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O'Neill wins$nbso;#3000 North America Cup results Belmont Stakes Resuults Eclipse Stakes Day Hollywood Gold Cup |
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 The Preakness Stakes Barn on Friday morning |
Friday morning some Preakness horses were out on the track for their final pre-race gallops along with Reply who went on to finish 4th the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes in the afternoon. During training hours it was in the low 70's and mostly cloudy.
Below are photos and comments for 6 Preakness horses and one Black-Eyed Susan filly plus several scenic photos from Friday afternoon. Click the small version to see a larger one.
   Journalism is the morning line favorite. Trainer Mike McCarthy said, "I have a lot of confidence in my horse. He's coming back in two weeks. Sometimes with good horses, it's a lot harder to tell when they're not on top of their game, because they can handle it. They handle these things so easily. We'll see on Saturday, but my gut tells me we're in for good things. I wouldn't say there's more impetus to get to the lead. I would say the way he has placed himself in his races, he can lay close and be effective. I'd just like a clean break this week. That's all."
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  American Promise and trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Lukas said of his 15-1 outsider, "He had a really good morning again. He went out there and galloped a mile and a half or a little more, probably. The track had a lot of moisture in it, but he seems like he gets over it really well. I'm not worried about that part of it at all. His energy level is excellent. He's filled up. You know, these race horse tuck up and look a little stressed. He shows none of that and his energy level is really good."
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  Goal Oriented is 6-1 morning line from post 1. Trainer Bob Baffert said, "Journalism, definitely the horse to beat. That is the whole thing. He has proven it. If he brings his ‘A' game, he is going to be tough. We need luck. We have come here with the goods and we come here with not the goods. He has handled everything we have thrown at him. He is a big, strong horse. This is a tough group; the break is going to be so important for him."
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  Heart of Honor is 12-1 on the morning line from post 4. Jockey Saffie Osborne, riding for her father, trainer Jamie, is attempting to become the second female jockey after Julie Krone to win a Triple Crown race. Jamie said, "People have said, ‘You're coming to America. Why don't you use somebody who has experience at the track, more experience than her on dirt?' But for us, that's not an option. (Owners) Jim and Claire Bryce, they're very good friends. They've known Saffie for many years; they've seen her grow up. She's part of the team. So for us, there was never a consideration to let anyone else ride him. She knows the horse."
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  Sandman is the 4-1 second choice. Trainer Mark Casse said, "His races have been so good. He easily could have won the Southwest and the Rebel. The confidence level is as high as you can have it with any horse."
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  River Thames is the 9-2 third choice. Exercise rider Nick Merritt said, "It was a routine mile gallop. We're just trying to keep him happy for the race, essentially. It's amazing. I thank Todd every day for giving me the opportunity to ride horses like this. I'm on Cloud 9 all the time."
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  Reply galloped on Friday morning, hours before she ran 4th in the Black-Eyed Susan that afternoon for trainer Brittany Russell and owner Mike Repole.
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  The weather vane has been a Preakness tradition, and at time of writing it is not known if it will be temporarily relocated to Laurel for the painting of the winning owner's colors during next year's running.
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  Some racing scenes during the Black-Eyed Susan undercard.
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  Fans dressed for the warm weather on Black-Eyed Susan Friday, before the rains fell.
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  Some signs at Pimlico. Some of these items will be taken down by the Maryland State Archives to be stored before the building is demolished.
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Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com.
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