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by JAY
PRIVMAN of DRF.com
Big Brown the huge pick
Clowns to the left of him, jokers to the right, there he is, stuck
in the middle. Big Brown, the Kentucky Derby winner, landed smack
dab in the middle of the field, in post 7, when posts were drawn Wednesday
evening for the 13 3-year-olds entered to run in the 133rd Preakness
Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.
Bettors are expected to make Big Brown a heavy favorite against a
field of horses who, with one exception, were not accomplished enough
even to challenge him in the Derby. Both Mike Watchmaker, Daily Racing
Form's national handicapper, and Frank Carulli, the linemaker at Pimlico,
have Big Brown a prohibitive favorite. Watchmaker has him at 3-5,
while Carulli pegged Big Brown even shorter, at 1-2.
Behindatthebar, the Lexington Stakes winner, is the second choice
on Watchmaker's morning line, at 10-1, with Gayego, the Arkansas Derby
winner, next at 12-1. Carulli has Gayego the second choice at 8-1,
with Behindatthebar the third choice at 10-1.
Big Brown broke from the outside in a 20-horse field in the Derby,
and from the outside in a 12-horse field in the Florida Derby. He
won those races by 4 3/4 and five lengths, respectively. "He gets
to save some ground for the first time," Michael Iavarone, whose IEAH
Stables is a co-owner of Big Brown, said at the draw, which was held
at the ESPN Zone in downtown Baltimore. Iavarone added, joking, "I
don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
Big Brown is unbeaten in four starts. He has been favored in his last
three races, and will be again on Saturday, but the Preakness will
be the first time he has been an odds-on favorite. The draw was a
traditional double-blind draw, with an entry card pertaining to each
horse being pulled concurrent with a numbered pill deposited from
a bottle.
Behindatthebar wound up in post 5, while Gayego landed post 12, meaning
Gayego will be one spot from the outside, just as he was in the Derby.
Gayego "had a terrible trip" in the Derby when he broke from post
19, according to his jockey, Mike Smith. "He didn't break and then
he ducked in from the crowd," Smith said. "I was never in it - never
in the race."
The field, from the rail out, is Macho Again (Julien Leparoux the
rider), Tres Borrachos (Tyler Baze), Icabad Crane (Jeremy Rose), Yankee
Bravo (Alex Solis), Behindatthebar (David Flores), Racecar Rhapsody
(Robby Albarado), Big Brown (Kent Desormeaux), Macho Again (Jamie
Theriot), Stevil (John Velazquez), Riley Tucker (Edgar Prado), Giant
Moon (Ramon Dominguez), Gayego (Smith), and Hey Byrn (Chuck Lopez).
Icabad Crane is the only horse who has ever raced previously at Pimlico.
He won last month's Federico Tesio Stakes here. The Preakness, the
shortest of the Triple Crown races at 1 3/16 miles, is the 12th race
on a 13-race Pimlico card that begins at 10:30 a.m. Eastern time on
Saturday.
The Preakness will be televised live by NBC, with a 6:15 p.m. post
time. The purse for the Preakness is $1 million, with $600,000 going
to the winner. For Big Brown, though, the stakes are higher, because
he will be seeking to keep his hopes alive of becoming the first Triple
Crown winner in 30 years.
Big Brown faced 19 rivals in the Derby. Of the 12 horses entered against
him in the Preakness, only one, Gayego, ran in the Derby, finishing
17th. The other 11 horses all skipped the Derby, either intentionally
or - in the case of Kentucky Bear - because of insufficient earnings
in graded stakes races.
The Preakness is capped at 14 runners, so no horses were excluded
from the race. Still, the number of runners was far more than anyone
would have expected immediately following the Derby, in which Big
Brown was an overpowering winner. Most trainers concede their horses
are likely running for second-place money of $200,000 on Saturday.
"If you take Big Brown out of the equation, I think it's a pretty
wide-open race," Eddie Plesa, the trainer of Hey Byrn, said Wednesday.
"Big Brown is absolutely the horse to beat." One trainer, though,
believes Big Brown can be beaten. "He beat all of those horses at
Churchill Downs, but he didn't beat us," said Reade Baker, the trainer
of Kentucky Bear. This is the first time since 1980, when Jaklin Klugman
faced Derby winner Genuine Risk, that only one horse exiting the Derby
has signed up for a rematch with the Derby winner in the Preakness.
Two Derby also-rans challenged Derby winner Barbaro in 2006. Citation,
in 1948, is the last Derby winner who scared away all Derby challengers
in the Preakness. Citation went off at 1-10 in that Preakness. He
and Spectacular Bid, in 1979, are the shortest-priced favorites in
Preakness history.
