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Itsmyluckyday, Goldencents hope to rebound on fast track
"To me it is a throw-out, no doubt about it. I just want him to be able to show what he's capable of doing and what he did at Gulfstream wasn't a byproduct of a bias for a surface, and I don't think it was," Plesa said. "We believe he is capable of running those numbers at any racetrack. I thought the Derby was going to be the place, and it wasn't. As long as this racetrack is fast, he'll have no excuses. "He struggled with the racetrack (at Churchill), there's no question about that. Did it take anything out of him? No more than a regular race. He'd have been running back in two weeks anyway. If I thought it took anything out of him, A) I wouldn't have worked him and B), I don't have to come here." Itsmyluckyday, who turned in a sharp half-mile workout (:47 1/5) at Monmouth Park Sunday before shipping to Pimlico Tuesday, has shown all the signs of being ready to revert back to the form he showed in Florida last winter. "His work Sunday, he just worked so effortlessly -- his energy level, the way he looks -- all the things that you would look for," Plesa said. "He's just doing great. He's ready to run. All we're asking for is a fast racetrack. I don't want to use that as an excuse again I don't want excuses. I just want to be a realist." W.C. Racing, Dave Kenney and RAP Racing's Goldencents made his daily trip to the track Thursday morning shortly after 8:30 a.m. (EDT) for yet another smooth mile gallop under regular rider Kevin Krigger. "He looked great, just comfortable stretching, in control but with good energy," said trainer Doug O'Neill, who will try to become the first trainer to win back-to-back editions of the Preakness since Bob Baffert in 2001 (Point Given) and 2002 (War Emblem).
Other than Orb, Goldencents has the best credentials of the opposition in the Preakness. He won a stakes race at age two (Grade 3 Delta Jackpot) and has won the Sham and Santa Anita Derby as a sophomore. His dismal 17th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby may be attributed to the sloppy, sealed track. A fast track is expected Saturday at Pimlico, with which O'Neill became familiar last year. "People think of this track as being more of a speed-favoring track than Churchill," he said. "As long as the horse is doing well and gets a hold of the track, I think he's got a big chance to knock Orb off. I would assume with the tighter turns (Goldencents) would be forwardly placed. I think all of us would like a dry track, just so there's no excuses." And while there's less on the line this year for O'Neill, the Preakness still ranks high on his to-do list. "Last year off the Derby win, you come in dreaming of the Triple Crown," he said. "This year we're dreaming of the double crown. I know it doesn't get a lot of play, but to have a horse that's worthy of being in a Preakness race is an honor and a privilege. I think we're extremely lucky to have two." According to National Racing Museum and Hall of Fame historian Allan Carter, no horse who has finished as far back as 17th in the Kentucky Derby has won the Preakness. Louis Quatorze, who was 16th in the 1996 Derby, had the greatest turnaround in history when he won the Preakness that year for trainer Nick Zito. Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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