BODEMEISTER CONFIRMED; DADDY NOSE BEST MAY JOIN FIELD

BALTIMORE, 05-14-12 – Trainer Bob Baffert on Monday got his first look at Bodemeister since the morning after his brilliant second-place finish in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. The Hall of Fame trainer liked what he saw during his colt’s 1 ½-mile gallop around a muddy oval before confirming the son of Empire Maker for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

“He looks good, his coat is good and he is eating well,” the five-time Preakness-winning trainer said after Bodemeister completed his activity under exercise rider George Alvarez. “I see no reason not to take him (to Pimlico).”

Owned by Zayat Stables, LLC and Michel and Tiffany Moreno, Bodemeister ran some of the fastest fractions in the 138-year history of the Kentucky Derby and did not surrender the lead to eventual winner I’ll Have Another until just before the sixteenth pole.

“He ran an amazing race,” Baffert said. “At the eighth pole, when (jockey) Mike (Smith) went to the left-handed stick, the yellow caution light came on. He tried to fight back and he hung on for second. He was glorious in defeat.”
Baffert liked how Bodemeister bounced out of the race.

“He cooled out quickly and started to eat right after the race,” Baffert said. “I was worried that he might be wiped out and just stay in the back of his stall for three days and sulk, but he never did.”

Baffert has visited the Pimlico winner’s circle with Preakness winners Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998), Point Given (2001), War Emblem (2002) and Lookin At Lucky (2010).

He said that Bodemeister would not have a work before the Preakness.

“I didn’t work Lookin At Lucky after the Derby,” Baffert said. “If a horse didn’t really run or didn’t show up in the Derby, I might breeze them to see if I was missing something.”

Bodemeister entered the Kentucky Derby off a 9 ½-length victory in the Arkansas Derby when he was ridden for the first time by Smith, who won the Preakness in 1993 on Prairie Bayou.

“He deserves it (a shot at the Preakness),” Baffert said of Bodemeister. “He won the Arkansas Derby and then came back in three weeks and ran a great race. He looks good and I don’t see why he can’t run another one.”

Also observing the morning activity was co-owner Ahmed Zayat, who has now had horses finish second in three of the past four runnings of the Kentucky Derby.

“I keep waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning dreaming about the race,” said Zayat, whose Nehro finished second in 2011 and Pioneerof the Nile was second in 2009.

Does Bodemeister win the Derby in the dream?

“No, he does not,” Zayat said.

Baffert told Maryland Jockey Club stakes coordinator Coley Blind that Arnold Zetcher’s Liaison would not run in the Preakness Stakes. Liaison finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby. Baffert said a couple of options for Liaison would be the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 9 or a return to California for the $150,000 Californian (G2) at 1 1/8 miles at Betfair Hollywood Park on June 2.

I’LL HAVE ANOTHER – With rain starting to fall Monday morning, trainer Doug O’Neill called an audible and sent the Kentucky Derby winner out for his daily exercise at 6:45 instead of 8:30.

“We sent one horse out at 6:30 and the track was great,” O’Neill said. “It just started sprinkling and everyone’s iPhone was saying ‘rain’s coming.’ We didn’t want to get caught up in a sloppy track or a wet track, so we took him out. Turned out that we could have waited, but we didn’t know.”

Under his regular exercise rider, Jonny Garcia, the colt had his standard piece of exercise, a half-mile jog followed by a strong gallop for six to eight furlongs.

O’Neill believes in a strong galloping program to keep his horses fit for racing. I’ll Have Another has flourished in that system and has won his three starts, all graded stakes, this year.

“Most of his works were by himself and all well within himself,” O’Neill said. “He’s just a horse that gives 110 percent in all his exercise, so he is able to keep himself fit and ready.”

O’Neill and members of his staff were guests of the Baltimore Ravens at the NFL team’s training center in Owings Mills on Sunday. They watched a session of the rookie camp and had lunch with Ravens head coach John Harbaugh.

”We talked about horses; his wife loves to ride,” O’Neill said. “A lot of what we talked about was his love for the horses and our love for football. It was a great time and he treated us like we all knew each other for years, and yet we had just met.”

Team O’Neill also met Ravens’ general manager Ozzie Newsome, assistant coaches and coordinators.

“It was fun. What a first-class setting,” O’Neill said. “That will definitely be one of the top things that we have experienced here in Baltimore.”

COZZETTI – The Albaugh Family Stables LLC’s Cozzetti indicated his readiness for Saturday’s Preakness by working five furlongs over a muddy Churchill surface in :58.80, the fastest clocking of 10 recorded at the distance.

