Sunday Break opts out of Preakness

Sunday Break, the third-place finisher in the Wood Memorial, will not run in the Preakness Stakes, trainer Neil Drysdale confirmed Sunday night.

"We're going in the Peter Pan and Belmont," Drysdale said after conferring with owner Koji Maeda.

The Peter Pan, a $200,000 Grade 2 race at nine furlongs, is run on May 25 at Belmont Park. The Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown, will be run on June 8. In 1992, Drysdale sent out A. P. Indy to win both the Peter Pan and Belmont after he was scratched the morning of the Kentucky Derby with a foot injury.

Sunday Break failed to get into the Kentucky Derby due to insufficient earnings in graded stakes company. On Saturday, Sunday Break worked seven furlongs in 1:28.02 at Belmont Park. He will remain at Belmont with six other Drysdale-trained horses.

Sunday Break's defection reduces the Preakness field to 12. They are Kentucky Derby 1-2-4-7 finishers War Emblem, Proud Citizen, Medaglia d'Oro and Harlan's Holiday and new shooters Booklet, Crimson Hero, Easyfromthegitgo, Equality, Magic Weisner, Menacing Dennis, Straight Gin, and U S S Tinosa.