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Animal Kingdom in 11th post for Preakness

“I couldn’t be happier,” said Animal Kingdom trainer Graham Motion, looking for his first Preakness victory in his fourth career start. “I was hoping to be at the middle or toward the outside and that’s where I am.”

Dialed In, the Nick Zito-trained colt who finished a disappointing eighth in the Derby as the favorite, will start just inside of the Derby winner at number 10 at 9-2 odds.

A full field of 14 horses was entered Wednesday for the mile-and-three-16ths Grade I affair, the middle jewel of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown series.

Mucho Macho Man, the Florida-bred bay who finished third in the Derby with a late charge, was slotted in the nine hole and opened at 6-1 in the wagering.

Motion said his Kentucky-bred chestnut, ridden by John Velazquez, will probably go off at around 8-5 by post time, the odds trimmed by fans hoping to see the first Triple Crown winner since 1978.

“There’s no more pressure than having the Derby winner,” said the 46-year-old Maryland-based trainer. “We want to do well for everybody else. Everyone wants to see the horse do well. Except, of course, the other 13 trainers.

“Look, I’ve followed this as everyone else has and rooted for the Triple Crown horse. But I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. We’ll deal with the Preakness first.”

Zito, who won the 1996 Preakness with Louis Quatorze, was hoping the pace would be quicker than that of the Derby two weeks ago.

Dialed In, with Julien Leparoux in the irons, closed with a rush at Churchill Downs but was never in contention largely due to the sleepy tempo in the opening half-mile.

“It’s got to be a fair pace,” he said. “I doubt very much they’re going to go that slow again. He’ll have his chance provided he doesn’t get into trouble.

“I don’t think the post matters with him because of his style of running. Would I want the one or 14 post? Probably not. But 10 will be fine.”

Santa Anita Derby winner Midnight Interlude, trained by five-time Preakness-winner Bob Baffert, will open from the seventh post at 15-1 odds.

Baffert said the Kentucky-bred bay “lost interest” in the middle of the Derby and finished 16^th in the 19-horse field.

“He’s a funny horse,” said Baffert, who won the Preakness last year with Lookin at Lucky. “He’s temperamental. He got mad at the Derby and took himself out of it.

“But I liked what I saw this week. Is he good enough? If he could run like he did at the Santa Anita Derby, it puts him right there.”

Though it is considered a fairly open race, Motion, saddling the only horse with Triple Crown aspirations, was the most popular man at the draw ceremony.

If he wins the Preakness, only the Belmont Stakes stands between him and racing immortality.

“Whenever I’ve come to these things before, no one’s been interested in my horse,” he said with a chuckle. “This is kind of cool.”