BALTIMORE (Ticker) -- Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid keys a strong eight-horse field for tonight's 35th running of the $750,000 Grade I Pimlico Special Handicap at Pimlico Racetrack.

The field for the 1 3/16-mile event includes five of the top six finishers from last year's Breeders' Cup Classic as well as the top three horses under the wire in last month's Oaklawn Handicap.

The Pimlico Special was first run in 1937 through 1958 under weight-for-age conditions. It was revived in 1988 as the Pimlico Special Handicap and positioned one week before the Preakness Stakes as a way of attracting the country's top older horses to Pimlico at the same time the best 3-year-olds come to compete.

Lemon Drop Kid surprised fans and denied Charismatic a Triple Crown with an upset victory as a 30-1 shot in last year's Belmont Stakes. From there, the son of Kingmambo placed in the Jim Dandy Stakes but came back to capture the Travers Stakes.

Following that, Lemon Drop Kid went on to disappointing fifth and sixth-place efforts in the Jockey Club and Breeders' Cup Classic, respectively to close out his 3-year-old season.

He began his 4-year-old campaign by hitting the wire first in the Widener Handicap at Gulfstream Park in March but was disqualified and placed fourth. His last start was an allowance race deadheat win last month at Aqueduct.

Lemon Drop Kid has hit the board in 11-of-17 lifetime starts with six victories, half of which have been Grade I triumphs. Edgar Prado has the mount on the bay colt for the first time and will carry a highweight of 120 pounds when he breaks from post No. 4. He is listed at the 3-1 favorite in the morning line.

Winless in his five starts since his closed out the 1999 season with a Breeders' Cup Classic victory, Cat Thief checks in as the 7-2 second choice for trainer D. Wayne Lukas and jockey Pat Day.

Cat Thief struggled through the Triple Crown series but capped off his 3-year-old season with a win in the Classic at 20-1. His 24 starts are second most in the field to Budroyale's amazing 48.

Cat Thief comes here off a third-place effort in the Oaklawn Handicap. The Storm Cat colt has four career wins with over $3.6 million in earnings and will be carrying 118 pounds.

K One King is fresh off back-to-back victories, the latter coming in last month's Oaklawn Handicap. Mike Smith has the reins on the 4-year-old colt by Apalachee. They are listed at 4-1 with a 115-pound imposition from the three hole.

The remainder of the field consists of Allen's Oop from the rail at 10-1, and Pleasant Breeze at 20-1 from post two under Eclipse Award-winning jockey Jorge Chavez. Both horses will carry a race-low 111 pounds.

Also, Golden Missile, winless in six starts, but with Kentucky Derby hero Kent Desormeaux up, will break from post six at 8-1; Budroyale is 9-2 from post seven for Derby runnerup Alex Solis; and last year's Dubai World Cup winner Almutawakel rounds out the field from post No. 8 at 6-1 with 117 pounds.

The race will be shown live on "NTRA Champions on FOX" series beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT with an approximate post time of 5:40.