Talk to Me Jimmy to stay home for Peter Pan

Talk to Me Jimmy, who had been mentioned as a possible starter in the Preakness Stakes, will stay home to run in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes, trainer Rudy Rodriguez said Wednesday.

Talk to Me Jimmy won the Withers Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct in February before finishing eighth, beaten 4 1/2 lengths in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 4.

Rodriguez said the opportunity to stay home against a smaller field made the Peter Pan “a better spot, much easier spot” than the Preakness.

“I think we fit pretty good here,” Rodriguez.

Bull by the Horns, the Rushaway Stakes winner, will scratch from the Peter Pan. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said the horse missed an important workout last weekend due to bad weather in South Florida. He will work this weekend with the possibility of him running in the Preakness at Laurel Park on May 16.

Trendsetter, the Grade 3 Lexington winner, Azam, Growth Equity, and Gulfy are also in the Peter Pan.

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