Thirteen confirmed for Preakness; 10 will arrive on Wednesday

Thirteen confirmed for Preakness; 10 will arrive on

Wednesday

Super Saver will attempt to become the eighth Derby winner in the last 14 years to capture the Preakness (Melissa Wirth/Horsephotos.com) Pimlico will be bristling with activity on Wednesday afternoon when 10 of the 13 contenders arrive for Saturday's 135th running of the $1 million Preakness S. (G1). Hall of Fame trainer and five-time Preakness winner D. Wayne Lukas will be the first on the scene in Baltimore with DUBLIN (Afleet Alex) and NORTHERN GIANT (Giant's Causeway), who boarded a van early Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs for the expected 12-hour drive to Pimlico. Dublin, who finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby (G1), will have a new rider in the Preakness, veteran Garrett Gomez, who rode LOOKIN AT LUCKY (Smart Strike) to a troubled sixth-place finish in the Derby. Lukas has not announced who will ride Northern Giant at Old Hilltop. On Wednesday, a Sutton Forwarding Co. flight will arrive from Louisville, Kentucky. The noon (EDT) flight will include eight three-year-olds that are based at Churchill Downs: the Todd Pletcher-trained duo of Derby winner SUPER SAVER (Maria's Mon) and multiple Grade 1-placed AIKENITE (Yes It's True); champion two-year-old Lookin at Lucky; the Dale Romans duo of Derby third-placer PADDY O'PRADO (El Prado [Ire]) and Blue Grass S. (G1) third-placer FIRST DUDE (Stephen Got Even); the Nick Zito-trained JACKSON BEND (Hear No Evil), who finished 12th in the Derby; The Cliff's Edge Derby Trial S. (G3) winner HURRICANE IKE (Graeme Hall); and YAWANNA TWIST (Yonaguska), who exits a second in the Illinois Derby (G3).

The flight will originate in Ontario, California, and Preakness contender

CARACORTADO (Cat Dreams) will board the plane there. Joining the group in

Louisville will be Florida Derby (G1) runner-up PLEASANT PRINCE (Indy King), who

has been training at Keeneland for Wesley Ward since his third in the Derby

Trial.

Tampa Bay Derby (G3) runner-up SCHOOLYARD DREAMS (Stephen Got Even) will be

the last Preakness horse to arrive when he vans in from Monmouth Park on

Saturday morning.

Trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed Tuesday morning that Louisiana Derby (G2)

winner Mission Impazible (Unbridled's Song), who finished ninth in the Derby,

will not contest the 1 3/16-mile Preakness.

"We were on the fence with him and never had fully committed to going,"

Pletcher explained. "We wanted to see how he trained and felt like at the end of

the day that he needed a little more time."

New rider Martin Garcia will attempt to give Lookin at Lucky a trouble-free trip (Rickelle NelsonHorsephotos.com) Pletcher said the summer goal for Mission Impazible is the August 1 Haskell Invitational (G1) at Monmouth Park. Likely Preakness favorite Super Saver walked Tuesday at Churchill Downs, on the morning after he breezed three furlongs in :36 3/5 under regular rider Calvin Borel. "He came out of the work very well," Pletcher said. "Everything is on 'go,' so we're planning on getting on the plane in the morning." Aikenite, who exits a runner-up in the Derby Trial, jogged Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs. He worked five furlongs Sunday under the Twin Spires and will receive a new rider for the Preakness in Javier Castellano. "He's in good form and trained well this morning," Pletcher observed. "He's ready to head to Pimlico."

Pletcher was asked about the size of the 13-horse Preakness field.

"We anticipated a full gate and I guess it's close to that," the conditioner

noted. "It's an interesting Preakness to me with what looks like eight newcomers

who did not participate in the Derby. We're happy to be coming with the Derby

winner and feel like he's doing very well."

Lookin at Lucky, who will not work between the Derby and Preakness for Hall

of Fame conditioner Bob Baffert, galloped Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs.

"He looked good and he's happy," said Baffert, a three-time Preakness winner.

"So far, so good."

Despite drawing the rail in a 20-horse field, Lookin at Lucky was the 6-1

betting favorite in the Kentucky Derby. He encountered traffic problems in the

first quarter-mile and was shuffled back to the rear of the

field. He rallied with an impressive move in the second turn and finished sixth,

seven lengths behind Super Saver.

