BALTIMORE— Having already been soundly defeated twice by Rachel Alexandra, trainer Larry Jones has come to this realization as he prepares Kentucky Derby favorite Friesan Fire for a redemptive ride in the Preakness:

"If I have any shot at beating her," Jones said Tuesday, "it's going to have to be with a boy."

That boy will be Friesan Fire, who finished a disappointing 18th out of 19 horses in the Derby. The colt had cuts on his left front hoof and all four legs after being bumped early in the race at Churchill Downs, but the Louisiana Derby winner looked sharp while covering five furlongs at Pimlico Race Course Tuesday morning in a blistering 58.4 seconds.

"I was very pleased with the way he healed," Jones said. "If you didn't know he had an issue, you wouldn't know it. All is well. We're ready to go."

Problem is, so is Rachel Alexandra. The filly has won five consecutive races by a combined 43½ lengths, including a 20¼-length victory in the Kentucky Oaks the day before the Derby.

"Anytime a horse is as fast as her, you wish you didn't have to run against them," Jones said. "I raced her twice with fillies; I got beat 19½lengths with one filly, but all of a sudden, that don't sound so bad after she won the Oaks by 20. My wife's horse only got beat by eight (lengths), so I think my wife's horse is a star."

A filly hasn't won the Preakness since Nellie Morse in 1924.