Two Preakness berths on the line Saturday * The Racing Biz

Two Preakness berths on the line Saturday

Laurel’s Tesio, Oaklawn’s Bathhouse Row in the spotlight

Press Release
April 15, 2026

Six Triple Crown-nominated horses will be vying this weekend for an automatic berth in the 151^st Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, May 16 at Laurel Park.

Ten 3-year-olds are entered in Saturday’s 45^th running of the $150,000 Federico Tesio at Laurel Park, a 1 1/8-mile test that includes four Triple Crown nominees – Chayton, Close the Gate, Code of Silence and Wild Warrior.

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Meanwhile, eight more sophomores are set to line up in the eighth renewal of the $200,000 Bathhouse Row Saturday at Oaklawn Park, also at 1 1/8 miles. Among the group are Triple Crown-nominated Crupper and Khon Han.

The two-turn races earn automatic entry for Triple Crown-nominated connections into the 1 3/16-mile Preakness. Horses not nominated to the Triple Crown by the final April 6 deadline may supplement to the $2 million Preakness for a fee of $150,000.

*Preakness 2024. Photo by Allison Janezic.*

Named for the noted Italian breeder, owner and trainer whose homebreds Nearco and Ribot dominate Thoroughbred bloodlines around the world, the Tesio is offering the Preakness incentive for a 11^th straight year. A total of 24 Tesio winners have gone on to run in the Preakness, the most recent being Pay Billy in 2025. Maryland-bred Deputed Testamony, in 1983, is the lone horse to sweep both races.

Chayton, by 2017 champion 3-year-old colt West Coast, has made his last three starts on the all-weather surface at Turfway Park for trainer Bill Morey and exits a 2 ½-length starter allowance triumph going one mile March 5.

Close the Gate is based at Laurel with trainer John Salzman Jr., who ran seventh in the 2023 Preakness with Coffeewithchris. Close the Gate has run four times at his home track, graduating by 9 ¾ lengths in a seven-furlong maiden claimer Jan. 10 before running second in the Spectacular Bid at the distance Feb. 4 and third in the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 21.

Code of Silence debuted last July at Delaware Park and has run third or better in seven of eight career starts including back-to-back wins last fall against fellow Maryland-breds last fall at Laurel, the latter in the seven-furlong Maryland Juvenile. He is winless in three tries this year, finishing third in the Spectacular Bid and second in the Miracle Wood.

Wild Warrior has won three of six starts for Laurel-based trainer Gary Capuano, most recently by a neck over Code of Silence in the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms March 21. It was his third try around two turns including a 2 ¾-length optional claiming allowance triumph Dec. 14 over next-out winers Bala de Plata and fellow Tesio entrant Let’s Go Lando. Capuano and owner Rose Petal Stable won the 2024 Tesio with Copper Tax.

This year marks the first time in more than a century that the Preakness will be run away from Pimlico Race Course, which is being rebuilt with plans to reopen in 2027. The Preakness was held at Morris Park in the Bronx in 1890 and at Gravesend Racetrack on Coney Island, N.Y. from 1894 to 1908.

Debuting in 2019 as the Oaklawn Invitational and run as the Oaklawn Stakes from 2020-2022 before being renamed, the Bathhouse Row has seen three of its seven winners go on to the Preakness – Red Route One, fourth in 2023; Mr. Big News, seventh in 2020; and Laughing Fox, fifth in 2019.

Crupper, bred and owned by Robert Zoellner and trained by Donnie Von Hemel, has yet to make his stakes debut. The Candy Ride colt graduated by three-quarters of a length Feb. 6 in his fourth start and was third in his first try against winners Feb. 28, both going 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park.

The lightly raced Khon Han has won two of his three starts, promoted to first after running second by a nose in debut last June at Gulfstream Park, where he ran second by a length in the six-furlong Proud Man in August. The Bernardo Lopez trainee did not race again until Jan. 16 at Tampa Bay Downs, registering a three-length optional claiming allowance triumph going one mile and 40 yards.