Derby winner cleared for Preakness
In news that is absolutely no surprise, handlers of Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird say their horse will run in the Preakness Stakes.
On Sunday, a day after the 50-1 long shot’s big upset at Churchill Downs, trainer Bennie Woolley Jr. said there’s “no obligation” to go to the Preakness and added: “You’ve got to do what’s best for the horse and the horse has got to come first.”
Woolley wanted to make sure the gelding came out of the race well before committing to the Preakness, but he was fine on Monday after jogging on a sloppy Churchill Downs track.
“You cannot have a Triple Crown winner without having the Derby winner in the Preakness,” Woolley said Monday in a statement released by Pimlico, where the Preakness is run. “That played into our decision but the horse looks super. I have never been to Baltimore, but it looks like I won’t be able to say that in a few days.”
Woolley said the horse will remain in Louisville at least until May 12 before shipping to Baltimore. He jogged a mile at Churchill on Monday morning and will have light jogs each of the next two days.
Woolley said there are no plans for the horse to have a full workout before the May 16 Preakness. Mine That Bird’s Derby win was the second-biggest upset in Derby history, behind 1913’s Donerail. Ridden by jockey Calvin Borel, Mine That Bird won the Derby by 6¾ lengths.
The last Derby winner to skip the Preakness was an injured Grindstone in 1996. The last healthy Derby winner to miss it was Spend A Buck in 1985.
Other starters who are confirmed for the Preakness include Big Drama, winner of the Delta Jackpot, and Papa Clem, the fourth-place finisher in the Derby. Possible starters include Pioneerof the Nile (second in the Derby), Musket Man, General Quarters, Mr. Fantasy, Miner’s Escape, Conservative and Sky Gate.
It’s quite possible that Mine That Bird isn’t even the morning-line favorite at Pimlico, with no one expecting horse racing’s Triple Crown drought to end this year.
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