With exercise rider Tammy Fox aboard, Cozzetti worked on his own while reeling off fractions of :11.60, :23.20, :34.80, :46.80 and galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.40 and seven-eighths in 1:27.40.

“It was a good five-eighths work,” said trainer Dale Romans, who won the Preakness with Shackleford last year.

Romans indicated that Cozzetti probably would go to the track Wednesday morning before flying to Pimlico.

CREATIVE CAUSE – Heinz Steinmann’s gray son of Giant’s Causeway walked the shedrow at Betfair Hollywood Park as he prepares for his second cross-country trip to run in Saturday’s Preakness.

After finishing fifth in the Kentucky Derby, Creative Cause was shipped back to California by trainer Mike Harrington, who has determined that his colt is fit and ready to ship to Pimlico on Wednesday.

“Everything’s fine,” said the 71-year-old Harrington, who is scheduled to arrive by plane in Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon. The colt will be on an earlier flight that will stop in Louisville to pick up the Churchill Downs contingent heading to the Preakness.

“I’d like to be there for the draw, but I don’t know if I’ll make it there in time or not,” Harrington said. The post-position draw is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday on HRTV. Creative Cause finished only three lengths behind winner I’ll Have Another in the Kentucky Derby.

Joel Rosario has the return mount.

HANSEN – Trainer Mike Maker said Monday morning that 2011 Eclipse Award winner Hansen would not be running in Saturday’s Preakness at Pimlico.

“He is not going,” Maker said of the ninth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby. “That would be coming back a little quick.”

Hansen, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Churchill Downs last fall to cement his championship status, is owned by his breeder, Dr. Kendall Hansen, and Skychai Racing.

Maker indicated that Hansen likely would be pointed to the $400,000 Woody Stephens (G2) to be run at seven furlongs on the Belmont Stakes (G1) Day undercard June 9.

DADDY NOSE BEST – Although Hierro and Isn’t He Clever were withdrawn from Preakness consideration Monday morning, trainer Steve Asmussen may still be represented in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.

Cathy and Bob Zollars’ Daddy Nose Best was added to the list of Preakness candidates after working a half-mile in 53 seconds over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs Monday morning. The Sunland Park Derby (G3) winner finished a troubled 10th in the Kentucky Derby.

“The decision will be made on Tuesday after we see how he comes out of his work,” said Zollars by phone from Texas. “He came out of the (Kentucky) Derby fine. We had him all checked over. Steve and I will talk it over on Tuesday.”

Representatives of Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables informed Pimlico officials Monday morning that Hierro, the winner of the Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (G3) at Churchill Downs on April 28, will not run in the Preakness Stakes.

Kirk and Judy Robison also decided to bypass the Preakness with Isn’t He Clever, who finished ninth in the Arkansas Derby (G1) last time out.

“We are going to wait for something after the Preakness,” Kirk Robison said from El Paso, Texas. “The horse could not be doing any better and Steve said he worked well this morning. We are going to wait for the right spot with him and I’ll let Steve tell me what that spot is.”

WENT THE DAY WELL – Team Valor International and Mark Ford’s Went the Day Well galloped 1 ½ miles at Fair Hill Training Center Monday morning.

Trainer Graham Motion’s plan to ship to Pimlico after training hours Tuesday morning could be changed by rainy weather.

“Only if it looks like the track is going to be a mess on Wednesday will I not ship him (Tuesday),” Motion said. “As long as it looks like it will clear up tomorrow, I’m not too worried.”

Motion has a long history of success at Pimlico.

“Pimlico was actually where I started. That was where I worked for Bernie Bond and when I took over his stable. We were always at Pimlico until I moved to Laurel when I set up my own stable,” said Motion who worked for Bond in 1991. “I’ve certainly had a lot of stakes success at Pimlico.”

The 47-year-old trainer scored his first graded-stakes win at Pimlico with Gala Spinaway in the 1993 Polynesian (G3).

John Velazquez, who guided Went the Day Well to a fourth-place Kentucky Derby finish, has the return mount for the Preakness.

TEETH OF THE DOG – J.W. Singer LLC’s Teeth of the Dog enjoyed a morning of light training at Fair Hills Training Center Monday.

“He’s doing great. He just jogged two miles,” trainer Michael Matz said.

Matz said he plans to ship the son of Bluegrass Cat from the Elkton, Md. training center to Pimlico later in the week.

Joe Bravo has the return mount aboard Teeth of the Dog for the Preakness.

