Bourbon War “probable” for Preakness

by | May 5, 2019 | Breaking, Maryland, MD Racing, Triple Crown Trail

Bourbon War, a winner twice in five career starts and the runner-up in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, is now a probable Preakness starter, trainer Mark Hennig said Sunday on Twitter.

Bourbon War, a Tapit colt, is out of the multiple graded stakes winner My Conquestadory, by Artie Schiller. Bourbon War broke his maiden at first asking last November at Aqueduct and two races later followed up with an allowance score at Gulfstream. Among the rivals he bested in that allowance score was Cutting Humor, who subsequently won the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby and was 10th in yesterday’s Kentucky Derby.

Hennig, whose best Triple Crown race result came with Eddington, third-place finisher in the 2004 Preakness, took the Florida route with Bourbon War. He was a fast-closing second in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in March and then fourth behind Maximum Security in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.

“The success of the FL horses in the Derby was great to see and we feel that Bourbon War is more than worthy of a start in Baltimore,” Hennig tweeted.

Maximum Security, the winner of the Florida Derby, crossed the wire first in the Kentucky Derby before being disqualified to 17th. Florida Derby show horse Code of Honor rallied to be third in the Kentucky Derby, and runner-up Bodexpress was a troubled 14th.

Bourbon War is owned by Bourbon Lane Stable and Lake Star Stable.

Hennig said that the Peter Pan Stakes would be “Plan B” for his star. The Peter Pan, a 1 1/8 mile test for sophomores at Belmont Park, is a traditional prep race for the Belmont Stakes and set to be run May 11, one week prior to the Preakness.