Horse Racing News is the source of thoroughbred racing information with horse racing odds, betting tips, racing picks, race results, and handicapping. Latest news and articles on top horse racing contenders, jockeys, trainers, three-year-olds, race tracks, and major stakes races such as the Triple Crown races: the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes as well as the Breeders' Cup horse races.Hey Byrn, Icabad Crane & Riley Tucker Confirmed Preakness Horses Challenging Big Brown
Posted on Friday, May 9th, 2008
The list of Preakness horses set to test Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown grew today as Hey Byrn, Icabad Crane and Riley Tucker are now confirmed starters upping the field for $1 million Preakness Stakes to 12 that includes Behindatthebar, Giant Moon, Kentucky Bear, Racecar Rhapsody, Recapturetheglory, Stevil, Tres Borrachos and Yankee Bravo. A decision on Harlem Rocker is expected over the weekend.
Icabad Crane won the Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico on April 19 for trainer Graham Motion. Motion had originally planned on running the Earle Mack owned son of Jump Start in the $100,000 Barbaro Stakes on the Preakness undercard. Jockey Jeremy Rose, who was aboard 2005 Preakness winner Afleet Alex, has the call.
This morning Eddie Plesa informed Pimlico racing officials that Hey Byrn, who won the Grade III Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfsteam Park on April 12, would be bound for the Preakness. On Sunday, the Calder-based conditioner announced the son of Put It Back would be headed to the $300,000 Ohio Derby (Grade II) on May 31 at Thistledown.
“The decision to run in the Preakness was made by his owner Mrs. (Beatrice) Oxenberg,” Plesa said. “She has family up in Baltimore and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t come. She said she wants to come and taste the crab cakes. We were going to run in the Derby but we didn’t get in.”
Horse trainer Eddie Plesa has yet to name a rider. The horse will be leaving Florida via van on Monday morning along with Gotcha Gold, who will be running in the $250,000 Maryland Lottery Pimlico Special (Grade I) next Friday.
Zayat Stables informed Pimlico stakes coordinator that Riley Tucker is headed to Baltimore for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown. The Bill Mott trainee has finished in the money six times in seven lifetime starts. Former Maryland riding star jockey Edgar Prado will be aboard the son of Harlan’s Holiday.
In other news, trainer Dallas Stewart said Friday morning that West Point Thoroughbreds’ Macho Again would bypass the Preakness and instead point to the Ohio Derby.
Kentucky Bear remains the only Preakness runner at Pimlico. This morning the Reade Baker trainee jogged for the second consecutive day with exercise rider Cassie Garcia. Kentucky Bear is scheduled to drill five furlongs Saturday immediately after the renovation break (8:30 a.m), weather permitting.
Racers Rhapsody and Harlem Rocker are also scheduled to work Saturday at Churchill Downs and Belmont Park respectively. Horse trainer Todd Pletcher indicated a decision on whether or not to run the undefeated Harlem Rocker in the Preakness will be made after the breeze. The winner of the Withers is owned by Magna Entertainment Corp. chairman Frank Stronach, who also owns Pimlico.
“The only horse that I could have respect for going into the race would be Todd’s white horse (Harlem Rocker),” said Rick Dutrow, who trains the Derby winner. “I seen him run last time and he looked very good. He’s three for three. He’s got a little buzz about him. That’s about as far as it goes as I see it. If our horse can just get over the two week thing and basically go out there and run the way he has been running he’s going to be tough to beat.”
“Let’s not get Big Brown in the Hall of Fame too soon here. He certainly was the best of those horses (in the Derby),” countered Reade Baker. “What I’d be more concerned with, where Big Brown is vulnerable, if we were handicapping any other race, the handicapper would say there’s a horse that carried 126 and he’s going to run back in two weeks off a peak effort. The wise guys would say he’s going to bounce. How come he can’t bounce now?”
Recapturetheglory, who finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby, nearly 12 lengths behind Big Brown, will leave Louisville Saturday evening. The rest of the field will arrive during Preakness week.
The post position draw for the Preakness is Wednesday, May 14 at 5 p.m. at the ESPN Zone in downtown Baltimore. The event will be televised live on ESPN.
The 133rd running of the Preakness on May 17 will be televised by NBC. Preakness post time is 6:15 p.m.
Edited from www.preakness.com.
"Hey Byrn, Icabad Crane & Riley Tucker Confirmed Preakness Horses Challenging Big Brown" was posted on Friday, May 9th, 2008 at 10:02 pm and is filed under Horse Racing Industry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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