Preakness profiles: Laoban
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Staff Reports
In our Preakness profiles, we look into each of Saturday’s Preakness contenders.
WHO IS LAOBAN?
The only maiden in the field, Laoban is winless in five starts at five different tracks, although he has a place and a show finish in graded stakes company. He was entered in the Kentucky Derby but failed to draw into the field. Laoban has a speedy front running style and he figures to be an early pace presence in the Preakness.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT LAOBAN
Trainer Eric Guillot said that Laoban is “doing good; the horse is great.” Guillot also told The Blood Horse that Laoban is a “solid horse” and “He’s getting better. If you look at the Blue Grass, he ran a lot better visually than he did on paper.” Guillot intends to take Laoban’s blinkers off in the Preakness. “The trick is to take the blinkers off and try to get him to relax and not drag the jock all the way around there,” Guillot said.
WHY HE COULD WIN
Laoban is lightly raced and is certainly eligible to improve with more racing. His trainer also knows how to get a horse ready for a big race. Guillot previously trained Moreno, who had a similar front-running style to Laoban and was the winner of the Grade 1 Whitney and Grade 2 Charles Town Classic.
WHY HE COULD LOSE
Laoban has yet to beat maidens, and has already been beaten by two competitors in this field, Cherry Win and Collected, who are 20-1 and 10-1 respectively. Laoban appears to be far overmatched in this field and a minor award is probably his ceiling in this race.
[su_box title=”LAOBAN FILE” style=”glass”]- Trainer Eric J. Guillot
- Owner Mccormick Racing LLC and Southern Equine
- Jockey Florent Geroux
- Bred in Kentucky by Respite Farm
- Breeding Uncle Mo, out of Chattertown by Speightstown
- Record 5-0-2-1, earnings of $151,250
- Career highlights Second in the Grade 3 Gotham and third in the Grade 3 Sham.
- Morning line odds 30-1
