Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Epicenter 6-5 morning favorite line for Preakness Stakes (G1) May 21, jogged a mile around Pimlico racetrack early May 18, his first morning in town after driving from Louisville. Also getting a feel for the Maryland track for the first time on Wednesday is Vote early , Armagnac and Creative Minister .
Scott Blasi, assistant coach Steve Asmussen, who left the track early to see the horses at work at The Midlantic Sale, 2 years old of Fasig-Tipton is training. sold at Timonium. “He got out of the Derby with relative ease and made the ship nice. Just trying to settle in and get our schooling up and running on Saturday.”
Blasi said Epicenter will study at the starting gate during Thursday’s training and will study on the lawn during the race.
Epicenter was also the favorite in the Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) with impressive wins in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) and Risen Star Stakes presented by Lamarque Ford (G2). The son of Not this time seemed to be at home freely in the deep Derby, only to get a late result Rich Strike shoot past him on the rails to win three quarters of the length at 80-1 odds.
“The only way I can explain it is, it’s not like that,” Blasi said, adding about the amazing speed that included the first quarter of a mile in the Derby record: 21.78, “I don’t think it’s that!” Has anyone seen those small parts appear in the first 3/4 mile of the race. The race fell apart a bit, as it should have. It is so. If you don’t learn how to turn pages in this game, you’ll have a lot of sleepless nights.
“Derby is an event, a 20-horse race in which they’ll never have to participate again. Just one of those things. The first one wins, as Steve always says. It didn’t happen.” .. Honestly, it’s over. There’s no rematch. There’s a Derby every year. We’re proud of our horse and the way it runs. Congratulations to the winner.”
Epicenter will get rid of lesson 8 in Preakness, which Rich Strike is ignoring.
“We absolutely love the horse,” says Blasi. “He’s incredibly talented. We’re lucky to have him. He’s very consistent in his coaching, very work-minded, shows and does his job well. That’s the great thing about horses like that, their consistency.”
Gallops voting early
Klaravich’s barn Vote early pick 7-2 on the Preakness morning route, made his first visit to the track at Pimlico on Wednesday morning, a day after transporting from coach Chad Brown’s barn at Belmont Park.
Brown’s assistant Baldo Hernandez will oversee the foal’s activities until the trainer arrives on Friday. With his regular exercise racer Marino Garcia, Early Voting was out on the track at 8:30 a.m. ET, after repair time.
“He galloped a mile and a half. I’m really happy he’s back home,” Hernandez said. “He likes it here, so he’s in good shape.”
Early voting in Pimlico
Preakness will be the first time to start Early Voting since Aqueduct race track, where he broke his maidenhood, winning the Withers (G3), and finishing second by neck in the Wood Memorial Stakes presented by Resorts World Casino (G2). Brown and Klaravich owner Seth Klarman chose to skip the Kentucky Derby to focus on the Preakness, the tournament they won in 2017 with Cloud Computing using the same scenario.
“He’s moved forward from Wood,” said Hernandez. He had time to rest. “He’s in good shape.”
Armagnac joins the Trust Builder
Having just embarked on a cross-country road trip from Southern California that took him to Baltimore on Tuesday night, Armagnac began operations on Wednesday.
The son of Quality Sugar made his debut at Pimlico just after 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, galloping about a mile toward coach Tim Yakteen.
“Just an easy gallop,” Yakteen said. “He’s been traveling well. He looks good out there. They all look good out there.”
Armagnac galloping at Pimlico
Armagnac, owned by SF Racing and partners, last ran May 8, winning the optional claim race at Santa Anita . Park. It was the best performance of his five-race career. Armagnac won the 1/16-mile race then finished fourth in the April 9 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1), 12 1/2 lengths behind. Taiba . Second in that race is Messier , also trained by Yakteen. The three horses were transferred to former assistant to Hall of Fame coach Bob Baffert while that conditioner served a regulatory suspension for testing positive for betamethasone following Medina Spirit’s race in the Kentucky Derby. year 2021. Jack is happy another Preakness candidate, came in third, ahead of Armagnac.
The decision to transfer the train to Baltimore was made after the allowance point.
“We could knock him down to play and just put him in an area that would give him a confidence boost,” Yakteen said. “I think we’ve done that. He’s gone with a clear respite and into a light rhythm.”
Creative Minister Feel Good
Fern Circle Stables, Back Racing, and Magdalena Racing subsidy option announced victory The Minister of Innovation felt good on Wednesday during his first visit to the track.
Complemented to Preakness for a fee of $150,000, the Creative Cause dark horse will launch its stake in Preakness’s back-to-back matchmaking and the company subsidizing trainer Kenny McPeek.
McPeek, who won the 2020 delayed COVID with the chubby Swiss Parachute ahead of the Kentucky Derby winner and ultimately the Horse of the Year Real , is expected to be at Pimlico on Thursday morning. Meanwhile, gymnast Danny Ramsey oversaw the Creative Minister’s first day of practice in Pimlico after driving from Louisville on Tuesday.
Creative Minister galloping in Pimlico
Ramsey had planned to bring in the Innovation Secretary shortly after the mid-morning reparation break. But the horse had other ideas.
“He was jumping around,” Ramsey said. “I took him for a walk this morning because he feels so good. I took him 35, almost 40 minutes. I think that will help him settle in a little bit. And he started dancing and feeling it. well, so I said to the groom, ‘Put him in the saddle and get him to the track.’
“That’s typical of him. I galloped him in Churchill, and he jumped around and felt good. I think the ride might have helped him settle in a bit,” he added. “The trip didn’t take anything away from him.”
“We’re just watching how he improves,” said co-owner Greg Back. “He ran that incredible race with a pension, and Kenny said, ‘This horse has as much talent as my other horses. If you guys want to go, we can go.” I mean, the speed number (Equibase) did everything for me (after his May 7 permit win). I know he is a talented horse. But when you start running 108, you can compete with anyone. “
Happy Jack, Fenwick settle down
Happy Jack of Calumet Farm, 30-1 on the Preakness morning route, arrived in Pimlico at 4 a.m. Wednesday after leaving Churchill Downs at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Present at the traveling party was Sabas Rivera, the barn foreman for trainer Doug O’Neill.
“He’s tired right now,” Rivera said. “He’s taking a little nap. He’s a good delivery man. He really doesn’t care about anything. He doesn’t mind being here or there. Just nice and quiet. “
Fenwick , 50-1 shot against Preakness in the morning. The Curlin ponies are finishing 11th in the April 9 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland for Villa Rosa Farm and Harlo Stable. Coach Kevin McKathan says Fenwick will practice on Thursday at 6am