TIGER WALK – Trainer Ignacio Correas reported Monday morning that Sagamore Farm’s Tiger Walk came out of his workout the day before in fine order.

“He came out of it fantastic,” said Correas from Kevin Plank’s historic Glyndon, Md. farm. “He walked today and he grazed a little bit before the rain.”

Tiger Walk, who finished fourth in the Wood Memorial (G1) last time out, breezed four furlongs in 47 3/5 seconds at Pimlico Sunday morning before taking the 20-minute ride back to Sagamore.

“He likes the track. He was training here for about a month, and then we only left the babies here. We took all the other horses to the farm,” Correas said. “He’s very familiar and comfortable here. Now we’ll see how he handles the crowd – that’s the only question.”

Kent Desormeaux is scheduled to ride Tiger Walk for the first time in the Preakness.

ZETTERHOLM – The New York-bred son of Silver Train walked the shedrow in the Preakness Stakes Barn on Monday, the morning after he breezed five furlongs on 1:01.40.

“Everything is good,” assistant trainer Blake Dutrow said. “He seems happy to be here. It’s an off day for him so he’s just taking it easy.”

Dutrow, 20, works for his uncle, Richard Dutrow Jr., and is the grandson of the late Maryland training legend, Richard Dutrow Sr. His father, Chip, and his uncle, Tony, are trainers, too.

Zetterholm brings a three-race winning streak at Aqueduct into the Preakness. The New York-bred opened 2012 with a second-place finish on Jan. 7 and broke his maiden on Feb. 4. He rallied from off the pace to beat an allowance field by a half-length on March 4 and took the restricted Patsyprospect Stakes by 2¼ lengths on April 6.

Blake Dutrow said the bay colt out of the Lord at War mare Holy Wish is easy to deal with.

“He’s a pretty smart horse. He likes to stop and look at his surroundings,” he said. “He’s just getting used to the place.”

Zetterholm will be taking a sizeable step up in competition from the Patsyprospect to the Preakness.

“Every race he has improved from his last,” Dutrow said. “If he likes the track and the race sets up nice for him, he’s got as good a shot as anybody. I think the race does set up nice.”

Jockey Junior Alvarado, Zetterholm’s regular rider, will make his Preakness debut on Winter Park Partners’ colt.

OPTIMIZER – Bluegrass Hall LLC’s Optimizer completed the Kentucky portion of his training for the Preakness by working a half-mile in :49.80 Monday morning at Churchill Downs.

With exercise rider Joel Cano up, Optimizer was the first horse to work over a track labeled as sloppy when the track opened at 6 o’clock. Working on his own, Optimizer recorded fractions of :13.20, :25.60 and :37.60.

“That was perfect,” trainer D. Wayne Lukas said of the move that was the 14th fastest of 25 at the distance.

Optimizer is scheduled to leave Churchill Downs early Tuesday morning for a van ride to Baltimore.

Lukas has saddled five Preakness winners: Codex (1980), Tank’s Prospect (1985), Tabasco Cat (1994), Timber Country (1995) and Charismatic (1999).

GUYANA STAR DWEEJ -- Trainer Doodnauth Shivmangal sent the son of Eddington onto a track labeled fast at Belmont Park Monday morning for a leisurely gallop before learning there were enough defections for him to make the field for Preakness 137. Showing only a maiden victory on his resume, Guyana Star Dweej will likely be one of the longest shots in the prospective field.

“After his maiden win (April 7 at Aqueduct) we knew he had run a better Beyer (Speed) Figure in every race and he beat older horses,” said Shivmangal, who saddled Isn’t He Perfect for a ninth-place finish in last year’s Preakness. “He ran against some good horses. One of the horses that beat him at Aqueduct, Morgan’s Guerrilla, that’s the horse they took to the Illinois Derby.”

Shivmangal said he probably should have given the colt more recovery time after the maiden score, but instead ran him back in 20 days and finished second in an optional claimer the first time facing winners.

“I should have given him the whole month off,” said the 59-year-old Guyana native. “I was really heading to the Peter Pan (last weekend at Belmont). Since we didn’t get to the Peter Pan, I decided to give him a shot in the Preakness. He’s a horse, I think, that can go the mile and three-sixteenths.”

PRETENSION – Kidwells Petite Stable’s Pretension had a scheduled walking day at Bowie Race Course Monday morning.

Trainer Chris Grove will meet with owner Irving Kidwell after training hours Tuesday morning to discuss Pretension’s status for the Preakness Stakes.

