Zayat Stables homebred American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) was the talk of the town in Louisville leading up to the GI Kentucky Derby and the buzz has not died down in Baltimore since he took home the roses on the first Saturday in May. Fifth on debut to the well-regarded Om (Munnings) at Del Mar last August, the bay reeled off a pair of impressive victories in the GI Del Mar Futurity Sept. 3 and Arcadia's GI FrontRunner S. Sept. 27. Those efforts earned him champion juvenile honors, despite being scratched late from the Nov. 1 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile with an injury. Returning with a dazzling victory in a sloppy renewal of Oaklawn's GII Rebel S. Mar. 14, American Pharoah was even more impressive next out when winning the GI Arkansas Derby by eight lengths Apr. 11. Favored in what was one of the strongest Derby renewal in recent years, the Bob Baffert pupil delivered on the hype with a thrilling one-length victory May 2 and kept the pre-Derby Triple Crown whispers alive. “American Pharoah hadn't had a hard race [prior to the Derby],” Baffert said. “[The Derby] was a good, stiff, hard race for him and it looks like he handled it pretty well. He's a very exciting horse to watch and the way he moves over the track, he just floats.” American Pharoah will have to overcome the rail to become Baffert's sixth Preakness winner and first since Lookin at Lucky (Smart Strike) in 2010.
The Hall of Fame conditioner's biggest competition seems to be himself in the form of 'TDN Rising Star' Dortmund (Big Brown). The hulking chestnut proved to be both versatile and exceptionally talented when he reeled off six straight victories, including the GI Los Alamitos Futurity in December, the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Feb. 7, the GII San Felipe S. Mar. 7 and the GI Santa Anita Derby Apr. 4. The Kaleem Shah colorbearer suffered his first loss when third after setting the pace in the Derby, but seems no worse for wear according to the glowing reports he has been getting since. “He deserves another chance,” Baffert said. “He ran his race. It's a little shorter; he might like that. In my barn, everyone gets and equal fair shot. Kaleem told me, 'If you think he's going to run well, run him.' He left it up to me, so it's actually my call.”
Arnold Zetcher's Firing Line (Line of David) ran a huge race when splitting the Baffert pair to be second in the Run for the Roses. A head second to Dortmund in both the Los Alamitos Futurity and Bob Lewis, the Simon Callaghan trainee solidified his place in the Derby field with a 14 1/4-length demolition in the GIII Sunland Derby Mar. 22. Connections were happy with the bay's outside draw, but Derby runner-ups have a history of failing in Baltimore with the last one to win the Preakness being Prarie Bayou (Little Missouri) in 1993. “I like the way our horse is training,” Callaghan said. “Everything's gone perfectly. I think that the race being a 1/16th of a mile shorter could potentially help us. We've got a good post and they have probably a tougher post, so I think there are a few factors that can help us turn the tables.”
With six Preakness wins to his name already, Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas looks to tie record holder R. Wyndham Walden with the help of Mr. Z (Malibu Moon). The chestnut will represent Brad Kelley's Calumet Farm for the first time Saturday after the operation privately purchased the chestnut from Zayat Stables shortly before the entry deadline Wednesday. The hard-knocking sophomore has danced all the big dances since his debut victory last year, and though he has not won since, he does have several Grade I placings. Third in the Arkansas Derby, Mr. Z was 13th after a less than ideal trip last time in Louisville, and his conditioner, who teamed up with Calumet to win the 2013 Preakness with Oxbow (Awesome Again), is convinced he will rebound at Pimlico.
John Oxley's GI Blue Grass S. runner-up Danzig Moon (Malibu Moon) came charging late after exchanging bumps early on to be a respectable fifth in the Derby. The Mark Casse pupil has shown improvement in each of his last two efforts and could certainly grab a minor award here. “I think we haven't seen his best race yet,” Casse said. “I think it's taken him a little while to figure out exactly what his job is and being a racehorse. But I think seeing how aggressive he was in the Derby is kind of a testament to where he is now mentally.”
The home team is represented by the Jose Corrales owned and trained Bodhisattva (Student Council), who will be piloted by young local rider Trevor McCarthy. Second in a sloppy renewal of Laurel's Private Terms S. Mar. 21, the chestnut captured the Apr. 18 Federico Tesio S., the local prep for the Triple Crown's middle jewel.
Roy and Gretchen Jackson's Lael Stables will be represented by their first Preakness runner since the ill-fated 2006 Derby hero Barbaro (Dynaformer) in the form of Divining Rod (Tapit). A neck second in Tampa's GIII Sam F. Davis S. Jan. 31, the Arnaud Delacour pupil was third behind Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway) in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 7 and showed marked improvement next out with a three-length success in Keeneland's GIII Coolmore Lexington S. Apr. 11.
Charles Fipke homebred Tale of Verve (Tale of Ekati), who was an also-eligible for the Derby, but failed to draw in. Trained by Dallas Stewart, who saddled longshots Golden Soul (Perfect Soul {Ire}) and Commanding Curve (Master Command) to runner-up efforts in the 2013 and 2014 Derbies, respectively, the bay earned his diploma last time at sixth asking in a Keeneland maiden at this 1 3/16-mile distance Apr. 23.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
