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I'll Have Another gets in a jog at Old Hilltop
"He got over the ground really well, his ears were pricked and he was full of energy," Sisterson said. The O'Neill team felt that its colt had come out of the Derby in terrific shape and has been watching him for any signs of fatigue. He passed another test Wednesday. "His energy level is fantastic, something that we want to see his first time back on the track," Sisterson said. "You wouldn't want to see him with his head down going along there." After three quiet days, I'll Have Another was interested in stretching his legs a bit while seeing more of Pimlico. "As soon as he knew he was going back to the track, he was full of energy," Sisterson said. "He knows what he's doing. Obviously, he couldn't wait to get back out there. It's as if he's never had a race. He's doing fantastic." Sisterson oversaw the shipping of I'll Have Another from Kentucky to Maryland on Monday and said everything has gone smoothly at Pimlico. The colt settled in at Barn D, is eating well and appeared to be comfortable on the muddy track. Sisterson said he's most impressed with I'll Have Another's ability to adapt to what he encounters. "It's the way he takes it all in," he said. "We shipped him into Kentucky and it was like he was stabled his whole life there. He came out of the race as if he never ran. He shipped great. He went out to the track fantastic this morning. "If after he won the (Grade 1) Santa Anita Derby we got a pen out and wrote down what we would like to see, he's showing us that." Garcia moved from Mexico to California nine years ago and has been a member of O'Neill's staff for five years. Most mornings, he rides 10 to 12 horses. He has been aboard I'll Have Another daily since the colt arrived at O'Neill's barn at Santa Anita last year. "I remember getting on him the first time. He felt good," Garcia said. "I told everybody, 'I like that horse.' He's got a long stride and when he's breezing, he is very impressive. I said, 'Maybe this horse is really good.'" Garcia said I'll Have Another is an easy horse to ride and loves to get out and gallop. He said he quickly was convinced that I'll Have Another might be something special. "When he started for the first time," Garcia said, "I said, 'That one's the winner.' He did win." I'll Have Another broke his maiden on July 3 at Hollywood Park and finished second to Creative Cause in the Grade 2 Best Pal on August 7 at Del Mar, but he was never in contention and finished sixth in the Grade 1 Hopeful in the mud at Saratoga on September 5. He is perfect in his three starts this year: the Grade 2 Robert B. Lewis, the Santa Anita Derby and the Kentucky Derby.
In other Preakness news: Tiger Walk has impressed trainer Ignacio Correas with his preparation for the Preakness at owner Kevin Plank's Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Maryland. "We've always been hoping that (the Preakness) was going to be his biggest effort," Correas said Wednesday morning. "With everything that he's doing, it looks that way. He's going in the right direction." Tiger Walk has raced competitively in three graded-stakes appearances at Aqueduct this year, finishing third in the Grade 3 Withers before a pair of fourth-place finishes in the Grade 3 Gotham and Grade 1 Wood Memorial. "I think a mile and three-sixteenths will help him," Correas said. "We always thought a mile and a quarter, mile and a half, would be good for him." Correas said that Tiger Walk will work a half-mile at Pimlico on Sunday. "We're going to put cheaters on him to give him a little more focus," said Correas, who expects Tiger Walk to wear the cheater blinkers in the Preakness. Jockey Horacio Karamanos will be aboard for the workout, but a final decision on who will ride the son of Tale of the Cat in the Preakness has not been determined. The Preakness status of Grade 3 Derby Trial winner Hierro will be determined next week. "We have made no decision on the Preakness," said Lesley Howard, a spokesperson for owner Stonestreet Stable. "We likely will not make a decision until next Monday or Tuesday." Trainer Richard Dutrow told Maryland Jockey Club stakes coordinator Coley Blind that Zetterholm will be entered in Saturday's Grade 2 Peter Pan at Belmont Park but will scratch if he can be assured that the colt will make the Preakness field. Kentucky Derby participants Bodemeister, Liaison, Dullahan and Optimizer all returned to the track at Churchill Downs Wednesday morning for routine exercise. Other possible Preakness starters Paynter, Cozzetti, and Isn't He Clever also made an appearance under the Twin Spires. Meanwhile, juvenile champion Hansen returned to the track at the Churchill Trackside Training Center.
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