Preakness Field Grows to 9
– The list of Preakness probables has grown to nine, now that trainer Steve Klesaris has decided to enter allowance winner Diabolical, and two other longshots — Greeley’s Legacy and Platinum Couple — are also expected to enter. “I think he has the ability to compete,” said trainer George Weaver of Greeley’s Legacy, who finished fourth in the Gotham. “If I can get back to his Gotham race, I think we can be right in the thick of things. That’s what it boils down to. I think he fits, the timing is right and the horse is right.”
– One horse that won’t start is Ah Day. Trainer King Leatherbury decided the $100,000 it would take to supplement the Federico Tesio winner into the race was too much. “I wasn’t going to put it up,” said Leatherbury. “I was working on a deal with someone else whereby they would put up the $100,000 and we would split any purse money the horse earned. We couldn’t make it work out.”
– Bernardini turned in his final workout for the Preakness this morning at Belmont, going five furlongs in 1:01.3 over the muddy main track.
– Post positions will be drawn for the Preakness today, and ESPN will televise the event starting at 5 p.m. Andrew Beyer asks trainers to consider inside posts at today’s draw, while Mike Watchmaker dispels a couple of myths about the Pimlico track: “The turns at Pimlico are almost identical to the ones at Churchill Downs … As for the Preakness favoring speed horses, that’s baloney, too.”
