Big Brown
May 15, 2008
Big Brown galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Michelle Nevin on Thursday morning. Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said, "He was comfortable, cool, and relaxed. I'm happy as can be right now. I figure the lighter I train him, the better. I don't want to squeeze anything out of him. I want to go as slow and easy as I can between races. We've got two more races we have to get through. I hope he doesn't have to get on his belly.
I want something left for the Belmont. In the Belmont, you'll have some fresher, better horses. It'll be his third race in five weeks. The Belmont is going to be the one we really have to deal with. The Preakness looks like it's in our favor."
Triple Crown quick links:
Big Brown gallops
Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown gallops down the stretch in preparation for the Preakness. “It went good,” trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said. “I was very happy with it. He was comfortable, cool, relaxed, galloped good. We’re as happy as we can be right now. There is no way anybody can tell how their horse is going to run in two weeks. You don’t have time to train ‘em, breeze ‘em a few times, but since he’s come out of the Derby, up to this minute, I’m very, very happy with the horse.
He’s just done everything that you would want a horse to do coming out of a race like that. He hasn’t missed an oat. He’s aggressive with his gallops. It’s all good. I don’t know how he’s going to run with the two weeks, but I’m certainly not going to dismiss him, I can tell you that.”
Gayego
Gayego jogged one lap (1 mile) around the Pimlico track on Thursday under exercise rider Jody Pieper. Pieper said that Gayego will add blinkers in the Preakness. "They’re just to get him to focus a little bit. Mike (Smith, jockey) told me in the Derby when he came down the stretch for the first time the crowd scared him. He started lugging in and then started running over horses’ heels. They’re just trying to get him to focus a little more."
Macho Again
Macho Again galloped 1 1/4 miles at Pimlico on Thursday. Trainer Dallas Stewart said, “He showed a lot of fight in his last race. I really like the way he handled himself in the last race. He got bumped and squeezed. He showed fight and he finished off the race real nice. He was really running. He beat a nice horse that was no slouch.”
Kentucky Bear
Kentucky Bear galloped 1 1/2 miles and schooled in the starting gate. Trainer Reade Baker said, “I like to do that with horses when they’re going to different places because there are a lot of different (gate) manufacturers and they look different to them. Sometimes they hesitate when they’ve never been in them before."
Tres Borrachos
Tres Borrachos was out for light work on Thursday. Trainer Beau Greely said, “He just jogged today. He was on his toes and feeling fresh. He’d have done a lot more had we let him. He’ll gallop tomorrow and just walk into the race. I think the track’s going to suit him. He’s run his best races on dirt. There are a little tighter turns here or so they tell me. I think with the 2-hole, it came up good for him."
Yankee Bravo
Yankee Bravo galloped on the main track Thursday morning. Trainer Paddy Gallagher said, “He galloped around slow and looked around. He’s the kind of horse that nothing bothers after he gets a chance to settle in.”
Hey Byrn
Holy Bull Stakes winner Hey Byrn galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Peter Shelton. Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. said, “If you asked (owner Beatrice Oxenberg), she’d probably say (racing her horses) is the most important part of her life right now. Every time she has a horse in, she’s at the races. She just drives her car and goes to the track." About his horse, he said, “He’s what you call a push-button horse.
He’ll do what you want him to do. He’s not one-dimensional. He has the tactical speed to lay where you want him. The jockey can direct him any way; he’s not going to run off with him. He’s a very versatile horse. He’s probably one of the most versatile horses I’ve ever trained.”
Stevil went out for an easy gallop at Pimlico. Trainer Nick Zito said, “He just galloped today, an easy gallop. He’s very consistent. He’s going to run a good race; he always runs a good race. I’d be surprised if he didn’t run a good race, knock on wood. He should be in the money. The story here is without question Big Brown. I’m a fan of the game, too, and I just hope we run a good race and get close and then try to beat him in the next town.
But to say anybody on paper is going to beat Big Brown is going to be a hard stretch. However, they don’t run on paper; they run on dirt. We have to run the race and see what happens."
Racecar Rhapsody toured the track on Thursday. Exercise rider Jesus Castanon said, “I took him out about 7:30 and I jogged him one mile and galloped him one mile. It feels like he can handle this track very well. This horse is kind of calm. He doesn’t get scared. He just goes for it. He doesn’t look around much.”
May 15, 2008
Big Brown galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Michelle Nevin on Thursday morning. Trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said, "He was comfortable, cool, and relaxed. I'm happy as can be right now. I figure the lighter I train him, the better. I don't want to squeeze anything out of him. I want to go as slow and easy as I can between races. We've got two more races we have to get through. I hope he doesn't have to get on his belly.
