Derby winner not committed to Preakness
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown could be missing 150th Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan and other co-stars, quashing hopes for a rematch after the thrilling three-wide photo finish in the milestone race.
Trainer Kenny McPeek and the horse’s ownership wouldn’t commit to whether the colt would race in the 149th Preakness on May 18 in Baltimore, which requires a quick two-week turnaround. Mystik Dan will travel to Saratoga before they decide whether to enter him in the 1 3/16 mile Preakness.
“We’re not committed to the Preakness, not yet,” McPeek said Sunday morning outside his barn on Churchill Downs’ back side. “I ran him back once in two weeks and it completely backfired on me . ... So, we’ll just watch him over the next week. It’ll be one of those [situations] where we’ll probably take it up to the last minute. “We’ll let him tell us.”
The picturesque track in upstate New York will host the Triple Crown’s final jewel for the next three years while Belmont Park is being reconstructed. The Belmont has also been shortened to a 1 ¹/₄ mile, matching the Derby distance that Mystik Dan won by a nose over Sierra Leone and Japan-bred Forever Young in the closest three-way finish since 1947.
The five-week gap follows a more normal race schedule for many thoroughbreds and some trainers might opt to head to Saratoga to acclimate horses sooner.
Chad Brown said Sierra Leone will skip the Preakness and leave on Monday to train at Saratoga and run the Belmont. Considering how much it took for Sierra Leone to navigate other horses and chase down Mystik Dan before falling a nose short at the wire, rest sounds necessary.
“He’s a real laid-back horse but when we brought him out, was a little more tired than he normally is after his races,” Brown said. “I think giving him the five weeks to the Belmont is definitely the right thing to do.”
Louisville-born trainer Brad Cox is watching Catching Freedom (fourth) and Just A Touch (20th) before deciding their next steps. Forever Young and fellow Japanbred T O Password (fifth) are headed home on Tuesday.
That could leave the Preakness without some Derby star power at first glance, though it won’t lack for plotlines with a number of well-rested horses expected to compete at Pimlico Race Course.