Harlem Rocker out, Gayego possible for Preakness

On Monday, trainer Todd Pletcher said HARLEM ROCKER (Macho Uno) will skip

Saturday's 133rd running of the Preakness S. (G1) and instead point toward the

Queen's Plate, while the connections of GAYEGO (Gilded Time) said the sophomore

is now under consideration for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. In

addition, Preakness hopeful RILEY TUCKER (Harlan's Holiday) worked at Belmont

Park and the undefeated Kentucky Derby (G1) winner BIG BROWN (Boundary) jogged

under the Twin Spires.

Harlem Rocker, the undefeated winner of the Withers S. (G3) on April 26 at

Aqueduct, is headed to the Canadian Triple Crown series, which begins with the

C$1 million Queen's Plate on June 22 at Woodbine. Pletcher's other Preakness candidate,

BEHINDATTHEBAR (Forest Wildcat), remains on course for Preakness 133.

"I spoke to Mr. Stronach (owner Frank Stronach) this morning and we've decided to take a

conservative approach," Pletcher said. "We're going to point toward the

Queen's Plate and we'll look for some bigger races down the road."

Behindatthebar,

who closed from well off the pace to capture the Lexington S. (G2) on April 19

at Keeneland, walked the shedrow on Monday, one day after breezing five furlongs

in 1:00 at Belmont Park.

"I thought he worked well," Pletcher said. "It's the first time we've

worked him on a traditional dirt track and he seemed to handle it real well. He

came out of it well, so he's ready to go."

Jockey David Flores, who has ridden

the colt in four of his five career starts, including all three victories, has

the riding assignment. Pletcher said Behindatthebar likely will be shipped from

Belmont Park to Pimlico on Saturday morning.

Gayego could try to rebound from his Derby debacle in the Preakness (Jeff Coady/Horsephotos.com) Arkansas Derby (G2) winner Gayego, who finished 17th in the Run for the Roses, could run in Saturday's 1 3/16-mile Preakness, according to trainer Paulo Lobo. "I'm going to decide (on Tuesday). We are going to have a meeting," Lobo said from Southern California. "I'm going to track him in the morning, then we'll make a decision." Lobo said Gayego never got into the race after being steadied in traffic during the early stages of the Kentucky Derby. "That's the reason we are thinking about (the Preakness)," Lobo explained. "He's very happy right now and he came back very sound." Riley Tucker had his final Preakness workout over the training track at Belmont Park, going five furlongs in 1:04, according to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. The dark bay colt was officially given a time of 1:06, but Mott said the clockers obviously clicked on a workmate a couple lengths ahead of Riley Tucker at the start of the move. The work was listed as the slowest of 14 at the distance.

"I thought it was

pretty good,'' said Mott of the effort under exercise rider Leona Willaford. "I

talked to the owners (Zayat Stable) and they wanted to know if that was fast

enough."

Riley Tucker worked with blinkers on, an equipment change Mott had

implemented before his third-place finish in the Lexington. In his previous

start, the Zayat colorbearer finished a close second in the Transylvania

S. (G3) at Keeneland. The Kentucky-bred colt is named for one of Mott's

sons, Riley Tucker. He is scheduled to travel to Old Hilltop on Wednesday or Thursday,

and will subsequently school in the Pimlico paddock.

Big Brown jogged a mile over a sealed racetrack that was listed as muddy at

Churchill Downs on Monday. Exercise rider Michelle Nevin was in the saddle

as Big Brown exercised under the gaze of trainer Rick Dutrow.

"He's good," Dutrow said. "He came out of the race good and he's been

training good."

Big Brown has jogged for

several days at the Louisville, Kentucky, track because of wet weather and Nevin said the

colt is getting a little bored with his limited activity. The weather forecast

calls for warm and dry conditions over the next couple of days, so Dutrow is

hopeful that his Kentucky Derby winner can gallop on Tuesday.

"He'd rather do more, but

he's still okay with this," Dutrow said. "Hopefully we can gallop tomorrow. If

not, we'll jog him again. I only gallop my horses when the track is good. When

it's sealed like that, I never gallop anything. So, if the track's good tomorrow

we'll gallop him. If not, we'll jog him. It's not a big deal. Hopefully we can

do the same thing Wednesday and then get out of here."

Big Brown is

scheduled to ship to Pimlico on Wednesday. Dutrow's current plan calls for Big Brown to have one small

blowout after his arrival in Baltimore.

