On the day Kentucky Derby winner Mage was confirmed as a starter for the Preakness so too was potentially one of his sternest challengers in National Treasure.

After working Friday morning at Santa Anita, National Treasure was declared a "go" by Bob Baffert, the seven-time Preakness-winning trainer who returns to the Triple Crown stage for the first time in two years.

Officially, National Treasure was credited with a half-mile in 47.40 seconds, though Baffert said it was a five-furlong drill from the half-mile pole. Baffert said he had 59.60 on his watch.

There are not many trainers who are excited at the prospect of running their horses back in the Preakness two weeks after they were beaten by Mage in the Kentucky Derby.

Keith Desormeaux is one trainer who does want to run back. He just wants his horse Confidence Game to share that enthusiasm.

“I definitely want to run,” Desormeaux said. “We’re going to wait and make that final decision after we train him this weekend. I’ll have a final decision by Saturday or Sunday. I just want to see some vibrance in his training, a good appetite and all the typical things you know.”

While the thrill of winning the Kentucky Derby is still sinking in to his connections, Mage seemingly just wants to get back to business.

Mage returned to the track Tuesday at Churchill Downs, where he jogged a mile and galloped a mile over a sloppy track. Wednesday, he did a bit more, galloping 1 1/2 miles.

Brad Cox won six stakes at Churchill Downs and one more at Belmont Park last week, but it was the big one that got away that left him feeling a tad empty Sunday morning.

Despite having four of the 18 runners in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, Cox went away empty-handed with Angel of Empire’s third-place finish behind Mage the best placing among his quartet. Hit Show ran a respectable fifth, while Verifying and Jace’s Road finished 16th and 17th, respectively.

The inaugural Preakness Stakes Future Bet will include a field of 28 individual horses and an “all others” entry, according to a list of horses distributed Tuesday night.

The field includes many of the top choices for the May 6 Kentucky Derby, plus a handful of horses whose trainers have indicated that they are shooting for the May 20 Preakness after the post-Derby shakeout. But the timing of the Preakness Future Bet will require players to make their selections prior to that shakeout – the pool will close on the afternoon of May 6, prior to the running of the Derby.