Preakness contenders brave driving rain for routine gallops at Pimlico

Despite a driving rain storm this morning at Pimlico, Saturday's Preakness

Stakes 139 contenders were out in force to put in their routine gallops.

Dynamic Impact, Ria Antonia, Social Inclusion and Bayern all visited

Pimlico's sloppy track to gallop 1 1/2 miles, General a Rod and Kid Cruz each

toured nine furlongs, and Ride On Curlin and Ring Weekend covered a mile. Pablo

del Monte's connections decided to stay out of the dreary weather and walked

their runner around the shedrow.

Dynamic Impact went to the track at 7:30

a.m. (EDT) with exercise rider Wayne Brown up. The Tiznow colt brings a two-race win streak,

including victory in the Illinois Derby, into the Preakness.

"We are not used to training in this kind of weather at

Woodbine; we try to avoid it," admitted trainer Mark Casse, who arrived from Ocala,

Florida, Thursday night. "But it looked like he went well over it."

Ria Antonia, the only filly in the field, galloped under exercise rider Maurice Sanchez at 6:30

a.m. Friday morning in the driving rain. Trainer Tom Amoss watched the morning activity on a video

while overseeing his main string at Churchill Downs.

"I liked the way she went. She looked good, but then she

looked good before the Kentucky Oaks, too," Amoss said of the sixth-place

Oaks finisher who joined his barn three days after the May 2 race.

Amoss, who is expected to arrive in Baltimore Friday afternoon, was

asked how he would like to see the race unfold for last year's Breeders' Cup

Juvenile Fillies winner.

"I would like to see a lively pace, a contested pace,

involving the contenders," he answered. "She needs to be in a good

striking position and we need to see her run her peak race."

Amoss saddled Mylute to a third-place finish in last year's Preakness and

sent out his only other Preakness

starter, Hot Wells, to finish fourth behind Real Quiet in 1998. Ria Antonia will be ridden Saturday by Calvin Borel,

who was aboard her for the first time last Sunday for a :47 3/5 half-mile work

at Churchill Downs.

Rontos Racing Stable Corp.'s Social

Inclusion took a spin around the track under exercise rider Domingo Navarro.

"He liked the rain. He trains in rain all the time in

Florida," Ron Sanchez of Rontos Racing said. "He looks great."

Social Inclusion has shown brilliant speed in his three

lifetime starts. The son of Pioneerof the Nile launched his career during the

winter at Gulfstream Park with a pair of easy front-running triumphs, including

a track-record performance going 1 1/16 miles in an open allowance. After breaking

a step slowly from his outside post in the Wood Memorial, the Manny Azpurua-trained colt raced wide around the first turn before setting a strong

pace into deep stretch and faltering to third late.

"I want him to have the lead at the three-quarters --

breaking well, going to the turn first or second and at the three-quarters,

there he goes," Sanchez said. "He's going to finish. In the Wood, the track

didn't help him. This time the track is going to help us."

Luis Contreras, who has been aboard Social Inclusion in all

three of his starts, has the return mount.

Assistant trainer Jim Barnes sent Bayern out to the track for a 1 1/2 mile gallop,

adding that the Offlee Wild colt was fine and ready for the

Preakness. The Bob Baffert trainee worked twice at Churchill Downs before shipping

to Pimlico on Wednesday. Rosie Napravnik will be aboard in the Preakness.

General a Rod was out on the Pimlico track shortly after 6 a.m. Friday for a

1 1/8-mile gallop under exercise rider Joel Barrientos.

Trainer Mike Maker said Friday's rainy weather didn't seem to have any effect

on General a Rod, who had trained on wet tracks before, although all six of his

starts have come on fast tracks.

Trainer "Bronco Billy" Gowan sent Ride On Curlin to the track for a mile

gallop under exercise rider Bryan Beccia on Friday morning.

"If he ran over this stuff tomorrow, he'd love it. I think he'd run over

anything -- wet, grass, anything...I really do," Gowan praised his first

Preakness starter.

Gowan insists that his horse has yet to show his real ability following a

troubled trip in which he still managed to finish seventh in the Kentucky Derby

under Calvin Borel.

"We just have to get a good trip," Gowan said. "I think he's a good horse. I

think that's all we need. And if (California) Chrome stubs his toe a little

bit...well that would help. (California Chrome's) an awful good horse. I'd like

to hook him at the top of the stretch and see what we've got, you know? I'd like

to see them fast up front and me laying off them a little bit."

Gowan's son of Curlin, who ran seventh in the Kentucky Derby last out, is one

of only three horses returning from that race for the Preakness.

Ring Weekend galloped a mile after visiting the starting gate at Pimlico

Friday morning. It was the first activity on the Pimlico track for the Graham

Motion-trained colt, who did the bulk of his training for the Preakness at Fair

Hill Training Center in Elkton, Maryland, before shipping on Thursday.

"Everything went well," assistant trainer and exercise rider Alice Clapham

said.

Alan Garcia has the mount on the gelded son of Tapit, who captured the Tampa

Bay Derby (G2) before finishing second in the Calder Derby.

"I'm going to leave everything up to Alan, because I think I interfered with

him for the Calder Derby," said Motion, offering that he may have

'over-instructed' Garcia. "I'm going to leave it up to him and let him see how

the race sets up and let the horse run his race."