For Firing Line, disappointment in the Preakness

BALTIMORE – For Firing Line, Saturday’s Preakness Stakes was over before it truly began. Two jumps into the race, the Kentucky Derby runner-up stumbled over the sloppy Pimlico track, and he never truly recovered.

“Pretty much chance over,” said a downtrodden Simon Callaghan, the trainer of Firing Line, who ultimately was eased across the wire by Gary Stevens in seventh place in the eight-horse field. “He stumbled badly at the second jump, went down on his head, and he never really got hold of the track. He got behind; nothing was kind of happening for him today.”

Callaghan was left to wonder what might have been had the skies not opened and turned Pimlico’s fast track into a sea of slop, one that only American Pharoah seemed to handle en route to a seven-length victory in the Preakness that puts him in a position to try to become Thoroughbred racing’s first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

Callaghan was too disappointed in his horse’s race to be overly impressed with American Pharoah.

“I guess he got out in front on a sloppy track; that’s probably the place to be,” Callaghan said of American Pharoah. “But it was a good performance from him, obviously.”

Callaghan’s first inclination was to send his horse back to California and skip the Belmont Stakes on June 6. He later hedged on making a final decision. He still believes his horse can beat American Pharoah under “different circumstances.”

Arnold Zetcher, the owner of Firing Line, said a decision on Firing Line’s Belmont status would be made later. Zetcher also has horses with Bob Baffert, the trainer of American Pharoah.

“It’s probably great for the fans; everybody wants to see someone go for a Triple Crown,” Zetcher said. “We were disappointed we couldn’t run our race today. I wish Bob the best of luck and Mr. Zayat and all the American Pharoah people.”

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas was impressed with American Pharoah. He had jockey Corey Nakatani send Mr. Z after American Pharoah in the early stages of the race, and he prompted him through six furlongs in 1:11.42 before fading. He finished fifth.

“We were no match for him,” Lukas said. “We were trying to get a big piece of it. My horse ran well for what he was. I was pleased, but [American Pharoah] is a good horse.”

Good enough, Lukas believes, to win a Triple Crown.

“I think he definitely is. I said it back in March,” Lukas said. “We’re not going to the Belmont. We’re going to wait and regroup now for Saratoga.”

There will be several who will challenge American Pharoah in the Belmont Stakes on June 6. They include Kentucky Derby also-rans Frosted (fourth), Materiality (sixth), Keen Ice (seventh) Mubtaahij (eighth), Carpe Diem (10th), Frammento (11th), and Peter Pan Stakes winner Madefromlucky.

Tale of Verve, who didn’t get into the Kentucky Derby but finished second in the Preakness, also will be there. For the third straight year, Dallas Stewart finished second in a classic race with a longshot. Tale of Verve, last and 17 1/2 lengths out of it after a half-mile, rallied to finish second, a length ahead of Divining Rod.

Stewart was disappointed that his horse didn’t get into the Kentucky Derby. A horse who didn’t win his first race until April 23 at Keeneland, Tale of Verve, owned by Chuck Fipke, was stuck on the also-eligible list for the Derby.

“After he won at Keeneland, I told Chuck, ‘I know you might think I’m crazy, but if he was mine, I’d run him in the Derby,” Stewart said. “We were unlucky to not get in the Derby, but we ran well here.”

Steve Cauthen rode Affirmed to victory in the 1978 Triple Crown. His brother Doug is an adviser to Roy and Gretchen Jackson, the owners of Preakness third-place finisher Divining Rod. Doug Cauthen thinks American Pharoah could win the Triple Crown.

“I think he’s a hell of a horse,” Cauthen said. “There are really good horses waiting for him, but that was impressive.”