Preakness Stakes: Justify likely to face small cast

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There were 19 horses who took on Justify in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, but by Sunday morning here at Churchill Downs, few trainers were even entertaining the thought of trying him again in two weeks in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, let alone committing to the race.

As a result, the Preakness field figures to be considerably smaller, quite likely in the single digits. Of the Derby runners, only Bravazo, who finished sixth, was certain for the May 19 Preakness. And only Good Magic, who finished second, was being seriously considered.

The rest are scattering, either leaving the Triple Crown altogether – like Bolt d’Oro – or awaiting the final leg, the Belmont Stakes on June 9, like third-place finisher Audible.

In addition to Justify and Bravazo, the only other horses who as of Sunday morning seemed certain to run in the Preakness were Diamond King and Sporting Chance. Another possibility is Quip, the Tampa Bay Derby winner who was kept out of the Derby to point for the Preakness, but he has overlapping ownership with Justify via WinStar Farm. WinStar also is involved in the ownership of Audible.

Did Justify winning the Derby preclude Quip from running in the Preakness?

“I hesitate to say right now. I think we’ll see how the week plays out,” said Elliott Walden, the president and chief executive of WinStar. “My first inclination is to go ahead and run him, but I need to talk to our partners and see. We had set the horse up to run in the Preakness, and he worked very well on Thursday.

“If Justfiy is supposed to win the Triple Crown, he’ll beat Quip. I just think you try to manage your horses the best you can. I think it is the right thing for Quip,” Walden said of the Preakness. “Not making a final decision today, but the horse is doing really well.”

Bravazo and Sporting Chance, who on Saturday was fourth in the Pat Day Mile, are trained by D. Wayne Lukas, setting up a compelling battle among trainers in the Preakness. Lukas is the all-time leader with 14 Triple Crown race wins. Bob Baffert, who trains Justify, got his 13th Triple Crown race win in the Kentucky Derby. If Justify wins the Preakness, he and Lukas are tied.

“I think they’ll both go. The Preakness has been good to me,” Lukas said Sunday, noting that “the last time I finished sixth in the Derby, I won the Preakness with Oxbow.”

Oxbow, in 2013, was Lukas’s sixth Preakness winner.

Baffert also has won the Preakness six times, including with all four of his previous Derby winners – Silver Charm, Real Quiet, War Emblem, and American Pharoah. With a win, either Baffert or Lukas would be tied with R. Wyndham Walden – who trained in the late 1800s – for the most Preakness victories among trainers.

Lukas said Bravazo and Sporting Chance would travel by van to Pimlico on the Tuesday or Wednesday of Preakness Week. Justify will fly there next week.

Luis Contreras rode Bravazo in the Kentucky Derby and Sporting Chance in the Pat Day Mile. Lukas said he had yet to decide which horse Contreras would ride in the Preakness and who would pick up the other mount.

Diamond King, trained by John Servis, received a free berth in the Preakness by virtue of his victory in the Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel on April 21, a “Win and You’re In” race for the Preakness. He has won four times in six starts. Servis won the Preakness in 2004 with Derby winner Smarty Jones.

– additional reporting by David Grening

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