Casse: Danzig Moon 'had half the race track in his throat'

Danzig Moon (Malibu Moon) stood

quietly in his stall Sunday morning, his heavy coughing spells having

substantially subsided after Saturday's sixth-place finish in the 140th edition

of the Preakness S. (G1) in the slop.

"He seems fine," trainer Mark Casse said as he prepared for a flight back to

Canada. "There were a lot of horses coughing in the stakes barn after the race.

We scoped him and the vet said he had half the race track in his throat."

The Ontario-bred colt is still a maiden winner after running fourth in the

Tampa Bay Derby (G2), second in the Blue Grass S. (G1) and fifth in the Kentucky

Derby (G1) prior to Saturday's effort. He's now exiting the American Triple Crown trail

in favor of heading to Canada with a

different Triple Crown in his sights. Casse said Danzig Moon's next start would

likely come in the 156th running of the C$1 million Queen's Plate at Woodbine on July 5 if all goes well.

"We'll regroup," Casse stated. "We're going to fire another one at (American Pharoah

[Pioneerof the Nile]). We'll try a new bullet next time (in the 147th Belmont S.

[G1]).

We're hoping to run Conquest Curlinate (Curlin) in the Belmont. He was just second in the

(May 9)

Peter Pan (G2) and (a nose) second in the Illinois Derby ([G3] on April 18). He's a tough horse. We may take a

run at him there."

The untimely thunderstom that arrived moments

before the Preakness was Danzig Moon's first experience with wet weather in his

seventh career start.

Santamaria said jockey Gary Stevens had

concerns about Firing Line's chances in the Preakness after the Kentucky Derby

runner-up left the saddling area to warm up for the race in a driving rain.

"Even when they were warming up, he was looking

around, like he was saying, 'What? Are we going to run on this track?' Gary was

like, 'Uh-oh, maybe he isn't going to run any good,'" Santamaria explained. "At the

break, after the stumble, he was pretty much done. He wasn't comfortable on the

track.

"There was nothing we could do about it, weather-wise. I'm not disappointed

in him. I'm pretty sure he would have run his race if the track was good. If you

look at him today, he looks terrific. He's happy. It just wasn't his day. He'll

be back."

Firing Line, who romped by 14 lengths in the Sunland Derby (G3) prior to his

Derby second, is scheduled to return to Southern

California Monday

Owner/trainer Jose Corrales' Bodhisattva (Student Council), who

was eased by jockey Trevor McCarthy and finished last after losing contact with

the Preakness field, was scheduled to be vanned back to his regular headquarters

at Laurel Park later Sunday.