Reddam Racing's Nyquist (Uncle Mo) and Big Chief Racing, Head of Plains Partners and Rocker O Ranch et. al's Exaggerator (Curlin), first and second in the GI Kentucky Derby, both schooled in Pimlico's paddock Monday morning in preparation for a tilt in Saturday's GI Preakness S. Exaggerator's session came one day after arriving to Baltimore by van from Churchill Downs, while Nyquist visited the paddock in between a pair of one-mile jogs around the racetrack under exercise rider Jonny Garcia [video].
“He was great,” trainer Doug O'Neill said of Nyquist. “He was just a true professional. He walked through the paddock and acted like he'd been there before. He went from the paddock to the gate and got to meet Bruce Wagner and his boys, Kevin [Dzbynski] and Chris [Campitelli], and they were unbelievable with him the way they acted around him and the way he acted around them. They got along great. He schooled super in there. We're just really happy. It was a really good morning.”
On the heels of his May 7 Derby win in front of a massive crowd, O'Neill said that his undefeated charge has proven time and again that he has the ideal temperament to display both competitiveness on the track and composure off the track.
“We've been blessed with a lot of good horses, but he's by far the best horse we've ever had,” O'Neill added. “He's got a lot of energy and you see it in the afternoon when he competes. But he conserves his energy in the paddock and around the barn area around here. He sleeps a lot in his stall. He's got the perfect combination for a top race horse.”
Nyquist is scheduled to continue his regimen of jogging and galloping on alternating days leading up to the Preakness. He will gallop Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Exaggerator had a light day of exercise in the aftermath of his travel day, walking the shedrow Monday morning. After the conclusion of training hours, the GI Santa Anita Derby winner was led over to the paddock to school with Julie Clark, assistant to trainer Keith Desormeaux [video].
“He likes to get out early and then have a nap,” Clark said. “We'll probably [paddock school] another couple of times. He's a little bit of a handful over and coming home, so the more we practice the better we all are.”
Clark joked that Exaggerator's energy levels are noticeably higher than one might expect following his rallying runner-up finish in the Kentucky Derby.
“I wouldn't mind if he were a little more tired, just for one day,” Clark quipped. “Even after shipping here, he's regained [any lost weight]. And he eats everything in sight, I swear. He's just a vacuum.”
Back at Churchill Downs, Derby third-place finisher Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) breezed an easy half-mile in :51.40 [38/42] Monday morning. The chestnut is still under consideration for the Preakness, according to trainer Steve Asmussen, who added that he would consult with Winchell Thoroughbreds and Three Chimneys Farm before making a decision.
“I thought he worked beautifully, he moved well,” Asmussen said of the GII Louisiana Derby winner. “I am very happy with him physically. He has a good attitude and a good appetite and I hope it continues that way.”
In other Preakness news, Trainer Brad Cox said Monday that Dazzling Gem (Misremembered), previously under consideration for the main event, would likely opt to run in the listed Sir Barton S. for 3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the Saturday undercard.
“[The Sir Barton] is where we're leaning,” the Kentucky-based Cox said. “Nyquist isn't in there. That has a lot to do with it.”
As of Monday, other possible entrants for the Preakness were: Abiding Star (Uncle Mo), Awesome Speed (Awesome Again), Cherry Wine (Paddy O'Prado), Collected (City Zip), Fellowship (Awesome of Course), Lani (Tapit), Laoban (Uncle Mo), Stradivari (Medaglia d'Oro), and Uncle Lino (Uncle Mo).
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