Only two of the Preakness runners - Hey Byrn and Kentucky Bear - were
at Pimlico on Wednesday morning, but several horses arrived later
in the day. Stevil came by van from Kentucky, and Riley Tucker came
by van from New York. Later in the afternoon, Gayego and Yankee Bravo
arrived from California, along with Macho Again, who joined their
flight after it stopped in Kentucky.
The cargo plane then returned to Kentucky to bring Big Brown, Racecar
Rhapsody, and Tres Borrachos. That flight was scheduled to arrive
at Baltimore-Washington International Airport after 7 p.m. Wednesday,
meaning Big Brown was not expected to arrive at the Pimlico stakes
barn until about 8:30. His trainer, Richard Dutrow Jr., flew on the
cargo plane with Big Brown.
Giant Moon is scheduled to be transported by van from New York on
Friday. Behindatthebar is scheduled to be sent by van from New York
on Saturday morning. Icabad Crane, who is based at the Fair Hill training
center in Maryland, is also scheduled to arrive at Pimlico on Saturday
morning.
The weather was delightful in Baltimore on Tuesday and Wednesday,
with highs in the mid-70s, but it is expected to be unsettled later
in the week. According to Weather.com, there is a 60 percent chance
of thunderstorms on Friday, with a high temperature of 63 degrees.
Saturday's forecast is for a high of 73 degrees, and a 20 percent
chance of rain. - additional reporting by Marty McGee
by STEVE ANDERSEN of DRF.com
Stiffer penalties for steroids in California
Penalties for excessive use of anabolic steroids in racehorses will
be greatly enhanced in California this summer, according to a statement
released by the California Horse Racing Board on Tuesday. New board
regulations governing steroids take effect May 31, when only four
steroids will be allowed for use.
Only trace levels can appear in postrace urine tests for the four
steroids - boldenone, nandrolone, stanozolol, and testosterone - the
racing board statement said. When testing begins in earnest on July
1, penalties will be enacted for excessive levels of those steroids.
Those penalties will become more severe later this year after two
proposed rule amendments work their way through state government,
according to Dr. Rick Arthur, the racing board's equine medical director.
The rule changes will be submitted to the racing board at a meeting
on Tuesday in Sacramento, and are expected to pass. Arthur expects
the tougher penalties to be in place well before the Breeders' Cup
championship races are run at the Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting
on Oct. 24-25. He said Breeders' Cup officials have been made aware
of the rule changes. "The plan is for this to take effect in August
or September," Arthur said. "Hopefully that's attainable."
Arthur said the board has proposed two amendments to existing rules
that would make tests in excess of the permitted levels of the four
steroids a Class 3 violation subject to purse redistribution and a
possible fine or suspension for a trainer. Until then, excessive levels
of those steroids would be classified as less severe Class 4 or Class
6 violations, resulting in possible fines.
The racing board released a statement on Tuesday noting the permitted
levels of the four steroids. Arthur said the statement was released
to allow horsemen to give their horses sufficient withdrawal times
to avoid violations. The permitted levels of the four medications
vary, according to the racing board's new rule, which is based on
the model rule put forth by the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium.
Testosterone, nandrolone, and boldenone occur naturally, the board's
release said, while stanozolol is a pharmaceutical steroid. Stanozolol
will be allowed in levels up to one nanogram per milliliter of urine.
Nandrolone will be allowed up to one nanogram for geldings and for
fillies and mares, and 45 nanograms for entire males.
Boldenone will be permitted up to 15 nanograms in males other than
geldings. The rules for testosterone are more complex - 20 nanograms
in geldings, and 55 nanograms for fillies and mares. Testosterone
is allowed at any level in entire males.
by MARTY McGEE
of DRF.com
Dutrow keeping Big Brown happy
Two weeks. For trainer Rick Dutrow, two weeks after a horse's last
race normally means there are still three weeks or more before the
next one. But ever since the May 3 Kentucky Derby, two weeks has been
the central issue for Big Brown and his trainer as they prepare for
the 133rd Preakness on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.
As training philosophies have changed over the years, so, too, have
Dutrow's.
In his teenage years, he watched closely as his late father, trainer
Dickie Dutrow, won races by the hundreds in Maryland and thought nothing
of running back horses on only a few days of rest.
Now, the younger Dutrow believes in giving horses plenty of time to
recuperate from racing - especially top-class horses and especially
after monster efforts. Big Brown's victory in the Derby by 4 3/4 lengths
qualifies on both counts. "I know he's going to react," said Dutrow,
48, employing commonly used speed-figure terminology for regressing,
or bouncing, after peak races. "It just becomes a matter of what we
can get by with to win again Saturday." To Dutrow, the training routines
he has been using with Big Brown for the last week or so at rainy
Churchill Downs are of little consequence in the big picture.
