Pneumatic, following Pegasus win, points to Preakness

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Pneumatic, the relatively easy winner of Saturday’s $150,000 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park, will be pointed to the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on Oct. 3, his connections said Sunday.

Though Pneumatic would have enough points to get into the Kentucky Derby field on Sept. 5, his connections believe the seven weeks to the Preakness is a better fit for the large son of Uncle Mo.

“He’s a big, heavy-framed horse, I don’t think anyone thinks a three-week turnaround was optimal for him,” said David Fiske, racing manager for owner Ron Winchell. “Plan A would be to try and get him ready for Baltimore.”

Fiske said he and trainer Steve Asmussen could re-visit the Derby were one or more of the top contenders to defect.

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Pneumatic, coming out of a fourth-place finish to Tiz the Law in the Belmont Stakes on June 20, seemed in control of the Pegasus throughout. Under Joe Bravo, he stalked the pace from third, took over nearing the top of the stretch and won pretty much wrapped up as Bravo could be seen glancing over at the infield board to see how comfortable was his margin.

“It was exactly what I was hoping for,” Asmussen said Sunday at Saratoga. “He was coming out of two very competitive races behind Maxfield and Tiz the Law. It was a bit of class relief and he feels very good about himself.”

Pneumatic, who is now 3 for 5, earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure for his victory in the Pegasus. He shipped back to Saratoga on Sunday morning.