No sooner than he crossed the finish line at Churchill Downs May 6 did Classic Empire become a horse to watch at Pimlico Race Course.
Last year's male juvenile champion was wiped out early in the Kentucky Derby when involved in a chain reaction leaving the starting gate and forced to race wide. The last-out Arkansas Derby winner salvaged a fourth-place finish, encouraging his father-and-son training team of Mark and Norman Casse going forward in the Triple Crown.
Although beaten almost nine lengths in the Derby, Classic Empire is well regarded before the 142nd Preakness. The Pioneerof the Nile colt looms no worse than the second betting choice in an expected 10-horse field Saturday in Baltimore.
Always Dreaming, trained by Todd Pletcher, seeks his third consecutive Grade 1 victory after winning the Florida Derby and Kentucky Derby by a combined 7 3/4 lengths.
"We really think a lot of Always Dreaming. We think he's a super talented horse. We really respect his connections and we always have, but we're bringing a horse that has a legit chance to beat him," said Norman Casse. "We're hoping for everyone -- all fans and everyone involved -- that they both get fair trips and they're both eyeing each other at the quarter-pole and can sort it out through the lane."
A maximum 20 horses raced in the mile-and-quarter Kentucky Derby. The Preakness, a sixteenth-mile shorter, is capped at 14 starters.
"It's always a fairer race. You don't have 20 horses. You don't have a bunch of horses that don't belong in the race. The Derby is the Derby. It's always going to be a tough race to win because it's such a crowded race," Casse said. "Things get sorted out a little more in the Preakness."
Classic Empire looked "really awesome," Casse said, while jogging a mile and galloping a mile Tuesday at Pimlico.
"I'm always a little apprehensive the first time a horse goes out to a track, especially when you come to a place like Pimlico that has a bunch of tents and a lot of things to look at," Casse said. "A lot of times, he can be a little lackadaisical, but he was on the bridle. He looked really good. He had a lot of energy and more importantly, he was moving really good, looking really smooth. All of those are positive signs."
Pletcher issued a similar report about Always Dreaming after the Bodemeister colt galloped 1 1/2 miles Tuesday. After improving his Derby record to 2-for-48, Pletcher hopes to break an 0-for-8 streak in the Preakness.
"I'm really, really pleased with the way he went this morning. Everything went very smoothly -- good energy, good controlled gallop, just moving really well," Pletcher said. "It was, as they say, 'exactly what we were looking for."'
Others expected in the Preakness are Kentucky Derby veterans Lookin At Lee (second), Gunnevera (seventh) and Hence (11th) along with Arkansas Derby runner-up Conquest Mo Money and Oaklawn allowance winner Senior Investment. Look for Cloud Computing, Multiplier and Term of Art in the field when post positions are drawn today at 4 p.m.
"I don't think anybody is going to fret too much over the draw," Pletcher said. "Sometimes you don't know. It depends on how the track is playing on a particular day, whether the inside is better, the outside is better, speed is better. As far as the post position in this field, I don't think it's nearly as critical as the Derby."
* Regular rider Jorge Carreno was aboard Conquest Mo Money when the son of champion Uncle Mo made his first visit to the Pimlico track Tuesday. The New York-bred colt arrived on the backstretch Sunday afternoon following a two-day, 15-hour van ride from Prairie Meadows in Altoon, Iowa. Trainer Miguel Hernandez is expected to arrive later this week.
Owner Tom McKenna has watched an $8,500 November 2016 investment take him to the highest level of the sport. Conquest Mo Money qualified on points for the Kentucky Derby but was withdrawn from consideration for the Louisville race. He finished a half-length behind Classic Empire in the Arkansas Derby April 15 despite bumping with last-out Rebel Stakes winner Malagacy down the stretch.
"I'm very happy and very confident on Conquest Mo Money," Carreno said. "God has given him the gift to have the ability to race with this type of horses. I'm very excited. For me being a rider for 15 years, to have a horse like this is very special."
Conquest Mo Money is from Uncle Mo's second crop of horses, the first producing 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist.
* Always Dreaming is from the first crop of 2012 Arkansas Derby winner and Kentucky Derby/Preakness runner-up Bodemeister, a son of 2003 Belmont Stakes winner Empire Maker. Bodemeister's stud fee for 2017 was $25,000, though the fee is currently blank on the WinStar Farm (Versailles, Ky.) website after the Kentucky Derby.
Sports on 05/17/2017