Von Hemel noncommital on Preakness for Crupper

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Triple Crown nominee Crupper earned a Preakness berth for his win in the $200,000 Bathhouse Row Stakes last Saturday at Oaklawn Park and will be considered for a start in the 3-year-old classic, according to his trainer, Donnie Von Hemel.

Crupper emerged from the Bathhouse Row in good order and is now settled in at Churchill. Von Hemel and Robert Zoellner, who bred and owns Crupper, will be debating a start in the Preakness.

“We’ll closely be watching the [Kentucky] Derby and how that plays out,” Von Hemel said. “And really, you know, if it looks like we can do some good, we’ll go. If it looks like it’s going to be too tough at this point in his career, then we may be looking in other places. I think it’s an option right now and we’re going to seriously consider it over the next few weeks.”

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Crupper put up a career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 80 in the Bathhouse Row. He was on the pace throughout the 1 1/8-mile race and won by a half-length under Junior Alvarado.

“It was about seven weeks since his last race, and I think that he’s moved forward from that race,” Von Hemel said, “and we’ll kind of look forward to seeing if he can move forward a little bit more.”

Crupper is a son of Candy Ride and the late millionaire racemare She’s All In.

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