Ten possible for Preakness Stakes

Just as in the Kentucky Derby, it looks like trainers Bob Baffert and Todd Pletcher will determine the complexion of the Preakness Stakes, though unlike the Derby, the Preakness is shaping up as having a field perhaps half the size of the Derby.

Eighteen charged out of the gate in the Derby, with favored American Pharoah prevailing over Firing Line, and Dortmund third. As of Monday, those three were all pointing to the Preakness on May 16 at Pimlico. But potential challengers are sparse for the second leg of the Triple Crown. There are seven others whose connections are looking at the Preakness, but their degree of interest ranges from certain to merely possible.

Three potential runners – Carpe Diem, Competitive Edge, and Materiality – are trained by Pletcher, but it is highly unlikely he would run all of them. All three would be coming back on two weeks’ rest. Carpe Diem was 10th in the Derby, Materiality sixth, while Competitive Edge won the Pat Day Mile earlier Saturday at Churchill Downs.

Other potential Preakness runners include Bodhisattva, Danzig Moon, Divining Rod, and International Star.

:: Preakness: Contenders and news

American Pharoah, Firing Line, and Dortmund all will remain at Churchill Downs until flying to Baltimore on May 13, the Wednesday of Preakness Week.

The decision Baffert and owner Kaleem Shah make regarding Dortmund could impact the pace of the Preakness and mean that the biggest challenger to American Pharoah for his quest to remain alive for a Triple Crown bid could come from his own barn.

“Right now, I don’t see why not,” Baffert said Sunday morning when asked if both would contest the Preakness.

“I’ll have to talk to Kaleem Shah,” Baffert said, referring to the owner of Dortmund. “I’m sure he wants a little revenge.”

Baffert on Sunday revealed that Dortmund had suffered from a brief touch of colic one week before the Derby, the day before he left California for Kentucky.

American Pharoah, last year’s champion 2-year-old male, won for the fifth straight time, but it wasn’t easy. Jockey Victor Espinoza hit him 32 times between the five-sixteenths pole and the wire, and American Pharoah needed nearly the length of the stretch to finally subdue a stubborn Firing Line. He got a Beyer Speed Figure of 105.

American Pharoah is owned and was bred by Ahmed Zayat, whose oldest son, Justin, is the stable’s racing manager. It was the first Derby win for the Zayat family after having finished second in the Derby three times, all since 2009.

“They gave me a really good horse and I didn’t screw it up,” Baffert said. “That was the toughest Derby I’ve been in.”

American Pharoah’s four previous wins all had been done in effortless fashion. Baffert said that on Saturday he “finally had to work.”

“It was a stiff race,” he said. “From here he should really move forward.”

Baffert said American Pharoah would “have a really light week” of training.

“I’ve got to get the weight back on him,” he said.

The possibility Dortmund could be a main threat to stop American Pharoah’s quest for a Triple Crown was addressed by Baffert, who said it’s “not fair to the owner” to favor another owner’s horse in such situations.

“When you’re in a big barn like mine, you have to understand that you might be beat by another horse in the barn,” Baffert said. “If Dortmund turns the tables, so be it.”

Baffert, who flew back to California on Sunday, said he did not know if he would work either horse between the Derby and Preakness.

Firing Line finished second for the third time in a stakes race to a Baffert-trained runner, having dropped close decisions to Dortmund in the Los Alamitos Futurity and Robert Lewis Stakes.

“He ran his race and he got beat by a really good horse,” said his trainer, Simon Callaghan.

Firing Line had been off six weeks prior to his final Derby prep, the Sunland Derby, and then had six weeks heading into the Kentucky Derby.

“That fact we spaced his races should be beneficial,” Callaghan said. “Running back on two weeks doesn’t concern me.”

Pletcher’s runners headed to New York on Monday. Of the three under consideration for the Preakness, Competitive Edge might be the most likely to run. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 102 for his Pat Day Mile victory.

“He seemed to finish very well going a mile,” Pletcher said Monday. “It did not appear to be a taxing race on him initially. He came back and was hardly even blowing when he came back to the winner’s circle. Still, it was a very fast race.”

If Competitive Edge runs, the Preakness would mark his first start around two turns.

“He ran the mile well enough to think about stretching him out farther,” Pletcher said. “He’s undefeated, a Hopeful winner, and essentially unchallenged so far. He’s very impressive in everything he’s done.

“I think Competitive Edge’s race was impressive enough to make you consider just about anything. Wouldn’t duck anyone as long as you felt like the timing and everything was okay for him.”

John Velazquez rode Competitive Edge in the Pat Day Mile and Carpe Diem in the Derby, and had ridden Materiality in his starts prior to the Derby. If Pletcher runs just one horse, Velazquez likely would have the mount. Velazquez would have to choose if Pletcher runs more than one.

Similarly, Julien Leparoux rides both Danzig Moon and Divining Rod. If both run, Leparoux would have to choose. As of Monday, Divining Rod was certain to run, while Danzig Moon was only possible.

– additional reporting by David Grening