4 in field set for first shot at Justify
Quip seems the finest of newcomers at Preakness, and he’s well-rested.
Half the participants in the eight
BALTIMORE — horse Preakness field have yet to experience the sensation of chasing Justify to the finish line.
Perhaps one of the new shooters in Saturday’s race can find a way to leave the Kentucky Derby winner in his wake.
Quip, Sporting Chance, Diamond King and Tenfold failed to reach the Derby starting gate, but are running for a chunk of the $1.5 million Preakness purse.
History just might be on their side.
A new shooter — a horse that didn’t run in the Derby — has won the Preakness four times since 2000. Just last year, Cloud Computing paid $13.40 in an upset over Derby winner Always Dreaming. Then again ...
“Derby runners have done well over the course of time,” insisted W. Elliott Walden, president and
CEO of racing operations for WinStar Farm, which
The field for Saturday’s 143rd Preakness Stakes:
PP Horse Jockey Trainer
1. Quip Florent Geroux Rodolphe Brisset 2. Lone Sailor Irad Ortiz Jr. Tom Amoss 3. Sporting Chance Luis Contreras D. Wayne Lukas 4. Diamond King Javier Castellano John Servis 5. Good Magic Jose Ortiz Chad Brown 6. Tenfold R. Santana Jr. Steve Asmussen 7. Justify Mike Smith Bob Baffert 8. Bravazo Luis Saez D. Wayne Lukas owns Justify and Quip. “Now is it because they’re the bet- ter horses? Quite possibly that’s the case. They’re just the best horses of the crop and that’s why they run in the Kentucky Derby.”
The finest of the newcomers this year appears to be a seventh-place showing in Quip, who has three wins the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey and a second-place showing Club at Churchill Downs in in five career races. November.
“He’s a really good horse. In retrospect, that might He’s fast,” Justify trainer Bob have been a turning point. Baffert said of Quip. “He’s changed a lot,” Bris-
Trained by Rodolphe Bris- set said. “After the Kentucky set and ridden by last year’s Jockey Club, we gave him a Breeders’ Cup Classic winner couple of weeks off and you Florent Geroux, Quip capcould see the maturation. You tured the Tampa Bay Derby still have to be a little careful in March before finishing sec- when he’s around too many ond in the Arkansas Derby. horses, but he’s way more
While unbeaten Justify professional.” comes in with just two weeks’ Well, Quip — the third rest — the quickest turnaround choice at 12-1 — will have of his career — Quip enters only seven other horses to the Preakness coming off an contend with on Saturday. extended break. Two of them will be saddled
“Quip is a horse that has by Hall of Fame trainer D. shown quality at the high- Wayne Lukas. est level,” Walden said. “We Lukas brings back Bravazo, feel like he could have run in who finished sixth in the the Kentucky Derby, but we Derby, along with Sporting wanted to give him a chance Chance. to catch up to himself. He’s a Unlike the rest of the firstslight-made horse we felt like time Triple Crown particiwould do better with the five pants, Sporting Chance is no weeks rest.” fresher than the Derby horses.
Quip had a pair of wins Sporting Chance (30-1) also last year before staggering to ran at Churchill Downs on Odds 12-1 15-1 30-1 30-1 3-1 20-1 1-2 20-1
May 5, taking fourth in the Pat Day Mile.
Asked to assess the chances of both his entrants Saturday, Lukas shrugged his shoulders and saluted Justify’s impressive performance at the Derby.
“I don’t have a lot of confidence if he runs that same race. Let’s be honest, at 82 you get more realistic,” Lukas said. “If he’s the best horse, so be it. We’ll throw the bouquets his way and salute him as a second-leg winner and go on to the Belmont. But we’ll try to get the best piece of this we can.”
Tenfold (20-1) began racing this year. Sired by 2007 Preakness winner Curlin, the dark brown colt won his first two races before fading to third in the Arkansas Derby last month.
“We have a fresh horse; he’s put on weight since the Arkansas Derby and he’s trained really well at Chur- chill Downs,” assistant trainer Scott Blasi said. “The timing