Bodemeister in, Hansen out, Daddy Nose Best possible for Preakness

Monday brought significant developments regarding the Preakness

field. While trainer Bob Baffert confirmed Bodemeister for Saturday's middle

jewel of the Triple Crown, he ruled out Liaison. Hansen, Hierro and Isn't He Clever all

likewise passed on a trip to Pimlico. But Daddy Nose Best entered Preakness

calculations for Steve Asmussen.

Baffert got his first look at Kentucky Derby runner-up

Bodemeister since the morning after the "Run for the Roses" Monday at Churchill

Downs and liked what he saw from the colt's 1 1/2-mile gallop around a muddy

oval.

"He looks good, his coat is good and he is eating well," Baffert said after

the colt completed his activity under exercise rider George Alvarez. "I see no

reason not to take him (to Baltimore)."

Owned by Zayat Stables, LLC and Michel and Tiffany Moreno, Bodemeister ran

some of the fastest fractions in the 138-year history of the Kentucky Derby and

did not surrender the lead to I'll Have Another until just before the

sixteenth-pole.

"He ran an amazing race," Baffert said. "At the eighth-pole when (jockey)

Mike (Smith) went to the left-handed stick, the yellow caution light came on. He

tried to fight back and he hung on for second. He was glorious in defeat."

Baffert liked how Bodemeister bounced out of the race.

"He cooled out quickly and started to eat right after the race," Baffert

said. "I was worried that he might be wiped out and just stay in the back of his

stall for three days and sulk, but he never did."

Baffert said that Bodemeister would not have a work before the Preakness.

"I didn't work (2010 Preakness winner) Lookin at Lucky after the Derby,"

Baffert said. "If a horse didn't really run or didn't show up in the Derby, I

might breeze them to see if I was missing something."

Bodemeister entered the Kentucky Derby off a 9 1/2-length victory in the

Grade 1 Arkansas Derby when he was ridden for the first time by Smith.

"He deserves it (a shot at the Preakness)," Baffert said of Bodemeister. "He

won the Arkansas Derby and then came back in three weeks and ran a great race.

He looks good and I don't see why he can't run another one."

Also observing the morning activity was co-owner Ahmed Zayat, who has now had

horses finish second in three of the past four runnings of the Kentucky Derby.

"I keep waking up at 3 or 4 in the morning dreaming about the race," said

Zayat, whose Nehro finished second in 2011 and Pioneerof the Nile was second in

2009.

Does Bodemeister win the Derby in the dream?

"No, he does not," Zayat said.

On the track earlier in the morning was Baffert's sixth-place Kentucky Derby

finisher Liaison, who galloped 1 1/2 miles under Alvarez.

Baffert later told Maryland Jockey Club stakes coordinator Coley Blind that

Liaison would not run in the Preakness Stakes. The trainer added that Arnold

Zetcher's colt could try the Belmont Stakes on June 9, or return to California for the Grade 2

Californian at 1 1/8 miles at Hollywood Park June 2.

"Liaison ran a big race in the Derby and is doing well," Baffert

said.

Trainer Mike Maker said Monday that 2011 Eclipse Award winner Hansen would

not be running in the Preakness.

"He is not going," Maker said of the ninth-place finisher in the Kentucky

Derby. "That would be coming back a little quick."

Maker indicated that Hansen likely would shorten up to seven furlongs for the

Grade 2 Woody Stephens to be run on Belmont Stakes Day.

Hansen, winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs last fall to

cement his championship status, is owned by his breeder, Dr. Kendall Hansen, and

Skychai Racing.

Stonestreet Stables LLC's Hierro, winner of the Grade 3 Derby Trial on the

opening night of the Churchill Downs Spring Meet, worked five furlongs in 1:01

1/5 over a Churchill track labeled as muddy at the time.

But the work did not earn Hierro a spot in the Preakness starting gate. A

representative of Stonestreet Stables said later in the morning that

Stonestreet's Barbara Banke had decided against a Preakness run by the son of

Hard Spun and "other options" would be considered for the colt.

Coming out after the morning renovation break with exercise rider Carlos

Rosas up, Hierro worked on his own and posted fractions of :12 4/5, :25 2/5, :37

2/5, :49 and out six furlongs in 1:14 4/5. The move was the third fastest of 10

at the distance.

"Obviously he likes the wet track as we saw the other day," trainer Steve

Asmussen said referring to Hierro's victory on a sloppy track in the Derby

Trial. "He went really nice this morning."

Asmussen also said that J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Isn't He Clever would not

be running in the Preakness.

"We are going to wait for something after the Preakness," Kirk Robison said

from El Paso, Texas. "The horse could not be doing any better and Steve said he

worked well this morning (a half-mile in :51 3/5 over a track rated as sloppy).

"We are going to wait for the right spot with him and I'll let Steve tell me

what that spot is."

Although Hierro and Isn't He Clever were withdrawn from Preakness

consideration, Asmussen may still be represented in the middle jewel of the

Triple Crown.

Cathy and Bob Zollars' Daddy Nose Best was added to the list of Preakness

candidates after working a half-mile in :53 over a sloppy track at Churchill

Downs Monday morning. The Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby winner finished a troubled

10th in the Kentucky Derby.

"The decision will be made on Tuesday after we see how he comes out of his

work," said Zollars by phone from Texas. "He came out of the (Kentucky) Derby

fine. We had him all checked over. Steve and I will talk it over on Tuesday."

Kidwells Petite Stable's Pretension, who had a scheduled walking day at Bowie

Race Course Monday morning, is another on the fence. Trainer Chris Grove will

meet with owner Irving Kidwell after training hours Tuesday morning to discuss

Pretension's status for the Preakness Stakes.

Brimstone Island, runner-up to Pretension in the May 5 Canonero II Stakes,

was officially removed from Preakness consideration. He will run in a race on

Saturday's undercard instead, according to owner/trainer Billy Campbell.

"These are some of the best horses in the country," Campbell said. "I'm not

sure he's up to that kind of task."

A four-time winner with three seconds from 10 starts, Brimstone Island will

be entered in the fourth race, a $50,000 allowance at 1 1/16 miles that will

likely include trainer Bob Baffert-trained Paynter, runner-up in the Derby

Trial.

Monday's defections will enable Guyana Star Dweej to make the field for

Preakness 137. Trainer Doodnauth Shivmangal sent the son of Eddington onto a

track labeled fast at Belmont Park Monday morning for a leisurely gallop before

learning the news. Showing only a maiden victory on his resume, Guyana Star

Dweej will likely be one of the longest shots in the prospective field.

"After his maiden win (April 7 at Aqueduct) we knew he had run a better Beyer

(Speed) Figure in every race and he beat older horses," said Shivmangal, who

saddled Isn't He Perfect for a ninth-place finish in last year's Preakness. "He

ran against some good horses. One of the horses that beat him at Aqueduct,

Morgan's Guerrilla, that's the horse they took to the (Grade 3) Illinois Derby."

Shivmangal said he probably should have given the colt more recovery time

after the maiden score, but instead ran him back in 20 days and finished second

in an optional claimer the first time facing winners.

"I should have given him the whole month off," said the 59-year-old Guyana

native. "I was really heading to the Peter Pan (Grade 2 last Saturday at

Belmont). Since we didn't get to the Peter Pan, I decided to give him a shot in

the Preakness. He's a horse, I think, that can go the mile and

three-sixteenths."