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The Triple Crown races are big, crazy spectacles, and there are about a million different ways a horse can get in trouble in each of them. That means that the jockeys play a very important role in the race. To get ready to handicap the Preakness, then, you need to get a sense of the little men who will aboard the young horses. Here's a look:

John Velazquez - Big Drama - Velazquez takes over from Eibar Coa on this horse because Coa is committed to Musket Man. He's had tough luck on the Derby trail this year. He was on Quality Road before that potential Derby favorite was injured, and then he finished 15th in the Derby on Mr. Hot Stuff. Velazquez has one Triple Crown win - on filly Rags To Riches in the 2007 Belmont. It remains to be seen how Velazquez and Big Drama get along, but the jock isn't a step down from Coa.

Alan Garcia - Flying Private - This horse's saddle should have a revolving door installed. Israel Campo was on the horse before the Derby, and he gave way to Robby Albarado for the Derby. Those two finished last in the big race, so another change was needed. Garcia, a Peruvian, is Top 10 in national earnings this year. He has one Triple Crown win - the unlikely upset aboard Da' Tara in last year's Belmont. He's only 23, but he showed he is for real by winning the incredibly tough Saratoga meet last year.

Gabriel Saez - Friesan Fire - Saez is back on this horse despite piloting him to an 18th-place finish as the favorite in the Derby. He's just 21, but he's already had some impressive results. Some of the biggest results have come with Larry Jones, the trainer of Friesan Fire. The two teamed up to win the Kentucky Oaks last year on Proud Spell, and then added a second in the Derby on the ill-fated filly Eight Belles.

Julien Leparoux - General Quarters - Leparoux took over this mount a week before the Derby when Eibar Coa chose to ride Musket Man. This French jockey has only been riding since 2005, but he's already won a number of meet titles in Kentucky. He doesn't have a Triple Crown win yet, but he has won twice at the Breeders' Cup.

Jamie Theriot - Luv Gov - Theriot made his Preakness debut last year when he rode Kentucky Bear to a sixth-place showing. He's not one of the most decorated jockeys in this race, but he can ride when he finds himself on a streak - he rode six winners on a single card at Churchill last June.

Mike Smith - Mine That Bird - Smith, a hall-of-famer, lands the ride on the Derby winner in the strangest of situations - Calvin Borel became the first jockey ever to jump off a Derby winner in his next start. Smith won the Preakness in 1993 aboard Prairie Bayou, and added a Derby in 2005 on Giacomo. Borel and Mine That Bird obviously clicked, but Smith is at least as talented as Borel, so the horse is in good hands. Smith must dearly hope that Borel made the worst decision in the history of the sport.

Eibar Coa - Musket Man - Coa has the distinction of having ridden three different horses in this field to a win. He first rode this horse in the Illinois Derby - an impressive win in the horse's last prep before the Derby. Coa hasn't had a major stakes breakthrough in his career, but he has won meet titles in three states so he can certainly ride. The fact that he chose this horse from amongst all his options is a credit to the horse.

Rafael Bejarano - Papa Clem - Bejarano is another product of the jockey factory that is Peru. He doesn't have a Triple Crown win to his credit, but he has won several meet titles, and he has two Breeders' Cup wins. He also led the nation in wins in 2004. He has been on Papa Clem since late last year, and has only finished worse than second once - his fourth place finish in the Derby. The horse and rider obviously get along well.

Garrett Gomez - Pioneerof The Nile - It would be hard to argue that Gomez isn't the best jockey in the country. He has led the nation in earnings the last three years, and has two Eclipse Awards for top jockeys over that time. He has eight Breeders' Cup wins, including four last year. Given all that, it seems amazing that he has yet to win a Triple Crown race. He'll win one at some point, and this could be the year - he has four wins and a second in five starts on this horse.

Calvin Borel - Rachel Alexandra - Borel had a very tough choice this week - ride the only horse that has a shot at a coveted Triple Crown, or stick with the filly that has a chance to be truly special. He chose the filly, and it doesn't seem like he struggled with that decision. Why would he - he has ridden the filly five times, and he has won the five races by almost 40 combined lengths. Needless to say, the horse and rider are a dynamic partnership.

Edgar Prado - Take The Points - Prado is just the latest in a long line of jockeys to get the mount on this horse. Alex Solis rode him last time out in the Santa Anita Derby, and Garrett Gomez was previously aboard in the Sham. Prado won the Derby on Barbaro and has two Belmont wins. He has yet to win a Preakness, but he's no stranger to success in Maryland - he has 24 meet titles in the state. He's a much better rider than his mount is a horse.

Jeremy Rose - Terrain - Rose makes his debut on this horse in this race. Julien Leparoux and Jamie Theriot both rode him in the past, but they both chose other mounts this time. Rose won the Preakness and the Belmont aboard Afleet Alex in 2005. He has lots of experience riding in Maryland as it's his home base along with Delaware.

Kent Desormeaux - Tone It Down - Desormeaux is looking to defend the Preakness title he won last year, but this horse is not even in the same universe as Big Brown in terms of talent. Desormeaux also won the Preakness in 1998 on Real Quiet. He won the Derby both years that he won the Preakness, and he added another Derby in 2000 with Fusaichi Pegasus. Desormeaux started his career in Maryland and was incredibly successful, including piling up an incredible 599 wins in 1989 - a record that still stands.