch of the top two finishers in last year's Preakness. Midway Road, who came in second in the Preakness, duplicated that performance in the Special.
Southern Image ran the 1 3/16 miles in 1:55.89 and paid $5.80, $3.20 and $3.00. Midway Road returned $4.20 and $3.60, and Bowman's Band paid $6.40 to show.
Southern Image broke strongly from the gate, but Midway Road was right there and took the lead at the first turn. Midway Road maintained the lead until jockey Victor Espinoza asked Southern Image for more - and got it.
"That was quite a stretch duel," Espinoza said. "I didn't know when we would go by, but I had confidence we would. I thought I had the best horse and that's why I didn't want to move too soon."
The dark brown colt has won six of his seven lifetime starts.
Midway Road trainer Neil Howard wasn't disappointed with another runnerup finish.
"He was trying to come back at the end so hard, but he just couldn't get there," Howard said. "It would have been a heck of an accomplishment for him to win this race."
Dynever never made a decent run at taking the lead and had little left in only his second race since October.
"He was spinning his wheels," jockey Corey Nakatani said.
The Pimlico Special was one of four graded races held the day before the Preakness.
Yearly Report, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Jerry Bailey, won the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes as the 1-2 favorite. Pawyne Princess took second in the Grade II race for 3-year-old fillies.
"This wasn't the Preakness, but we'll take it," said Baffert, who doesn't have a horse in today's main event.
The Grade III Pimlico Distaff Breeders' Cup was won by Friel's For Real, who took the lead in the upper stretch. She paid $24.80, $9.20 and $4.80 after running 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.03.
Forest Music rallied to win the Miss Preakness Stakes, a Grade III event for 3-year-old fillies. Racing for the first time since December, she prevailed by a head over runnerup Stephan's Angel.
Two jockeys were thrown from their mounts during the race. Among My Souvenirs broke down nearing the eighth pole and threw Mario Pino to the track. Jozbin Santana, aboard Perilous Night, also was thrown.
The jockeys were not injured.
ZITO'S BACKUP: Nick Zito will go deep into his stable for Sir Shackleton in the Preakness.
The trainer started the winter with a barn full of strong Triple Crown contenders, including Eurosilver, Birdstone and The Cliff's Edge.
Illness, injury and poor performances depleted Zito's pool of 3-year-olds.
The Cliff's Edge, the Blue Grass Stakes winner, was the latest loss. Zito scratched him from the Preakness on Friday morning due to a foot abscess.
That leaves Sir Shackleton, the winner of the Derby Trial at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. The victory was the colt's third straight, but none was longer than 1 mile. The Preakness is 1 3/16ths.
BAFFERT LIKES SMARTY: Baffert played Preakness handicapper Friday morning and picked Smarty Jones to win the race. Baffert envisions Lion Heart setting the pace and Smarty Jones passing him in the stretch.