Preakness: Bull by the Horns "ready to run" * The Racing Biz

Preakness: Bull by the Horns “ready to run”

Saffie Joseph trainee won the Rushaway Stakes

Press Release
May 8, 2026

Peachtree Stable and Mark Corrado’s Bull by the Horns, an eye-catching winner of the March 21 Rushaway last time out, will work this weekend with designs on running in the 151^st Preakness Stakes (G1) May 16 at Laurel Park.

Bull by the Horns was entered to run in Saturday’s Peter Pan (G3) at Aqueduct but was withdrawn when Gulfstream Park-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was unable to breeze the Essential Quality colt before the race.

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“He was going to run but it rained Sunday and when I tried to work him again Monday, it rained again,” Joseph said Thursday. “When we looked at the Preakness, we thought there’s not much downside. He’s going to like the distance, so I would say there’s a strong possibility he’s going to run in the Preakness.”

Joseph is leaving his options open when it comes to the next work for Bull by the Horns, whose most recent timed breeze of 47.45 seconds for four furlongs came April 26 at Gulfstream.

“He’s going to work I would say either Saturday or Sunday. It could even be tomorrow,” Joseph said. “He’s doing good. He’s ready to run.”

Bull by the Horns graduated second time out in a one-mile maiden special weight last November at Gulfstream. He ran third in a Jan. 16 optional claiming allowance at Tampa Bay Downs to kick off his 3-year-old season, then ran seventh in Gulfstream’s Coolmore Fountain of Youth (G2) Feb. 28.

In the Rushaway, contested at 1 1/16 miles over Turfway’s all-weather surface, Bull by the Horns trailed by as many as 9 ¾ lengths and was still last after six furlongs before uncorking a wide rally through the stretch to emerge from a four-way photo a head in front of runner-up Steel Imperium. Third-place finisher Trendsetter came back to upset the April 11 Lexington (G3) at odds of 32-1.

Two horses from the Lexington, respective second and third-place finishers The Hell We Did and Corona de Oro are also pointing to the 1 3/16-mile Preakness.

“It was a good win visually. He was way, way back and to win from that far back you have to have some kind of ability to do that,” Joseph said. “Obviously his [speed] number didn’t come back that fast, but the race came up productive. The horse that ran third came back to win the Lexington. Visually it was very important and the productivity of the race is even more important than numbers, in my opinion. That gives me a little confidence to go forward.”