Grade 2 winner Quip returned to the work tab Thursday for the first time since running second in the Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park on April 14.
The bay son of Distorted Humor breezed a half-mile in :48 Thursday over Keeneland’s fast main track ahead of an expected start in the 143rd running of the Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico.
“He went very good this morning. I’ve been saying we wanted to give him some time to recover from the last race and we got a nice effort from him this morning,” trainer Rodolphe Brisset said. “He went off in :25 and came home in :23 and had a good gallop-out. It looked like he cooled out pretty good, so it looks like we’re on schedule to show up at Pimlico.”
Quip had enough points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs on Saturday, but his connections decided to give the sophomore more time between races.
“Some people may have thought I was foolish to pass on the Derby but we’ve got to do the right thing by the horse, and he wasn’t showing us any sign he wanted to run in three weeks,” Brisset said. “Running in the Derby to run is one thing.
“I think the Preakness is, of the three (Triple Crown races), maybe the one race that fits him the best. Hopefully we did the right thing. We should have one more work and if everything goes right we will ship there and see what happens.”
Brisset plans to breeze Quip in Kentucky once more before shipping the colt to Pimlico on the Tuesday before the May 19 Preakness.
“More than likely he will work sometime next weekend, but we’ll monitor the weather and things like that,” he said. “I think he should have one more work and then get on a plane on the 15th and hopefully everything goes right until the 19th. I’m excited to be there.”
Quip captured the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) in his seasonal bow, one month before running in the Arkansas Derby. He’s finished worse than second only once, with that coming as a seventh-place run in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) last November at Churchill Downs.
