A loose horse and a good-feeling Mage could have made for an eventful morning, but in the end everything went smoothly for the Preakness favorite.
Louis and Grace Merryman’s son Max was born more than three months premature. He’ll spend his first Preakness at home in Maryland.
Mage, the 8-5 morning line favorite for Saturday’s Preakness, will leave from the three-hole, while local hopeful Coffeewithchris is in post four.
Making up for lost time, Little Roo Roo won her fourth race in five Saturday, rallying from just off the pace to upset the Coin Collector at Charles Town.
While many see Pimlico as the sum of its infirmities, to Fran Burns it’s “sacred ground,” which makes her ideal to run the Sunrise at Old Hilltop Tours.
The dream Preakness matchup of Derby winner Mage and runner-up Two Phil’s, plus the scratched Forte, is a no-go, with two of those out of the Middle Jewel.
Shortly after trainer Todd Pletcher indicated Forte was likely for the Preakness, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission appeared to spike that idea.
Trainer John Salzman, Jr. swept Laurel Park’s first two juvenile races of 2023, winning Friday with Low Mileage and Sunday with Jumpingjaggerflash.
The lightly raced Mage parlayed a perfect setup and a deft ride by jockey Javier Castellano into a Kentucky Derby triumph.
A district court ruling that the amended Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) is constitutional likely sends the case back to the Fifth Circuit.