BRIMSTONE ISLAND – The consistent son of Tiznow will run in a race on Saturday’s undercard instead of the Preakness, according to owner/trainer Billy Campbell.

“These are some of the best horses in the country,” Campbell said. “I’m not sure he’s up to that kind of task.”

A four-time winner with three seconds from 10 starts, Brimstone Island will be entered in the fourth race, a $50,000 allowance at 1 1/16 miles that will likely include trainer Bob Baffert-trained Paynter, runner-up in the Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (G3) last time out.

With the assumption that there isn't much speed to go with Bodemeister, does a really fast workout like the one Cozzetti had today indicate their intent to contest the pace. Are they hoping (as most trainers probably are!!) that Bode is cooked after two great races in a short turn around? Or, am I over-thinking the situation?

You're over thinking the situation. Cozzetti would have to be put to an all out drive to keep up with Bodemeister.

Also, Dale Romans almost always works his horses quickly.

Since posting, I went to Cozzetti's PPs and noticed that he broke his maiden at CD on a wet track. And, apparently it was wet there this morning.

With that being said, who is the logical "pressure" on Bode. I would have to assume with Bode's situation, somebody is sending their horse after him to see what he's got left.

Why? I'm sure that some of the connections would just be thrilled to earn a check and get a Graded placing. Why send and try to run with Bode, it's almost a guaranteed suicide mission for the horse that goes and all it does is soften up Bode for someone else to pick up the pieces.

It's a good point, I was more inquiring that stating an opinion. But, wouldn't it make sense not to let Bode get out there by himself?

I'd much rather let Bode do his thing and try to hang on for a piece than to pressure him and ensure my horse finishes 10th.

Depends on which way you are looking at it. As a gambler, I don't want to take Bode at extremely short odds regardless of the pace scenario, so based on the probable set-up I would use Bode as a single in any type of pick 3 or pick 4 and try to find value somewhere else.

As a horse owner, you almost have to think that if Bode runs again like he did two weeks ago, everyone is running for second anyway.

We all saw how well that strategy works in the Turf Classic. :rolleyes:

Anyone know the Min Bets on the Preakness?

Also damn the Woody Stephens is looking good,tons of speed

Trinniberg,Hansen,Currency Swap,Isn't He Clever so far

MINIMUM BET VALUES:
WPS, EX, DD & TWIN TRI $1.00
PICK 3, PICK 4, PICK 5, TRI $0.50
SUPERFECTA $0.10

MINIMUM TICKET VALUES:
PICK 3, PICK 4, PICK 5 $0.50
ALL OTHERS $1.00

Who's not excited for the annual chalkfest that is Preakness Day? Maybe my memory is sketchy, but prices seem few and far between on Preakness Day.

If you have a horse whose best asset is speed the worst thing you can do is to take them back as you are taking away their most powerful asset. IMO you are more likely to finish worse when you take a speed horse off the pace because you are afraid of another speed horse. Look how well Right to Vote ran on a very fast pace in the Peter Pan, doubt he gets first or second if he is taken off the pace regardless of how much speed there is in the race.

Nick I agree with you. The point that was trying to get across was that if there is no real other speed horses in the race, why sacrifice your own horse's chance by making him do something he usually doesn't do? Basically jumping on the grenade for the rest of the field so Bode doesn't get a soft easy lead.

My bad, I had not looked at the PP's yet.

Asmussen tells DRF's Byron King that Daddy Nose Best is a go for Preakness.

PIM: 5/19/12 - Preakness Stakes (G1)

1. I'll Have Another (D. O'Neill/M. Gutierrez)
2. Bodemeister (B. Baffert/M. Smith)
3. Went The Day Well (G. Motion/J. Velazquez)
4. Creative Cause (M. Harrington/J. Rosario)
5. Liaison (B. Baffert/M. Garcia) -- Uncertain
6. Optimizer (D. Lukas/C. Nakatani)
7. Daddy Nose Best (S. Asmussen/J. Leparoux)
8. Cozzetti (D. Romans/J. Lezcano)
9. Teeth of the Dog (M. Matz/J. Bravo)
10. Tiger Walk (I. Correas/K. Desormeaux)
11. Zetterholm (R. Dutrow/J. Alvarado)
12. Pretension (C. Grove/J. Santiago)
13. Guyana Star Dweej (D. Shivmangal/Solis)

you are 100% right

Byron King put on Twitter that Julien Leparoux will ride Daddy Nose Best because of the French strangler's prior success on him.

5. Liaison (B. Baffert/M. Garcia) -- Uncertain


I thought Baffert wasn't giving Garcia any more mounts? Or did that blow over already?

