LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For all the tough luck Pat Day has encountered in the Kentucky Derby, the opposite has been true for him in the Preakness.

With five victories in the Pimlico classic, Day is just one short of tying the all-time Preakness record held by Eddie Arcaro. Day believes his good fortune in the Preakness is a result of "being on the right horses at the right time."

While Day has won only one Derby from 19 mounts, his five Preakness triumphs have come from just 14 tries. All five wins have come aboard horses who lost the Derby - and three were well beaten in the Derby: Tank's Prospect, Tabasco Cat, and Louis Quatorze.

Saturday, Day is hoping history will repeat itself when he climbs back aboard Dollar Bill in the 126th running of the second jewel of the Triple Crown.

"You could say he's been an unlucky horse," Day said, referring to near-disastrous trips for Dollar Bill in the Louisiana and Kentucky derbies. "But you could also say he's been lucky because he's escaped some very serious situations without injury."

Sent away the second choice in the May 5 Derby, Dollar Bill raced alongside eventual winner Monarchos to the entrance of the backstretch. While Day saw Monarchos "accelerate up through the field," Dollar Bill was slower to get moving.

But, according to Day, that doesn't mean Dollar Bill couldn't have been a late factor. Unfortunately, they were stopped badly when in traffic near the half-mile pole, caught in a blind switch between Jamaican Rum and the faltering Talk Is Money. A P Valentine and a very tired Keats also were in the vicinity.

"It was absolutely horrific," said Day. "After that, we were hopelessly beaten, totally out of the race. It would have been ludicrous to go to whipping and driving at that point."

Dollar Bill finished 15th. Initially, trainer Dallas Stewart was not inclined to run back in the Preakness. But because the colt emerged unscathed from the Derby and has trained strongly since then, Stewart has decided to give Dollar Bill another chance.

Day believes a cleaner trip could allow Dollar Bill to pull a surprise Saturday.

"He's shown me a tremendous amount of athleticism," he said. "I still believe he's a top colt. If he gets a clear run Saturday, it wouldn't surprise me if we got the job done."

And as Day's Preakness history shows, it has happened before.