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The Budweiser Clydesdales walk around the backside at Pimlico on Wednesday. |
It was warm and sunny this morning at Pimlico as the Preakness horses came out to the track. Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming went out before sunrise at 5:30, so most of his gallop was in the pre-dawn darkness, with only his return to the barn well lit. All the horses were out today except for Multiplier who arrived around 7pm last night. Click on the small photo to see a larger version.
Always Dreaming came out before dawn at 5:30am for his 1 1/2 mile gallop with exercise rider Nick Bush, then went back to the barn for a bath. Trainer Todd Pletcher said, "I thought he looked great. He's feeling super—strong but controlled, which is what we wanted to see. He was well behaved around the barn, on his way to the track, and on his way back to the track. I thought he was focused and under control throughout. I like the way he is behaving around the barn. He's quiet in the stall and is very composed. And when he gets on the track, he's strong, but in a good way. We just don't want to see him get too excited and step on himself or something like that."
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Classic Empire came out at 6:30am for his gallop. Trainer Mark Casse said, "One thing I would say in Classic Empire's favor too is he ran by a lot of good horses. He ran by Irish War Cry, he ran by McCraken, all these horses that were considered the top contenders, And I don't think anyone would disagree that he took the biggest blow of any horse and he still ran by a lot of good horses. I just want him to have a good break and see what happens."
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Cloud Computing was out after the renovation break around 8:30am. Trainer Chad Brown said of post 2, “I’m fine with the post. He should be able to work out a good trip from there.”
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Conquest Mo Money was also out after the renovation break around 8:30am. Owner Tom McKenna said, “He came out of Arkansas okay, but he’d only started running at 3, and there were going to be horses in the Derby with a lot more experience than him. Plus, he had run in Arkansas only three weeks after Sunland and would have had to come back again in three weeks. The Derby decision was not hard for me when I thought of the horse. It was difficult because of all the people I disappointed. The Derby is a wonderful pageant. It’s great for horse racing, and it’s great for the country, but I don’t think it’s so good for the horses.”
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Gunnevera came out around 6:30 for a 1 1/8 mile gallop under exercise rider Victor O’Farell and tacked on a quicker 3f open gallop at the end of it similar to what he did before the Derby. The 3f move was timed 43 4/5 by assistant trainer Alessandro Sano, son of trainer Antonio Sano. "Today the open gallop was very good," Antonio Sano said. "In the Derby, the track was very heavy on the outside, but I'm very happy with how he is getting over this track."
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Hence was out around 6am for his gallop. Assistant trainer Scott Blasi said of post 3, “In years past, they’ve shown a lot of pace in the Preakness. It’s supposed to be a fast track that day. Both of our horses close. I thought Hence got shuffled back quite a bit in the Derby, farther back than he normally would be. We’ll see how he breaks and where he positions himself. This track is not Churchill. When the gates open we’ll see where we end up.”
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Lookin At Lee was out around 6:45 for his gallop. He came out later in the morning and grazed for a bit. Owner Lee Levinson said, “It’s a dream come true, to be totally honest. Even if you buy good horses, your chances of getting one this good are not great. So, I realize what we have. It might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Who knows?” Trainer Steve Asmussen added, “It takes a horse like Lookin At Lee to get the ‘dream trip.’ Some of the spots he went through aren’t for everybody. It’s what has us feeling so strongly about him. He was the only horse in the field that was started at my dad’s (Keith Asmussen) place in Laredo, so I’m going to go with that didn’t hurt him.”
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Senior Investment was out around 6am for his gallop. Trainer Ken McPeek said of post 8, “It’s fine. He’s a closer. I don’t see it being an issue.”
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Term of Art came out around 7am for his gallop then had a bath. Trainer Doug O'Neill said of post 7, “Lucky 7. He’s a strong, long, good-bodied horse, and I always think with those horses, the less traffic they encounter early on, the better. I think 7 will have to be perfect.”
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