That's just a preliminary list.

tiger walk will add blinkers for the preakness.

would like to see sagamore win a preakness, but not thinking it'll happen this year.

As per Privman Twitter:
Guyana Star Dweej will not run in the Preakness. Sorry to those of you who were going to key him. #preakness

Now I have to rethink my whole betting strategy...

Paul

I get it now. Lukas is using the Preakness as a prep for the Belmont. No, really he is.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/h...,3734077.story

Its like Proud Citizen all over again!

Preakness Draw Sheet (G1)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.


Bodemeister (B. Baffert/M. Smith)
Cozzetti (D. Romans/J. Lezcano)
Creative Cause (M. Harrington/J. Rosario)
Daddy Nose Best (S. Asmussen/J. Leparoux)
I'll Have Another (D. O'Neill/M. Gutierrez)
Optimizer (D. Lukas/C. Nakatani)
Pretension (C. Grove/J. Santiago)
Teeth of the Dog (M. Matz/J. Bravo)
Tiger Walk (I. Correas/K. Desormeaux)
Went The Day Well (G. Motion/J. Velazquez)
Zetterholm (R. Dutrow/J. Alvarado)

I’LL HAVE ANOTHER READY FOR CROWN QUEST; PREAKNESS NOTEBOOK

BALTIMORE, 05 -16-12 – Trainer Doug O’Neill said Wednesday that a horse will win the elusive Triple Crown again and that Reddam Racing’s I’ll Have Another might be the right horse in the right situation to complete the sweep.

I’ll Have Another won the Kentucky Derby, finishing 1½ lengths in front of Bodemeister, and is being prepared for the 137th Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course. The 11th and last horse to win the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes was Affirmed in 1978.

Meeting with a large media contingent on Wednesday morning, O’Neill said he liked the way the scenario has played out with the Flower Alley colt. I’ll Have Another ran three times as a 2-year-old in 2011, suffered a shin injury in the Hopeful on Sept. 5 and didn’t race again until Feb. 4 in the Robert B. Lewis (G2) at Santa Anita. O’Neill waited another two months before starting him in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), which he won with a gutty performance that sent him to the Kentucky Derby.

The Triple Crown is a demanding test with three races run over three different tracks at different distances in a span of five weeks.

“If we hadn’t won the Bob Lewis, our horse wouldn’t be as fresh as he is right now,” O’Neill said. “He ran so huge in the Bob Lewis that we were able to give him nine weeks between that second start.

“I think we’re really seeing the fruits of that right now. He’s only had three starts. He’s still fresh-legged. If anything, he’s thriving right now. Like every other sport, you’ve got to stay injury-free. If he stays injury-free and healthy, I think he’s the type of horse that could do it.”

After an off-day Tuesday because of heavy morning rain, I’ll Have Another returned to the track at Pimlico Wednesday morning for his usual half-mile jog and brisk six to eight-furlong gallop under exercise rider Jonny Garcia.

“He looks fantastic; great energy,” O’Neill said. “He’s maintained his beautiful, long stride. We’re just very happy with each day that goes by.”

I’ll Have Another had spent a quiet week at Pimlico after his Kentucky Derby victory, and O’Neill said he has adjusted easily to the increased level of activity on the track’s grounds this week.

“He’s good,” O’Neill said. “As more trucks come and Clydesdales are walking around, you can definitely tell that he’s like, ‘Whoa, I didn’t see that yesterday.’ He’s such a cool horse and once he sees something once he’s fine. He’s settled right in.”

In the Kentucky Derby, I’ll Have Another was able to sit off the fast early pace set by Bodemeister and make his winning move in the stretch. With Derby runners Trinniberg and Hansen passing the Preakness, Bodemeister looks to be the lone speed in the 11-horse field and O’Neill said he and jockey Mario Gutierrez will have to change tactics. O’Neill talked about the strategy for the Preakness with retired Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte, who visited Pimlico over the weekend. Turcotte rode two Preakness winners, Tom Rolfe in 1965 and Triple Crown winner Secretariat in 1973.

“He just said you want to make sure that you don’t get too far back, especially around the far turn here -- the track takes a little bit of an uphill turn,” O’Neill said. “And he said that a lot of times you’ll get separation and by the eighth pole the track kind of pitches a little downhill and it’s hard to make up a lot of ground in the last eighth. It’s almost like you’ve got to treat the eighth pole as the wire.”

O’Neill said his colt can deal with a different approach in the Preakness.