Derby third-placer Paddy O'Prado has run well on dirt, turf and synthetics  (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com) "I'm giving him one more shot at the classics; he won't run in the Belmont," Baffert explained. "We're just glad to be back. We're glad that the horse is doing well and that he's in the race." Saying he was trying to change the colt's luck, Baffert made a jockey switch for the Preakness, replacing the veteran Gomez with 25-year-old Martin Garcia, a California-based rider who will be making his Preakness debut. Garcia has become a Baffert favorite, riding Conveyance (Indian Charlie) to a 12th in the Derby and Game on Dude (Awesome Again) to a victory in last Saturday's Lone Star Derby (G3) for the silver-haired trainer. Garcia ranks 10th on Equibase's 2010 earnings list with $3,276,801. He has 674 career victories and purse earnings of $21,903,124.

Baffert said the five-year veteran from Mexico is a bright prospect.

"He's still young," Baffert said. "He's not a completely polished rider like

a Gomez or (John) Velazquez, but he's getting there. He's got a ways to go. He's

a raw talent and he's riding with a lot of confidence right now. When he rides

for me, he rides with a lot of confidence. I've been clicking with him really

well lately. Everywhere I send him, he wins. He's not intimidated. He rode in

the Derby and he was a little bit nervous, but he did as good as he could under

the circumstances.

"He just has that raw talent and he rides in California and he fits in there.

I think the jockey colony is very strong in California, and he seems to be

fitting in well. I think he's got a huge future in this business. I've been

using him. He works a lot of my horses. He's worked Lookin at Lucky a lot. He

knows the horse really well.

"If (Garcia) was a basketball player, he would have gone to the NBA right out

of high school. He's got that kind of raw talent."

Routine gallops were the order of the day on Tuesday for Paddy O'Prado and

First Dude, who will bid to give Louisville-based trainer Romans his first

victory in a Triple Crown classic.

Paddy O'Prado will enter the Preakness without a work between the Derby and

Preakness.

Jackson Bend could look to set the Preakness pace under Mike Smith  (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) "He didn't need to work," Romans said of his gray colt. "If he's not fit now, a half-mile work is not going to do him much good." Paddy O'Prado was purchased for $105,000 at the 2008 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. "We liked his pedigree profile and he was a big, rugged, nice-looking colt," Romans recalled. "I've had a lot of success with (sire) El Prado." Kent Desormeaux will have the return mount aboard Paddy O'Prado. Romans was relieved that First Dude, who had been on the bubble for making the Preakness field before the defections of A Little Warm (Stormin Fever) and Mission Impazible the last two days, is now assured of a spot in Saturday's starting gate. The late-developing colt broke his maiden on the dirt track at Gulfstream Park and finished third behind Stately Victor (Ghostzapper) and Paddy O'Prado in the Blue Grass over Keeneland's Polytrack surface. "I wanted to run him in the Derby," Romans said. "I think he'll run good."

The trainer's confidence in First Dude was boosted on Saturday when the Nick

Zito-trained Fly Down (Mineshaft), who has handed First Dude a pair of narrow

defeats at Churchill Downs and Gulfstream Park, scored a runaway victory in the

Dwyer S. (G2) at Belmont Park.

"He's a nice horse," said Romans of First Dude, who will pick up the services

of Ramon Dominguez on Saturday. "He's a big, strong colt and he's run with some

of the best. Fly Down just beat him twice and came back and crushed 'em in the

Dwyer. We just think a lot of him."

Zito said all systems are go for Preakness contender Jackson Bend following

the Florida-bred colt's eye-popping breeze (four furlongs in a bullet :46 3/5)

on Monday.

"I always get nervous when they go fast, but he did it all by himself," the

Hall of Fame trainer said. "I just told Stacy (exercise rider Stacy Prior) to

let Jackson do what he wants to do. He's an incredibly tough horse. Hey, I

worked Louis Quatorze four days before the Preakness in :58 and he went out and

broke the track record."

Zito's1996 Preakness winner currently shares the stakes record for 1 3/16 miles

(1:53 2/5) at Pimlico with Tank's Prospect (1985) and Curlin (2007). Jackson

Bend, the most experienced Preakness contender with 10 lifetime starts, will be

ridden in the Preakness by Mike Smith, who was aboard for the first time in a

troubled 12th-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. Smith was second in last

year's Preakness with Mine That Bird (Birdstone) and won the 1993 edition aboard

Prairie Bayou.

Trainer Mike Machowsky believes Caracortado will run well fresh on Saturday (Paula Smith/Horsephotos.com) "Mike Smith is one of the reasons we considered coming to Baltimore," Zito explained. "He told me last Sunday he would do well at Pimlico. This tough little guy deserves another chance." Hurricane Ike walked at Churchill Downs Tuesday after working seven furlongs in 1:25 4/5 under jockey Robby Albarado the previous morning. "It looks like he came out fine," said trainer John Sadler from Hollywood Park after receiving an update on Hurricane Ike from assistant Larry Benavidez.

