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Gayego to run in Preakness
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Gayego will be the only Kentucky Derby
runner to challenge Big Brown at Old Hilltop
(Ed Van Meter/Horsephotos.com) |
One day before post positions will be drawn for Saturday's Preakness S. (G1),
the connections of GAYEGO (Gilded Time) revealed the dark bay colt is a "go" for
the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. Meanwhile, three Preakness contenders
recorded their final major workouts for the 1 3/16-mile classic, which was first
decided in 1873.
Kentucky Derby (G1) winner BIG BROWN (Boundary) and Gayego are the only two
horses from this year's Run for the Roses who are expected to compete in the
Preakness. If they both run, it will be the sixth time since Kentucky Derby
horses began running in the Preakness in 1918 that only two Derby starters moved
on to Baltimore for the classic. The last time was in 1980 when Codex defeated
the Derby-winning filly Genuine Risk.
Gayego, who finished 17th in the Derby, is scheduled to arrive at Pimlico Wednesday
afternoon following a cross-country flight that he will share with YANKEE BRAVO
(Yankee Gentleman). The Paulo Lobo trainee galloped 1 1/4 miles at Hollywood
Park on Tuesday.
"He's an extremely good shipper," said Lobo, whose colt shipped to Oaklawn Park
in April for a victory in the Arkansas Derby (G2) and shipped again for a start in
the Kentucky Derby.
Lobo said Gayego didn't overexert himself in the Derby after being
compromised by a sluggish start and early crowding.
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"He came back very well," Lobo said. "He's been eating everything. He's
feeling happy."
Mike Smith, who has ridden Gayego in each of his six lifetime starts, has the
mount. Smith rode Prairie Bayou to victory in the 1993 Preakness.
Lobo has not started a horse at Pimlico.
At Belmont Park, multiple stakes winner GIANT MOON (Giant's Causeway) blazed
four furlongs in a bullet :47 3/5 on a fast track at Belmont Park on Tuesday.
The move was the fastest of 26 works at the distance.
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Three-time stakes hero Giant's Moon will
join the Triple Crown fray
(Ross Woodson/Horsephotos.com) |
"Actually it was a little quicker than we had anticipated," trainer Richard Schosberg
said. "I was looking at somewhere between :48 and :48 and two, but he seemed to
have done it in good order.
"He jumped on the bit right away at the beginning of the work, which for him is
a bit unusual when he's working by himself. But he's pretty sharp right now and
he went the first quarter pretty quick. It was more like a good three-eighths
blowout and he galloped out in :47 and three for the half.
"It looks like he's fine. He cooled out in good order and he's biting and
playing and acting like himself after the work. So I'm not too worried about
him."
Schosberg said Giant Moon completed the first quarter-mile in :22 4/5 and
covered three furlongs in :35 4/5.
Giant Moon most recently finished fourth in the Wood Memorial (G1) on April 5
at Aqueduct. The bay colt was named the 2007 champion New York-bred two-year-old
male at the New York Thoroughbred Breeders' annual award dinner on Monday night in
Saratoga Springs. Ramon Dominguez, who won a pair of riding titles at Pimlico in
2001, has the call.
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At Churchill Downs, STEVIL (Maria's Mon) worked four furlongs in :47 1/5 on a
fast track under exercise rider Megan Smillie. It was the sixth-fastest of 61
works at the distance.
"It was pretty nice, and he galloped out real nice,'' said trainer Nick Zito,
who will be saddling his 19th Preakness starter, a number that ties him for
second on the all-time Preakness starter list with the legendary Max Hirsch.
"He's a very consistent horse, and hopefully he'll run well Saturday,'' said Zito,
who
won the 1996 Preakness with Louis Quatorze.
Stevil finished fifth in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and comes off a closing
fourth-place effort in the Blue Grass S. (G1) on April 12 at Keeneland. John
Velazquez has the riding assignment on the Robert LaPenta-owned colt, who also
campaigns juvenile champion War Pass (Cherokee Run), who was injured before the
Kentucky Derby, and Cool Coal Man (Mineshaft), who finished 15th in the Derby
field.
"We're ready. He's been running good all winter," Zito said.
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Big Brown will seek another spectacular performance in
Baltimore (Pam DiOrio/Horsephotos.com) |
Stevil was scheduled to travel by van to Pimlico on Tuesday.TRES BORRACHOS (Ecton Park) officially breezed four furlongs in :50 2/5 under
the Twin Spires on Tuesday for conditioner Beau Greely, who clocked the bay in
:49 4/5. Preakness jockey Tyler Baze traveled from California for the move.
"It went very well," Greely said. "He went nicely, came home in 11 (seconds)
and change, so that was good. Tyler seemed to be happy with it, and he seemed to
come back ready."
Tres Borrachos most recently set the early pace before battling back in the
stretch and finishing third in the Arkansas Derby on April 12 at Oaklawn Park. Greely had toyed with the idea of trying blinkers for
the Preakness, but abandoned the notion.
"It was just a thought that went through my mind," Greely said. "We tried it one
morning, and he actually went no different. After rethinking it, he's got enough
speed to where I'd just hate to mess it up and put a little too much (speed)
into him."
Baze, who will be riding in his first Preakness, was impressed with Tuesday's
exercise.
"It was so beautiful it was ridiculous,'' said Baze, who flew back to California
after the work. "He did it the right way and finished well. He is so impressive,
the way he worked today and went over a dirt track like that and not be blowing.
I'm hoping Saturday is my day. I know this is a good horse now that I've ridden
him in Arkansas and I know him. I'm really looking forward to it."
Derby winner Big Brown, Tres Borrachos and RACE RHAPSODY (Tale of the Cat)
will arrive in Baltimore on Wednesday on a flight that is scheduled to land at
the Baltimore-Washington International Airport at 5:30 p.m. (EDT).
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Other three-year-olds considered probable for the Preakness are BEHINDATTHEBAR (Forest Wildcat), HEY BYRN (Put It Back), ICABAD CRANE (Jump
Start), KENTUCKY BEAR (Mr. Greeley), MACHO AGAIN (Macho Uno) and RILEY TUCKER
(Harlan's Holiday). The Preakness is limited to 14 starters.
A traditional post position draw for the Preakness will be held Wednesday at 5 p.m. at
the ESPN Zone in downtown Baltimore. The event will be televised live on ESPN.
The 133rd running of the Preakness will be televised by NBC. Post time is
6:15 p.m.
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