I want something left for the Belmont. In the Belmont, you'll have some fresher, better horses. It'll be his third race in five weeks. The Belmont is going to be the one we really have to deal with. The Preakness looks like it's in our favor."
Triple Crown quick links:
- Alibi Breakfast - Thursday before the Preakness the traditional Alibi Breakfast is held where the trainers of all the horses make their excuses in case they don't win on Saturday and annual awards are given.
- Analyzing the Preakness contenders - trying to pick a winner by profiling
- Free Past Performances - from DRF
- Preakness Weather Forecasts
- Preakness 101 - A basic introduction the the second jewel of the Triple Crown
- Past Preakness Winners
- Triple Crown Index - the master list with even more info
Big Brown gallops
Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown gallops down the stretch in preparation for the Preakness. “It went good,” trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. said. “I was very happy with it. He was comfortable, cool, relaxed, galloped good. We’re as happy as we can be right now. There is no way anybody can tell how their horse is going to run in two weeks. You don’t have time to train ‘em, breeze ‘em a few times, but since he’s come out of the Derby, up to this minute, I’m very, very happy with the horse.
He’s just done everything that you would want a horse to do coming out of a race like that. He hasn’t missed an oat. He’s aggressive with his gallops. It’s all good. I don’t know how he’s going to run with the two weeks, but I’m certainly not going to dismiss him, I can tell you that.”
Gayego
Gayego jogged one lap (1 mile) around the Pimlico track on Thursday under exercise rider Jody Pieper. Pieper said that Gayego will add blinkers in the Preakness. "They’re just to get him to focus a little bit. Mike (Smith, jockey) told me in the Derby when he came down the stretch for the first time the crowd scared him. He started lugging in and then started running over horses’ heels. They’re just trying to get him to focus a little more."
Macho Again
Macho Again galloped 1 1/4 miles at Pimlico on Thursday. Trainer Dallas Stewart said, “He showed a lot of fight in his last race. I really like the way he handled himself in the last race. He got bumped and squeezed. He showed fight and he finished off the race real nice. He was really running. He beat a nice horse that was no slouch.”
Kentucky Bear
Kentucky Bear galloped 1 1/2 miles and schooled in the starting gate. Trainer Reade Baker said, “I like to do that with horses when they’re going to different places because there are a lot of different (gate) manufacturers and they look different to them. Sometimes they hesitate when they’ve never been in them before."
Tres Borrachos
Tres Borrachos was out for light work on Thursday. Trainer Beau Greely said, “He just jogged today. He was on his toes and feeling fresh. He’d have done a lot more had we let him. He’ll gallop tomorrow and just walk into the race. I think the track’s going to suit him. He’s run his best races on dirt. There are a little tighter turns here or so they tell me. I think with the 2-hole, it came up good for him."
Yankee Bravo
Yankee Bravo galloped on the main track Thursday morning. Trainer Paddy Gallagher said, “He galloped around slow and looked around. He’s the kind of horse that nothing bothers after he gets a chance to settle in.”
Hey Byrn
Holy Bull Stakes winner Hey Byrn galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Peter Shelton. Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. said, “If you asked (owner Beatrice Oxenberg), she’d probably say (racing her horses) is the most important part of her life right now. Every time she has a horse in, she’s at the races. She just drives her car and goes to the track." About his horse, he said, “He’s what you call a push-button horse.
He’ll do what you want him to do. He’s not one-dimensional. He has the tactical speed to lay where you want him. The jockey can direct him any way; he’s not going to run off with him. He’s a very versatile horse. He’s probably one of the most versatile horses I’ve ever trained.”
Stevil went out for an easy gallop at Pimlico. Trainer Nick Zito said, “He just galloped today, an easy gallop. He’s very consistent. He’s going to run a good race; he always runs a good race. I’d be surprised if he didn’t run a good race, knock on wood. He should be in the money. The story here is without question Big Brown. I’m a fan of the game, too, and I just hope we run a good race and get close and then try to beat him in the next town.
But to say anybody on paper is going to beat Big Brown is going to be a hard stretch. However, they don’t run on paper; they run on dirt. We have to run the race and see what happens."
Racecar Rhapsody toured the track on Thursday. Exercise rider Jesus Castanon said, “I took him out about 7:30 and I jogged him one mile and galloped him one mile. It feels like he can handle this track very well. This horse is kind of calm. He doesn’t get scared. He just goes for it. He doesn’t look around much.”
Source...