All Orb, all the time. The Derby champ continues to thrive at his Belmont Park base, and he galloped 1 1/4 miles Friday morning. Everything remains on track for the star of the show to deliver a big effort on Preakness day…
No change in the status of Govenor Charlie, Vyjack, or Street Spice, which is to say that all three remain Preakness candidates but all three remain on the fence…
D. Wayne Lukas’ battalion of Preakness hopefuls — Oxbow, Will Take Charge, and Titletown Five — galloped on Friday morning, and the Hall of Fame conditioner said that he’d send nine horses to Pimlico by van next Tuesday. He made a spirited case for Derby eighth place finisher Will Take Charge, who, he said, “may have been running the best of all. He was moving with Orb and then he got checked twice when Verrazano ducked in and out in front of him.”
Mylute “showed good energy” in his 1 1/2 mile gallop this morning, said trainer Tom Amoss, who sounds inclined to push on with the Derby fifth-place finisher to Baltimore. He said he would consult with the owners, Goldmark Farm and Whisper Hill Farm, Saturday morning to decide…
Back at Old Hilltop, the only Preakness probable on the grounds, Goldencents, put in a solid gallop under jockey Kevin Krigger this morning. “I got what I was looking for out of him,” said Krigger, which makes the work similar to, oh, approximately 99.5% of other works, according to the connections. Well-fancied at the windows but empty on the Churchill Downs track, Goldencents is slated to breeze Monday morning…
In related news, Sue Steel was named Ms. Preakness Pink Warrior, which is a mouthful of a title but for a good cause. Ms. Steel, a 15-year breast cancer survivor, said, “My goal is to show other young women that they can survive this disease and go on to lead a healthy, active life. Early detection is key.”