“The great thing about I’ll Have Another is that his first step out of the gate is very quick,” O’Neill said. “If Bodemeister is going to get an easy lead, we’ll just push him. Somewhere in midrace, hopefully we can take a little breather. Somewhere around that three-eighths (pole), we’ll have to go after him and hopefully have a good stretch duel and end up on the winning end again.”

O’Neill nodded at a question about whether Bodemeister, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, was likely to go off as the favorite in the Preakness.

“The little bit I know of this track, with his style he’ll be there at the eighth pole,”

O’Neill said. “With his brilliant speed and his talent, I could see why people would (make him the betting favorite). And Bob has won five Preaknesses.

“I think we’ll be OK and I think we have a horse that is versatile enough to give ‘Bode’ some heat early, ideally settle a little bit and then go after him again late.”

O’Neill said that he likes what he sees on the “sheets,” which analyze how horses performed in each race and indicate how they may run in their next start.

“I think we’ve got a good pattern going,” O’Neill said. “We ran big off the layoff in the Bob Lewis. “We regressed a little winning the Santa Anita Derby and then we matched our number of the Bob Lewis in the Kentucky Derby. Usually, those horses move forward. Hopefully, the numbers are right here.”

BODEMEISTER – Zayat Stables LLC and Michel and Tiffany Moreno’s Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Bodemeister jogged a mile over a fast track under exercise rider George Alvarez with assistant trainer Jim Barnes alongside on a pony Wednesday at Churchill Downs.

Trained by five-time Preakness winner Bob Baffert, Bodemeister was scheduled to load on a van at 11 a.m. for the short ride to Louisville International Airport to board a Tex Sutton flight to Baltimore.

The Sutton flight originated in California with a 5:08 a.m. (PDT) departure for Louisville. The plane was scheduled to land in Louisville at 11:37 a.m. (EDT) and then head to Baltimore with a contingent of Churchill Downs runners for Preakness Weekend.

Mike Smith, winner of the 1993 Preakness on Prairie Bayou, has the call on Bodemeister.

COZZETTI – The Albaugh Family Stables LLC’s Cozzetti, jogged twice around early Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs under exercise rider Romero Cordache.

Trained by Dale Romans, who saddled Shackleford to win last year’s Preakness, Cozzetti was scheduled to fly to Baltimore today.

Jose Lezcano, who has been aboard the son of Cozzene in his past two starts, has the Preakness mount.

DADDY NOSE BEST – Regular rider Julien Leparoux will return to the saddle for Cathy and Bob Zollars’ Daddy Nose Best in the Preakness.

The Eclipse Award-winning jockey has ridden the Scat Daddy colt in eight consecutive races at six different tracks since July 2011, but opted to stay with Union Rags in the Kentucky Derby. Leparoux has been aboard for all four of Daddy Nose Best’s victories, including the El Camino Real Derby (G3) and the Sunland Park Derby (G3).

Daddy Nose Best, 10th in the Kentucky Derby, walked the shedrow at Barn 38 Wednesday morning and was scheduled to be shipped to Baltimore later in the morning.

Bob Zollars said that he and trainer Steve Asmussen waited a week before deciding to try the colt in the Preakness.

“We just determined that we felt like he had completely bounced back,” Zollars said. “As much as you can make a determination of that, he appears to be ready to go. It’s a short turnaround. I was concerned how well he would bounce back. We’ve done blood work on him and checked him out. He’s very perky, so we think that he’s ready to run again.”

Asmussen, who won the Preakness in 2007 with Curlin and in 2009 with Rachel Alexandra, will be represented in Friday’s two headliners at Old Hilltop, the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) and the Pimlico Special (G3). In the Black-Eyed Susan, Asmussen will send out Glinda the Good for Stonestreet Stables and in the Pimlico Special his runner will be Zayat Stables’ Nehro.

CREATIVE CAUSE – The fifth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby boarded a plane in Los Angeles at around 5 a.m. Pacific for the journey back East. The son of Giant’s Causeway embarked on his third cross-country venture since last fall, when he went to Churchill Downs for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

The flight made a stopover in Louisville to pick up the Churchill-based Preakness contingent before heading onto Baltimore for a van ride to Pimlico Race Course with an estimated arrival time of 3 p.m.

“He’s a good traveler,” said 71-year-old trainer Mike Harrington, who will be saddling his first Preakness runner for owner Heinz Steinmann.

