Pimlico | Race 13 | 6:48 p.m. (ET) | TimeformUS PPs 

BALTIMORE – Like many, Mark Hennig tuned into the Kentucky Derby two weeks ago with keen interest. The result of that race will be debated and, it appears, litigated for a long time, but for Hennig, his takeaway was confirmation that he trained a horse who ranked right with the best of this crop of 3-year-olds.

BALTIMORE - The Maryland Jockey Club added two new Win and You’re In races for the Preakness this year, bringing the total to three. All three have made it into the entries.

The Federico Tesio has been a Preakness Win and You’re In since 2015. This year’s Tesio winner Alwaysmining will make the race 4 for 5 in producing Preakness starters. 

BALTIMORE - The Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and radio personality Steve Byk were among the honorees Thursday morning at the annual Alibi Breakfast in the Pimlico clubhouse.

The TAA, which has given more than $14 million in grants to accredited Thoroughbred aftercare agencies, was honored with the Special Award of Merit for positive impact on the racing industry. Byk, host of the long-running “At the Races,” was given the Old Hilltop Award for career excellence in racing coverage.

BALTIMORE - The potential return on investment for his owners may not exactly be ideal, but the sporting aspect came into play when Ten Strike Racing and Madaket Stables ponied up a $150,000 supplementary fee to make Warrior’s Charge eligible to the Preakness.

Even if the colt wins the $1.65 million race, the net payoff for the owners would be less than $1 million, which translates to something like 5-1. Warrior’s Charge surely will be longer odds than that.

“They’re gamers,” trainer Brad Cox said of the owners. “They think we have a live one. The money is secondary.”

The stewards were taking forever – 10 minutes, 15 minutes – while the clock kept ticking and the massive crowd grew dangerously restless. This was the Kentucky Derby, for Pete’s sake, held up by a jockey’s objection and the three dithering officials trying to unpack what happened, while the horses circled, their people paced, and the media chafed at the bit.

ELMONT, N.Y. – The small framed picture that hangs on the back wall of trainer Mark Hennig’s Belmont Park office shows Personal Hope at the quarter pole of the 1993 Kentucky Derby with a clear lead and seemingly in hand under Gary Stevens.

“How many horses you see turning for home at the quarter pole under wraps like that and not win?” Hennig said.

Personal Hope still had the lead in midstretch, but Jerry Bailey and Sea Hero were about to go by him. Two others did as well in the last sixteenth of a mile, and Personal Hope finished fourth, beaten 2 3/4 lengths.

Like trainer Mark Casse, I was hoping War of Will did not draw the rail again for the Preakness, although obviously not for the same reasons. The prevailing thought was that War of Will and IMPROBABLE are the two best horses in this field, with the former likely to offer a little more betting value and with a very legitimate chance of defeating the likely favorite – if he did not draw down inside again.