Trainer Al Stall Jr. wants to wait and see what happens in Saturday's Kentucky Derby before deciding whether to point Illinois Derby winner Departing to the Preakness.
Lightly raced 3-year-old colt Abstraction made the leap from maiden to stakes company and easily handled the assignment as a convincing winner in Saturday’s $75,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico.
There are several intriguing 3-year-olds in the lineup for Saturday’s $75,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico, a two-turn race that occasionally has served as a springboard to the Preakness and two years ago produced Ruler On Ice, winner of the Belmont Stakes.
Departing was back in his stall on the Churchill Downs backstretch Monday morning after sharply winning the Grade 3, $750,000 Illinois Derby on Saturday at Hawthorne, and that is exactly where Departing will remain during the running of the Kentucky Derby on May 4.
Sr. Quisqueyano rode a speed-favoring track to a convincing 7 1/2- length victory over the 4-5 favorite Speak Logistics in Saturday’s $250,000 Calder Derby.
Maryland horsemen will get three extra weeks to chase richer purses during the spring meet that opens Thursday at Pimlico.
The Maryland Racing Commission on Tuesday voted unanimously to change the official time of the 1973 Preakness Stakes won by Secretariat from 1:54 2/5 to 1:53, a time that will give the two-time Horse of the Year the record in all three of the Triple Crown races.
The Maryland Racing Commission will conduct a formal review of the official time recorded for Secretariat’s win in the 1973 Preakness Stakes at its monthly commission meeting on June 19.
The national television rating for the race portion of the Preakness Stakes broadcast on NBC declined 7 percent compared with the same rating last year.
All-sources wagering on this year’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday was up 2.5 percent compared to betting on the race last year, according to figures printed on the official charts for the two races.
