Animal Kingdom enjoys quiet morning; Flashpoint’s work
labeled ‘fantastic’
Team Valor International’s ANIMAL KINGDOM (Leroidesanimaux [Brz]) enjoyed a
Animal Kingdom is scheduled to go to the track at Fair Hill at 9 a.m. (EDT)
FLASHPOINT (Pomeroy) breezed five furlongs in 1:00 3/5 Saturday morning at
Trainer Wesley Ward used one word — “fantastic” — to describe Flashpoint’s
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Flashpoint began his career in the care of trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., but
was transferred to Ward’s barn in April. He had the fastest work of the day at
the distance on May 6 and followed that move with a strong performance under
exercise rider Jeffrey Sanchez at 8:30 a.m.
“He started off four or five lengths behind Pleasant Prince, who is a horse
that always goes down there in about a minute,” Ward said. “He cruised right up
to him and finished with speed to spare. Both horses came out of the work
awesome. We’re really excited.”
Pleasant Prince finished 11th in the 2010 Preakness as Ward’s first runner in
the second jewel of the Triple Crown. He won the Ohio Derby (G1) and Oklahoma
Derby and finished a nose runner-up in the Florida Derby (G1) last year.
Flashpoint won his debut at Aqueduct by 6 1/4 lengths on January 15 and
captured the Hutcheson (G2) at Gulfstream Park by 7 1/4 lengths on February 26.
He has not raced since finishing fourth in the Florida Derby on April 3 before
changing barns a few weeks later.
“When he got here, it was like any horse — you’re trying to figure them out
and getting to know them,” Ward said. “With every day that has gone by, he has
taken to the track here at Keeneland. When he first showed up, he was training
good, but now he’s eating up the Polytrack here at Keeneland. He’s bouncing on
and off the racetrack.
“Now he’s used to his surroundings and real familiar with the surface to
where if the Preakness was run at Keeneland, he’d be double-tough to beat, I’ll
tell you that.”
Flashpoint will be flown to Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon. He will be
ridden by Cornelio Velasquez in the Preakness.
Federico Tesio winner CONCEALED IDENTITY (Smarty Jones) galloped 1 1/2 miles
The veteran trainer said he will closely monitor the field size before
“I’ll see how many horses are in there before I enter (in the Preakness),”
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Gaudet said running Concealed Identity in a full field of 14 probably would
not be in the best interest of the colt, who captured an entry-level
allowance/optional claiming race two starts back at Pimlico on April 15.
“He’s a colt that I haven’t pressed too hard,” Gaudet explained. “He’s been a
nice horse and he’s doing very, very well. I know the Preakness is a prestigious
race, but you don’t run in it if you don’t think you belong. It’s like climbing
a ladder: you take one step at a time.”
The Murphy is slated to be run at one mile on turf.
Sheldon Russell, who is slated to ride Concealed Identity in either race,
finished 14th in Saturday’s “Down the Stretch for SGK” Preakness 5k race on the
Pimlico grounds.
Trainer Doodnauth Shivmangal watched ISN’T HE PERFECT (Pleasantly Perfect)
breeze a half-mile Saturday morning at Belmont Park. With Jaime Rodriguez up,
the three-year-old clocked :51.
“I was very pleased with the way he worked,” Shivmangal said.
Earlier in the week, Shivmangal expressed an interest in running Isn’t He
Perfect and Harlan’s Hello (Harlan’s Holiday) in the Preakness. He entered Isn’t
He Perfect in Saturday’s Peter Pan (G2), but scratched in favor of the
Preakness. Harlan’s Hello won an allowance/optional claimer at Belmont Park on
Friday, paying $43.
Shivmangal said he is planning to ship Isn’t He Perfect to Pimlico Tuesday
night or Wednesday morning.
KING CONGIE (Badge of Silver) is scheduled to have his final work for the
Preakness Sunday morning at Belmont Park. Trainer Tom Albertrani said that it
was possible that the work could be postponed by wet weather.
Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, King Congie will be making his first start
since finishing third by a head in the Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland on April 16.
Trainer John Shirreffs said MR. COMMONS (Artie Schiller) came out of his work
on Friday in good shape and walked Saturday morning at Hollywood Park. The Santa
Anita Derby (G1) third-placer worked seven furlongs in 1:24 2/5 under jockey
Victor Espinoza.
MUCHO MACHO MAN (Macho Uno) galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Mike
Trainer Kathy Ritvo said a decision hasn’t been made yet the third-place
“I’m not sure yet,” the South Florida-based trainer said. “We’re going to
Ritvo, a heart-transplant recipient 2 1/2 years ago, is finding daily life at
“It’s been quiet, but I don’t mind either way,” Ritvo said. “But I do like
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Trainer Chris Grove reported from Bowie Training Center Saturday morning that
NORMAN ASBJORNSON (Real Quiet) came out of his workout at Pimlico Friday in
“super” condition.
The Pennsylvania-bred colt clocked five furlongs in 1:02 1/5 under jockey
Julian Pimentel during his brief visit to the site of the 136th Preakness.
Norman Asbjornson finished second in the Gotham (G3) and fourth in the Wood
Memorial (G1) in his last two starts, after being a gate scratch in the
Whirlaway at Aqueduct in February due to bad behavior. Grove said Norman
Asbjornson will be frequently schooled in the gate during Preakness week.
“We’ve worked and worked and worked with him at the gate, and he just doesn’t
seem to get any better about it,” the trainer noted. “But he did make a turn for
the better at the gate this week (at Bowie) and started relaxing. (Thursday) he
was really good at the gate. He’s coming around.”
The Preakness status of RULER ON ICE (Roman Ruler) remained uncertain
Saturday.
“No decision,” trainer Kelly Breen said from Monmouth Park.
Ruler On Ice, who finished third in the Sunland Derby (G3), was the beaten
favorite in the Federico Tesio, won by Concealed Identity, at Pimlico last
Saturday.
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas remains in a holding pattern with his 10th-place
Arkansas Derby finisher, SARATOGA RED (Eddington), who will need further
defections to draw into the field.