Perhaps the race of the week – if not the month – is the other Grade I race at Pimlico run at 1 3/16 miles, the Pimlico Special, which goes off as the 11th race on the card today. It’s for 4-year-olds and up, so they know what they’re doing. This year, it has shaped up into a humdinger.

The race marks the 2005 debut of our erstwhile hometown hero, Funny Cide. Remember the last time he ran at Pimlico? It was two years ago, and he won a short-fielded Preakness, sparking Triple Crown dreams around New York and the country. That was a long time ago. Funny Cide’s last race was in October, when he watched Ghostzapper get very small in the distance running away with the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Trainer Barclay Tagg always thought Funny was a good horse for Pimlico, and the only reason he didn’t run last year was because it was unseasonably hot.

The weather will be rainy this year, but the competition will be hot as a firecracker. There’s not a dud in the bunch.

On the inside, Badge of Silver, with two wins in three starts this year, will likely attempt to get loose out front. Offlee Wild, coming out of the ninth slot on the outside, will pressure him. Offlee Wild, who beat Funny Cide in a great Mass Cap last June, also won his last out in the April 2 Excelsior Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Aqueduct. But it’s been a while since he’s seen a field this deep. Especially interesting is Presidential Affair. This is only his second start of the year – his last was also at Pimlico, and he won it running up on the pace. Last year, he ran a dismal Woodward on September 11 at Belmont, but other than that turned in some very sharp races.

There’s not a runner in the race worth ignoring. It’s a good glimpse of what a bunch of top-flight horses look like running around the oval at Pimlico. So consider it either a preview for Saturday’s Preakness, or the real race of the weekend, either way – consider it.