After racing exclusively on synthetics in his first six starts, Hurricane Ike

has demonstrated vast improvement in his last two races over the dirt surfaces,

recording a strong second in the Bay Shore S. (G3) at Aqueduct prior to his 2

3/4-length score in the Derby Trial. Both races came around one turn, and Sadler

acknowledges that the dark bay colt faces a serious test at 1 3/16 miles.

"The question will be his ability to get the distance," Sadler said. "He

finished up strong in the Trial (a one-turn mile), so we're hoping it won't be

an issue."

Trainer Mike Machowsky checked on Robert B. Lewis S. (G2) winner Caracortado

at Santa Anita Tuesday morning before heading to the airport for the first leg

of his trip to Baltimore. The California-bred gelding will depart early

Wednesday morning from Southern California.

"He galloped and everything was good," said Machowsky, while waiting for a

connecting flight at the Salt Lake City airport.

Caracortado, who won his first five races before finishing third in the San

Felipe S. (G2) and fourth in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), broke his maiden on dirt

at Fairplex, giving his trainer reason to believe his gelding will handle the

surface at Pimlico.

"I can't see that as a problem. He won at Fairplex and the surface at

Hollywood is similar to a dirt track, and he's won there twice," Machowsky said.

"It's the oldest of the synthetics. Whatever materials they've added to it over

the years have made it more and more like a dirt track. I enjoy running horses

at Hollywood."

Lukas reiterated Tuesday morning that Northern Giant, who exits a last-place

showing in the April 10 Arkansas Derby (G1), deserves a chance to run in the

second jewel of the Triple Crown.

Grade 1 winner Dublin and stablemate Northern Giant will be the first Preakness starters on the grounds at Pimlico  (Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com) "He ran a nice third in the Risen Star S. (G2) (three starts back)," Lukas said. "He was wide in that race and with a little better trip he could have won that. If he had won, you'd be saying that he's one of the nicer horses in the race. Then he came back and ran second in the Lane's End S. (G2) at Turfway, on the Polytrack, which he doesn't like at all. Those two races really give us a little hope that he would maybe step up. We don't have any grandiose ideas that he's going to sweep over the Preakness and the Belmont, but he's a very good mover, a very nice, sound horse and I thought he merited a chance with this bunch. "The last race, the Arkansas Derby, he finished up the track, but he came up with a mucous the next morning and we had to clear that up. That happens. They're like kids; they'll be clean-nosed one day and snotty-nosed the next. He's back on track and he's training well. We don't think he's 2-1, by any means, but he's training awfully good."

The Wesley Ward-trained Pleasant Prince galloped a mile and a half at

Churchill Downs Tuesday morning and will be at the Pimlico stakes barn with

owner Ken Ramsey until Ward arrives at Pimlico on Friday.

"He's doing great," said Ward, who won the Eclipse Award in 1984 as North

America's top apprentice rider before becoming a trainer more than five years

later.

Pleasant Prince will be Ward's first participant in a Triple Crown race.

"It's been a lot of work to get here. It's pretty nice," he said. "I'm just

trying to do the right thing by the horse to get to the race Saturday."

Schoolyard Dreams kept his edge with a sharp gallop at Monmouth Park on

Tuesday under the watchful eye of trainer Derek Ryan.

"It was just a regular morning, but we gave him a two-minute lick for a

mile," said Ryan, who will remain in New Jersey with the colt until Saturday

morning. "It's something we do about every 10 days with him."

Unraced since a fourth in the April 3 Wood Memorial S. (G1), Schoolyard Dreams

has posted consecutive bullet works at two different tracks in preparation for

the Preakness.

"He works fast if you put him in company," said Ryan, a native of Tipperary,

Ireland who was once an assistant to Joe Orseno. "If he's not in company, he

tends to be a very laid-back horse. He's coming into the race the right way."

Ryan and owner Eric Fein brought Musket Man (Yonaguska) to the 2009 Preakness

and finished third behind Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) and Mine That Bird.

Yawanna Twist walked the shedrow at Churchill Downs Tuesday, the morning

after working five furlongs in 1:01 4/5.

"It looks like we're gonna run," said trainer Rick Dutrow, who will be

seeking his second Preakness victory in three years (Big Brown in 2008). "We've

kind of had this on our minds for awhile. He runs big every time we've run him;

he never disappoints us."

Yawanna Twist, who made his first start in December of 2009, will be the

least experienced Preakness starter with only four starts. He has two wins and

two seconds, and the connections paid a late $6,000 Triple Crown nomination fee

after his impressive second-place finish in the Illinois Derby on April 3. His

graded-stakes earnings were insufficient to make the Kentucky Derby field.

"I'm happy he ran that big in the Illinois Derby," Dutrow said. "It kind of

told us where he was at."