Diamond King to get tryout for possible Preakness run

The promising 3-year-old Diamond King was scratched from the Private Terms Stakes with a fever March 17, but he never became very ill and quickly resumed training. He worked a mile for trainer John Servis in 1:47.60 at Parx Racing on March 24.

“The work was excellent, he’s doing very good,” Servis said. “His fever got up to about 102, but he fought it off. We never did treat him for it.”

Servis and Diamond King’s owners – Chuck Zacney, Leonard Green, and Glenn Bennett – want to give Diamond King, who is 3 for 5, a chance to earn his way to the Preakness Stakes. They plan to start him in either the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park on April 21 or the Grade 3 Lexington, a 1 1/16-mile stakes at Keeneland on April 14.

“We’re leaning toward the Tesio, but we’re still considering the Lexington,” Servis said. “The Tesio is a Win and You’re In for the Preakness and we also wouldn’t have to go all the way to Kentucky.”

Servis said about five horses in his Parx stable recently spiked a fever, including Grade 2 winner Ms Locust Point, but they all recovered within days.

“She had a fever for two days,” Servis said. “It got up to about 101.5 and then the next day it was under 100, so we just trained her lightly for a few days and then went on with her.”

Ms Locust Point is being pointed to the Grade 1, $300,000 Madison at Keeneland on April 7.