Creative Minister's recent improvement convinced his trainer, Kenny McPeek, and owners, Paul Fireman and Greg Back, that is was worth paying a hefty $150,000 supplemental fee to make Creative Minister eligible to the last two legs of the Triple Crown, beginning with the Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico.
Creative Minister was a 2 3/4-length winner of a salty allowance race at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May, some seven hours before Epicenter carried the Winchell Thoroughbreds colors to a game second in the Kentucky Derby. The two colts will converge in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. Ironically, Creative Minister, who races for Fern Circle Stables, Back Racing, and trainer Kenny McPeek, is from a Winchell foundation family and will now seek to upset their star colt in the Preakness.
Epicenter had his final pre-race workout before heading to Baltimore as the solid Preakness favorite when going an easy half-mile in 50.40 seconds as dawn was breaking Monday morning at Churchill Downs.
Rich Strike, who gave Calumet Farm a record-extending 10th Kentucky Derby victory as a breeder, will not be in Baltimore on Saturday. But Calumet homebred Happy Jack is expected to be in the starting gate for the Preakness Stakes, looking to extend the historic operation's record in the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
Shake Em Loose will run this weekend at Pimlico. Only not in the Preakness. Following a turf workout Sunday morning at Laurel Park, trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon confirmed that Shake Em Loose will instead start in Saturday's $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes for 3-year-olds on grass.
Armagnac, who won a first-level allowance at Santa Anita last Sunday, on Saturday became the latest horse to jump into the field for the May 21 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, according to trainer Tim Yakteen, who said Irad Ortiz Jr. would have the mount.
The status of potential Preakness entrant Shake Em Loose will likely be determined following the gelding’s scheduled workout at Laurel Park on Sunday morning.
The comparisons between Early Voting and Cloud Computing are natural and meaningful and are among the main storylines heading into next Saturday's $1.5 million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Trainer Chad Brown and owner Seth Klarman hope the comparisons are equally as natural and meaningful coming out of Preakness 147.
Rich Strike pulled off an 80-1 upset in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, and on Thursday his connections came with another shocker, taking the colt out of consideration for the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, at Pimlico on May 21. He will instead await the Belmont Stakes.
Rich Strike won't be 80-1 in the Preakness like he was in winning the Kentucky Derby – but he won't be among the program favorites, either. Pimlico oddsmaker Keith Feustle said this week that Rich Strike will be 8-1 “or maybe even a touch higher” on his morning line, depending on who's in and who's out when entries are drawn Monday for the May 21 Preakness at Pimlico in Baltimore.
