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Bodemeister gallops; Daddy Nose Best, Pretension confirmed for Preakness
The Kentucky Derby was only the fifth start for Bodemeister, who did not make his racing debut until January 16. After breaking his maiden in his second start, Bodemeister finished second behind likely Preakness rival Creative Cause in the Grade 2 San Felipe and then took the Arkansas Derby in his fourth start. "Indian Charlie and Congaree were similar to Bodemeister in their careers, but they were bigger horses," Baffert said. "Indian Charlie broke his maiden in his first start as a two-year-old but chipped an ankle. He won two allowance races when he came back and then won the (Grade 1) Santa Anita Derby in his fourth start. Congaree had a knee injury as a two-year-old. He came back and won a maiden and an allowance and then won the (Grade 2) Wood Memorial in his fourth start.” Both colts ran third in the Kentucky Derby and while it was the final race of Indian Charlie's career, Congaree went on to run third in the Preakness. Congaree ended his career with 10 graded stakes victories, five coming in Grade 1s, and earned more than $3.2 million. Bodemeister, who will be ridden by Mike Smith, is one of four horses in the barn that will be headed to Pimlico on Wednesday. Also going to Old Hilltop are Mamma Kimbo, the 7-5 morning-line favorite for the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan on Friday; Paynter, who is scheduled to run Saturday on the Preakness Day undercard; and Awesomemundo for Saturday's Grade 3 Allaire DuPont Distaff.
"I think the delay in the decision came down to that he didn't want to run if he wasn't going to be there," said Grove, whose client resides in Annapolis. "I think he'll come to the track around 4 or 5 o'clock and be there for the race." Pretension, who captured the Canonero II at Pimlico May 5, had some light exercise at Bowie Training Center Tuesday. Javier Santiago has the return mount aboard Pretension. In other Preakness news: Trainer Doodnauth Shivmangal opted for Belmont's training track for Guyana Star Dweej's Tuesday exercise regimen after New York Racing Association maintenance officials sealed the main track due to the threat of rain that didn't arrive during training hours. "He jogged and galloped and had a little two-minute lick," said Shivmangal, who still hasn't decided on a rider for the Preakness. Eddie Castro rode the colt in his last start, a second-place finish in a one-mile allowance at Belmont on April 27. A bargain-basement $5,500 buy at the 2010 Keeneland September Sale, Guyana Star Dweej is named for Shivmangal's South American phenom of the 1980s. Guyana Star won 52 races in his homeland of Guyana during Shivmangal's first go-round as a Thoroughbred trainer. He moved to the U.S. in 1984. Dweej is a Hindu word meaning "twice born" or "reincarnated." Guyana Star Dweej has won one race from nine starts. Shivmangal operated a trucking firm at JFK Airport in New York and got back into racing from 1991-95 before leaving the sport again for 15 years. The son of a trainer and himself a one-time rider in South America, the 59-year-old horseman resumed training in 2010 after some prodding from his cousin, Dejainauth Ramnarayn, who is a partner in the Preakness contender and who owned Isn't He Perfect, the ninth-place finisher in last year's Preakness. Optimizer, 11th in the Kentucky Derby, left Churchill Downs shortly after 4 a.m. Tuesday morning for a van ride to Pimlico for Saturday's Preakness. Trained by five-time Preakness winner D. Wayne Lukas, Optimizer had worked a half-mile in :49 4/5 over a sloppy track in Louisville on Monday morning. Lukas accompanied Optimizer on the van along with four other horses for the weekend. The four were comprised of Colonial Empress, who is entered in Friday's Miss Preakness; Absinthe Minded for Saturday's Allaire DuPont Distaff; Hamazing Destiny for Saturday's Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Handicap; and Skyring.
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