Creative Cause finished third in the Juvenile after his first trip East in November, only a length behind eventual 2-year-old champion Hansen. His fifth in the Derby included a wide trip that left him three lengths behind winner I’ll Have Another.
Creative Cause defeated I’ll Have Another in last year’s Best Pal (G2) at Del Mar and beat Derby runner-up Bodemeister in the March 10 San Felipe (G2) at Santa Anita. He will be ridden by Joel Rosario.

WENT THE DAY WELL – Team Valor International and Mark Ford’s Went the Day Well galloped 1 ½ miles on the Tapeta surface at Fair Hill Training Center Wednesday morning before his scheduled noon departure for Pimlico Race Course.

Trainer Graham Motion had shipped Animal Kingdom to Pimlico on Preakness Day morning before his Kentucky Derby winner closed from far back to finish second behind Shackleford last year. He determined that Went the Day Well would benefit from arriving at Pimlico a few days before the Preakness.

“It’s all about letting him take it all in. He’ll school in the gate and school in the paddock tomorrow,” Motion said. “It’s as much about getting him used to his surroundings as it is about getting him used to the track.”

John Velazquez, who guided Went the Day Well in a fast-closing fourth in the Kentucky Derby, will be aboard the New York-bred son of Proud Citizen again for the Preakness.

TEETH OF THE DOG – J.W. Singer LLC’s Teeth of the Dog galloped 1 3/8 miles at Fair Hill Training Center Wednesday morning.

The son of Bluegrass Cat finished third in his stakes debut in the Wood Memorial (G1) at Aqueduct last time out.

Joe Bravo has the return mount.

OPTIMIZER – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas sat in his traditional corner at the far end of the Preakness Stakes Barn Wednesday morning, looking none the worse for wear after a 12-hour van ride the previous day with Bluegrass Hall LLC’s Optimizer and five other equine passengers from Churchill Downs.

Some 76-year-olds might have slept in after the tiring ordeal, but Lukas was up at 3:30 a.m. and was the first one at the barn – as usual. He sent Optimizer to the track at Pimlico for the first time for a 1 ¼-mile gallop only two days after his final work in Louisville.

“We left right out of the gate at 5 a.m.,” said the five-time Preakness winner. “I go with the horses. If they fly, I go with the horses. If they van, I go with the horses. At this stage of my career, I’m not supposed to have to do that, but I don’t feel very comfortable leaving them there.”

The former quarter horse trainer and high school basketball coach, who made racing history when he won six consecutive Triple Crown races in the mid-90’s, said the vans of today are actually more creature-comfortable for the thoroughbreds because of the easier accessibility to feed and water.

“It’s more hours than a flight, but you’d be surprised how well those horses relax,” he said. “I go with them every step of the way. I call all the shots.”

He’s been calling the shots for more than 30 years in thoroughbred racing, winning 13 Triple Crown races along the way. He last won a Preakness in 1999 with Kentucky Derby winner Charismatic. He has a long shot with Optimizer, but Lukas is hoping the son of English Channel can be a factor on Saturday.

Optimizer is looking for his first victory since his maiden score on grass at Saratoga last summer. He finished 11th in traffic in the Kentucky Derby under Jon Court, but will be ridden by Corey Nakatani in the Preakness for the first time.

TIGER WALK – Sagamore Farm’s Tiger Walk galloped 1 3/8 miles at Kevin Plank’s historic farm in Glyndon, Md.

The son of Tale of the Cat broke through with his first career victory in his third start, capturing a mile turf race by five lengths at Laurel on Nov. 3. About six weeks later, Tiger Walk came right back to capture a mile allowance race on dirt at Laurel.

“The turf course wasn’t closed yet, but we decided to take a shot on the dirt because we were going to stay here for the winter, when there’s no turf racing,” trainer Ignacio Correas said.”I think he can run on both, but I don’t think he likes a ‘good’ track. He likes it fast.”

After his maiden victory, Tiger Walk raced in three graded stakes at Aqueduct. After an encouraging third in the Withers (G3), he finished a distant fourth from the No. 13 post over a wet track in the Gotham (G3).

“He didn’t like the track, but we knew he wouldn’t have a good trip because of that post position,” Correas said. “We decided to run because the horse needed the experience at that point and he ran a pretty good race.”

Tiger Walk, who closed to finish fourth in the Wood Memorial (G1), will wear blinkers Saturday.

Kent Desormeaux is set to ride Tiger Walk for the first time in the Preakness, which he has won aboard Real Quiet (1998) and Big Brown (2008).

ZETTERHOLM – Trainer Richard Dutrow said the New York-bred colt is doing well entering his first try in graded-stakes company. The son of Silver Train has won three in a row against New York-bred competition. He galloped two times around Pimlico under exercise rider Mario Madrid on Wednesday morning.

