Trainer Arnaud Delacour confirmed Wednesday that Lael Stable's Divining Rod (Tapit) is still on track for an expected start in the GI Xpressbet.com Preakness S. May 16. The Roy and Gretchen Jackson homebred earned enough points for his impressive win in Keeneland's Apr. 11 GIII Coolmore Lexington S. to have drawn into the GI Kentucky Derby off the also-eligible list, but his connections had already decided to wait for the middle leg of the Triple Crown.
“We weren't sure we had enough points,” Delacour explained. “We were on the bubble, and it's very hard to train a horse to a race like the Derby not knowing if you're going to get in. That puts some pressure on. Also, we would have been coming back in three weeks after a good effort in the Lexington and shipping. We thought that maybe it was coming back a little bit too quick. And also, the Jacksons saw statistics that showed horses that won the Lexington and came back in the Derby ran a little flat.”
He added, “They were the first ones to say that if we didn't think that the horse was really going to be at his best that they would rather wait another two weeks. I was completely fine with that.”
While Delacour acknowledged that the Preakness field will be a tough one with the likes of the top three from the Derby, he noted that his charge's fresh legs could prove an advantage.
“It's a tough bunch of horses,” Delacour said. “Going into the Derby, everyone was talking about how good of a crop it was. I still feel the same way. The only thing is: I think everybody ran pretty hard, so you never know how they are going to come back in two weeks. We'll see, but they are definitely tough horses to take on.”
Delacour says the son of MGISW Precious Kitten (Catienus) has been doing well at Maryland's Fair Hill Training Center since his last afternoon appearance, and will have his final breeze before the Preakness this Saturday.
“I think he came back well,” Delacour said. “We gave him two easy weeks where we trained him lightly and let him get his level of energy back. That worked out great. He's had two breezes since–one easy breeze (5f over the all-weather in 1:03 flat {21/26} Apr. 25) and last week was a more significant breeze (5f in 1:00.80 {2/18} on the dirt Apr. 2). I was pleased with both, really… I think he's really fit now and is ready to go. We just need to keep him doing well all the way to the Preakness.”
Divining Rod finished second, beaten a neck, in Tampa's GIII Sam F. Davis S. Jan. 21, and was third behind subsequent GI Blue Grass S. winner Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway) in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 7.
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