"We'll probably do it the day of

(the race) if the track's good," Dutrow said. "I don't know if we'll do it if

the track's no good. Maybe we will, maybe not. We'll see."

Dutrow indicated the

blowout would be a quarter-mile or "something like that." He said that is not an

uncommon move for his horses.

"Yesterday we had two horses -- one won and one

just got beat -- and I blew them out yesterday morning," he said. "It was only

because of spacing from their last breezes and stuff like that, you know? But I

would like to do (it) with him the day he's running. It just seems to fit his

schedule at this point. I'm not following what they've done in the past."

Big Brown was a dominant 4 3/4-length winner of Derby 134. He has won all

four of his career starts by a combined 33 3/4 lengths and has amassed

$2,114,500 in earnings. As usual, Kent Desormeaux will ride.

Multiple stakes winner GIANT MOON (Giant's Causeway) galloped 1 1/4 miles on

the training track at Belmont Park on Monday. Trainer Richard Schosberg was

expected to attend the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Awards Banquet at the

Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs, New York, on Monday evening where Giant

Moon is a finalist for the champion two-year-old New York-bred of 2007 award.

Schosberg has been dealing with wet weather on the East

Coast and has scheduled a half-mile breeze for Giant Moon before shipping the

colt to Pimlico.

"We took him out

early before the rain started," Schosberg said. "Depending on when the rain

stops and depending on what I think of the track when I first see it in the

morning, he'll either work tomorrow (Tuesday) or more likely Wednesday."

Schosberg said the breeze will take place on the main track at Belmont.

"Today

he galloped on the training track because the main track was sealed up and the

training track was harrowed, so it was a much better surface," Schosberg said.

"He's much more comfortable on the big track. If it's in good shape at 9 o'clock

then we'll go tomorrow (Tuesday), but we don't want to do too much with him

anyway. If he goes Wednesday then he goes Wednesday."

Giant Moon won his first four starts, including three stakes races, before

finishing ninth and last in the Gotham S. (G3) over a sloppy, fog-shrouded

course on March 8 at Aqueduct. He rebounded with a good fourth-place effort in

the Wood Memorial (G1) on April 5, also at Aqueduct.

"He

needed the Wood, for sure, because he got nothing out of the Gotham," Schosberg

said. "The six

weeks between the Wood and now I think will be good for him. He's got to step it

up. It's a whole different league of horses, but he represented himself well in

the Wood."

A muddy track at Churchill Downs caused trainer Nick Zito to postpone a

scheduled four-furlong breeze for STEVIL (Maria's Mon).

"We couldn't work; the track was off," Zito said. "We'll work him Tuesday and then he'll be going on to

Pimlico."

Stevil finished fifth in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and comes off a closing

fourth-place effort in the Blue Grass S. (G1) on April 12 at Keeneland. John

Velazquez has the mount for the Preakness.

"Hopefully, Stevil will make a good showing and we can go on to the

next town," Zito said, alluding to the June 7 Belmont S. (G1).

TRES BORRACHOS (Ecton Park) galloped 1 5/8 miles at Churchill Downs on Monday

in preparation for his final pre-Preakness workout.

"(Jockey) Tyler Baze will come in to breeze him Tuesday and then we'll ship to

Pimlico on Wednesday," trainer Beau Greely said. "My thought coming into the Preakness is that he should like the tight turns and the sharp track. He's

improved in every race."

Tres Borrachos has good early speed and most recently finished third in the

nine-furlong Arkansas Derby on April 12 at Oaklawn Park.

Trainer Paddy Gallagher reported that YANKEE BRAVO (Yankee Gentleman)

galloped about 1 1/4 miles at Hollywood Park on Monday. The dark bay colt

finished third in the Louisiana Derby in his first dirt start before checking in

fourth in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) while wearing blinkers for the first time.

"He'll wear blinkers (on Saturday)," Gallagher said. "I put them on for his last

race because he kind of ducked out in Louisiana."

Yankee Bravo is scheduled to catch a flight to Baltimore on Wednesday.

Other three-year-olds considered probable for the Preakness are: HEY BYRN

(Put It Back), KENTUCKY BEAR (Mr. Greeley), ICABAD CRANE (Jump Start), MACHO

AGAIN (Macho Uno) and RACECAR RHAPSODY (Tale of the Cat).

The post position draw for the Preakness will be held on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

(EDT) at the ESPN Zone in downtown Baltimore. The event will be televised live

on ESPN2. The Preakness is limited to 14 starters.

The $1 million Preakness will be televised by NBC. Post time is 6:15 p.m.