“Our horse is doing good,” Dutrow said by phone from New York. “I think he likes things and I hope he runs big. Right now, he’s training like he will, so we’re happy with things.”

Although Zetterholm is a late-running horse, Dutrow said he wasn’t happy to see speedy Bodemeister in the Preakness, even though he probably will assure a sharp early pace that could benefit a closer.

“I would prefer that they would scratch, that’s for sure,” Dutrow said. “To me, he looks like the horse to beat. It’s going to make it awful tough on us if he runs big, and it certainly looks like he will.

“I’m just hoping that our colt runs big and shows up the right way. I’m under the impression that he will. We’re certainly hoping that he will. It’s a really tough spot for him. He hasn’t run against horses like this and he has to ship out of town to do it. It’s not a party, so that’s why we’re looking for our horse to run big and we’re looking to go forward with him. He’s doing good; we’re happy with him. It’s a big race for him. If he shows up, we’re going to be very, very happy.”

Jockey Junior Alvarado will make his Preakness debut aboard the Winter Park Partners colt.

PRETENSION – Kidwells Petite Stable’s Pretension galloped 1 ½ miles at Bowie Training Center Wednesday, the morning after trainer Chris Grove confirmed the son of Bluegrass Cat for a Preakness start.

“He galloped right along. He galloped a strong mile and a half,” Grove said.

The son of Bluegrass Cat was purchased out of the 2011 Ocala Breeders’ March sale for $75,000.

“I really liked the pedigree and he looked like a racehorse to me,” Grove said. “I saw the tape (of his breeze) and he had no wasted motion. Everything was forward and clean.”

Javier Santiago has the return mount.

GUYANA STAR DWEEJ – Shivmangal Racing Stable’s son of Eddington was declared from the Preakness after a left front leg injury failed to improve sufficiently, trainer Doodnauth Shivmangal reported from Belmont Park Wednesday morning.

“We looked at the horse where he had grabbed his quarter a little bit galloping, and it was still not properly healed,” Shivmangal said. “We didn’t get any kind of work into him because of the track being bad the last week, so we decided we’re going to have to skip this one.”

Guyana Star Dweej would have been Shivmangal’s second consecutive starter in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Isn’t He Perfect finished ninth in last year’s race.

“This is really rough for me,” Shivmangal said. “We’re more than disappointed.”

PIMLICO SPECIAL NOTE-Trainer Al Stall, Jr. scratched Cease from Friday’s $300,000 Pimlico Special (G3), reducing the field to nine runners. With the defection, Pimlico handicapper Frank Carulli adjusted the original morning lines of Alternation, who went from 9-2 to 4-1 and Cherokee Artist (20-1 to 15-1).

Alternation, Yawanna Twist and Eighttofasttocatch (20-1) trained at Pimlico Race Course this morning.

I'm just curious, but has anybody seen any actual in person observations of any of the runners who are at Old Hilltop currently? There's an oversaturation of information at CD, but virtually nothing similar at PIM.

Watch Marty McGee's DRF updates for previous mornings and Privman was on with me today about this morning.

Excellent information - thank you. I wish Welsch followed the horses to PIM.

Priv video: http://t.co/pQxwmPUb

6/9 (BEL) 144th Belmont Stakes (Contender PPs as of 5/20)
 

PPs for possible Belmont participants.


Atigun (McPeek)
Alpha (McLaughlin)
Dullahan (Romans)
Five Sixteen (Schettino)
Guyana Star Dweej (Shivmangel)
I'll Have Another (O'Neill)
Mark Valeski (Jones)
Optimizer (Lukas)
Paynter (Baffert)
Rousing Sermon (Hollendorfer)
Stealcase (Casse)
Street Life (C. Brown)
Union Rags (Matz)
Unstoppable U (McPeek)

Gotta think Repole/Pletcher would enter Street Brawl after his win

Highly doubtful. That's asking an awful lot of a 3rd time starter coming back in just 3 weeks. I'm sure he'll be pointed to the Dwyer/Jim Dandy/Travers.

Who's Prado riding...he's the cooler!!!!

...or prepped for a 110+ Beyer at GP off the bench.

Bejarano and Rousing Sermon should re-unite. Seems like his camp made good calls during the prep season only to get the El Padrino mount on Derby day. Must've been tough for him to watch Bodemeister from the Ark Derby onwards.

Castellano replacing Desormeaux aboard Dullahan.

http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com...s&alertID=1881

Good. I feel hes the big threat to halt a tc win.