For those keeping score, Big Brown was given three days off after
the Derby and the tally from May 7 through Tuesday was: days jogged,
5; days galloped, 2 (this past Saturday and Tuesday). All that has
mattered to Dutrow is for Big Brown to keep his appetite and stay
sound, healthy, and happy - and if that meant taking the colt out
near the dirt mounds near Barn 22 to watch cars go by for an hour
each day, that's what he would have done.
"I don't like the two weeks, but there's nothing I can do about it,"
Dutrow said. "All I want to do is get him to Pimlico in good shape.
If he keeps doing good, keeps eating the way he has, we're going to
be fine. He's already fit. Everybody can see that." Asked about training,
Dutrow said: "I wasn't going to do much with him anyway. I would've
rather galloped him a few days more, but the weather didn't let us,
but that's okay. We're still good."
After training Wednesday, Big Brown was scheduled to be flown from
Louisville to Baltimore-Washington International Airport, arriving
at Pimlico sometime in the early evening. Dutrow, along with assistant
Michelle Nevin and groom Herasmo Gonzales, were to accompany Big Brown
on the plane. Dutrow has been unsentimental about returning to Maryland,
where he was born and raised and where his father, whose 352 victories
led the nation in 1975, was a training legend.
Dickie Dutrow, who died in 1999, raised three sons on the racetrack:
Tony, 49; Rick; and Chip, 46. The 1970s were a remarkable era in Maryland
racing, with Dutrow befriending another top trainer, John Tammaro,
while clashing regularly with King Leatherbury and Bud Delp. "My brothers
and me, we hated Delp and Leatherbury," Dutrow recalled. "It's funny,
but we'd see them years later and everything was great.
Everybody was nice and everything. But back in the day, we were all
into Dad. We wanted him to be on top." When Dickie Dutrow moved to
New York in the early 1980s, so did Rick, and he has mostly been there
since. "It'll be nice and all" to see old friends from Maryland, said
Dutrow, "but I'm only going back for one reason, and it's business."
Dutrow has watched the prospective Preakness field take shape and
certainly hasn't minded seeing the defections of Recapturetheglory
and Harlem Rocker - especially the latter. Since the Derby, he had
referred repeatedly to Harlem Rocker as the chief upset threat to
Big Brown, but trainer Todd Pletcher on Monday ruled the gray colt
out, saying the Queen's Plate is the primary goal.
Entries for the $1 million Preakness were to be drawn Wednesday evening
at the ESPN Sports Zone in downtown Baltimore. As of Tuesday, a field
of 13 was expected. The race will be televised by NBC, with post time
set for approximately 6:15 p.m. Eastern.
by STEVE ANDERSEN
of DRF.com
Distance a concern for Bestdressed
In his last two starts, Bestdressed unleashed a stretch rally that
led to a respectable third-place finish in the Sensational Star Handicap
on the 6 1/2-furlong hillside turf course at Santa Anita April 4 and
a win in the Barretts Stakes over seven furlongs at Hollywood Park
on April 27. Whether he can be as effective in a six-furlong turf
sprint such as Friday's $62,000 El Segundo Stakes at Hollywood Park
is a concern to trainer Dan McFarlane.
"It might be too short, but I thought it would be an easier spot against
stakes horses," McFarlane said. "He's improving." Owned by Triple
B Farms, Bestdressed, a 4-year-old gelding, appears to be in the best
form of his career. A winner of 4 of 19 starts and $172,500, Bestdressed
made up four lengths in the final furlong of the Barretts Stakes to
win by a length.
Jon Court, who was aboard for that victory, has the mount in the El
Segundo Stakes, which is restricted to horses that have not won a
stakes worth $60,000 or more to the winner since Dec. 1. The El Segundo
has drawn a field of eight, including 2007 stakes winners Unusual
Suspect and Zoning In. Unusual Suspect won three stakes last year,
including the California Cup Mile and the Grade 3 Hollywood Turf Express
over six furlongs on turf at Hollywood Park.
Trained by Barry Abrams, Unusual Suspect is making his second start
of the year, having finished fifth in the Grade 3 San Simeon Handicap
at Santa Anita last month. Zoning In, who won the Captain Squire Handicap
over six furlongs on turf at Hollywood Park last summer, was a troubled
sixth in the California Turf Sprint Championship at Bay Meadows last
month.
He is likely to be near the front along with One Union, who has placed
in two turf stakes in his career. Aside from Unusual Suspect, the
race features two other horses that ran in the San Simeon - Don't
Ya Lovett, who was 10th, and Giovanni, who finished last of 11.
Giovanni was the 9-2 favorite when he made his U.S. debut in the San
Simeon Handicap. A winner of 5 of 20 starts in New Zealand, he led
for the first half-mile but faded through the final quarter-mile to
finish nine lengths behind race winner Stoneside. "It was a baffler,"
trainer John Sadler said. "The only thing I could come up with was
that he was confused by the hill. I'm making excuses. We're going
back to the drawing board."
