The connections of RECAPTURETHEGLORY (Cherokee Run) and RACECAR RHAPSODY
Recapturetheglory jogged a mile and galloped a mile under assistant trainer Lara Van Deren
“First of all we know that we belong,” said co-owner Ronnie Lamarque from New Orleans. “Of
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Recapturetheglory will leave Louisville, Kentucky, on Friday evening and
arrived at Pimlico Saturday morning. E.T. Baird
has the riding assignment.
Roussel and Lamarque are no strangers to the Preakness. They combined
to take the 1988 renewal with Risen Star, a horse who finished third in the
Derby two weeks earlier.
Trainer Kenny McPeek informed Pimlico Racing Secretary Georganne Hale on
Wednesday that Racecar Rhapsody, who finished fourth in the Lexington S. (G2) on
April 19 at Keeneland, is headed to the Preakness.
“The horse is training really well,” McPeek said. “We kind of feel like we
might be running for second money with Big Brown being as impressive as he’s
been, but you never know.”
Robby Albarado, who has ridden the colt in all six of his career starts, will
have the mount as he shoots for his second consecutive Preakness victory. He
piloted Curlin (Smart Strike) to victory last year.
The Preakness starter list now stands at nine: Big Brown, Recapturetheglory,
Racecar Rhapsody, BEHINDATTHEBAR (Forest Wildcat), GIANT MOON (Giant’s
Causeway), KENTUCKY BEAR (Mr. Greeley), STEVIL (Maria’s Mon), TRES BORRACHOS
(Ecton Park) and YANKEE BRAVO (Yankee Gentleman). Others still considering Maryland’s signature race are:
HARLEM ROCKER (Macho Uno), RILEY TUCKER (Harlan’s Holiday) and MACHO AGAIN
(Macho Uno).
With Michelle Nevin up, Big Brown jogged a
The two weeks between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness continues to be
“Coming back in two weeks, he is stacked up against it,” Dutrow said. “He’s
One fast
“I heard that
Dutrow was asked what that could mean for the 1 3/16-mile Preakness.
“He’s got to react to it, but he is not going to need to run a minus-1
The fact Big Brown has scared off practically all but one of his Derby rivals
“We only have two weeks. There is nothing I can do,” Dutrow said. “I just
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Kent Desormeaux, who has ridden Big Brown to his past three victories, has
the call. It will be Desormeaux’s 11th mount in the Preakness, which he won in
1998 aboard Real Quiet.
Also at Churchill Downs, Tres Borrachos worked five furlongs on a fast track
in :59 3/5 under Andy Durnin with trainer Beau Greely looking on from the grandstand.
The move was the second-fastest of 30 works at the distance.
Tres Borrachos was timed in fractions of :12, :23 2/5, :35 1/5 and :47 1/5.
He galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.
Greely, who
owns the bay gelding in partnership with his brother John Greely IV
and Phil Houchens, was happy with the work.
“It looked
like he didn’t get out of a gallop,” Greely said. “I had him in :59 and two and
out in 1:13. He went beautiful. I will breeze him next Tuesday, probably an easy
half, and then ship to Pimlico on Wednesday.”
Tyler Baze,
who rode Tres Borrachos to a third-place finish in the Arkansas Derby (G2), will retain the mount in the Preakness.
Wednesday’s
work was the third at Churchill Downs for Tres Borrachos. His first work after
arriving in Louisville on April 14 was a three-eighths move on April 22.
“I worked him three-eighths just in case he got in the (Kentucky) Derby,” Greely said.
“Then
it did not look like he would run which, after watching it, it turned out better
that he didn’t.
“I watched
the race in California. It was a tough run race. Other horses look like they
kind of got bundled up and I was kind of glad I wasn’t in there. Then you had
Big Brown, who was absolutely amazing. That horse looks like a superstar.”
Greely is
eagerly looking forward to the Preakness challenge.
“I think the Preakness will probably suit this horse better than the Derby
would have,” Greely said. “The turns are a little tighter and it looks like it carries speed,
or it has in the past. Hopefully, it will suit him well and it gives him five
weeks in between the Arkansas Derby and Preakness.”
Tres
Borrachos would be Greely’s second Preakness starter. He saddled Borrego in the
2004 Preakness to a seventh-place finish after running 10th in the Kentucky
Derby two weeks earlier.
At Belmont Park, multiple stakes winner Giant Moon drilled five furlongs on a
fast track in 1:01 under exercise rider Caesar Correa. It ranked sixth of 26 at
the distance.
“He did exactly what we wanted,” trainer Richard Schosberg said. “We’re right on schedule.
Caesar said he did exactly what we wanted.”
Ramon Dominguez, who won a pair of riding titles at Pimlico in 2001, has the
call on Giant Moon. The bay colt most recently finished
fourth in the Wood Memorial (G1) on April 5 at Aqueduct.
At 4:28 p.m. (EDT) Wednesday, the first Preakness horse arrived at the Pimlico stakes barn
when Kentucky Bear completed his 539-mile trip from Lexington, Kentucky, and was bedded down into Stall 9. The
chestnut colt most recently finished third in the Blue
Grass S. (G1) on April 12 at Keeneland. The Reade Baker trainee will
work at Pimlico on Saturday immediately following the renovation break.
“He is very versatile and can do anything,” Baker said. “He has natural speed
and is not crazy. I think that bodes very for the Preakness.”
Assistant
trainer-exercise rider Cassie Garcia indicated Kentucky Bear will either jog or
walk the shedrow Thursday morning.
Stevil, who most recently finished fourth in the Blue Grass,
galloped a mile on Wednesday at Churchill Downs under Megan Smillie. It was
his first day back at the track for the gray colt since working a
half-mile in :48 3/5 on Monday. John Velazquez, who made his Preakness riding
debut last year when he piloted Circular Quay (Thunder Gulch) to a fifth-place finish, will have
the mount on Stevil, according to trainer Nick Zito.
“John has ridden for me a lot of times,” Zito said. “In fact, he worked
Strike the Gold for me at Saratoga when he was a little 18-year-old apprentice.”
Stevil is scheduled to work again early next week and then ship to Baltimore
on Tuesday.
Yankee Bravo is scheduled to work at Hollywood Park on Thursday.