Mike Gathagan
Vice President-Communications
Maryland Jockey Club

BALTIMORE, Md. – SUPER SAVER/AIKENITE – Trainer Todd Pletcher’s Preakness runners, Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Derby Trail runner-up Aikenite, left Churchill Downs Wednesday morning before being loaded onto the Baltimore-bound plane that carried the bulk of the 12-horse field for the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.

Mike Gathagan
Vice President-Communications
Maryland Jockey Club
 
Baltimore, Md. – An unspecified injury to his left hind leg discovered Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs will prevent Hurricane Ike from competing in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

LUKAS-TRAINED PAIR ARE FIRST ON THE GROUNDS

 Mike Gathagan
Vice President-Communications
Maryland Jockey Club
 
BALTIMORE, Md. – The first two members of the field for the 135th Preakness Stakes, Dublin and Northern Giant, arrived a little later than expected early Tuesday evening at Pimlico Race Course.

The vans carrying the colts trained by five-time Preakness winner D. Wayne Lukas pulled into the stable area at 5:52 p.m. The van, which left Churchill Downs in Louisville,…

FIELD OF 13 LIKELY AFTER THE DEFECTION OF ‘IMPAZIBLE’

 Mike Gathagan
Vice President-Communications
Maryland Jockey Club

BALTIMORE, Md. – SUPER SAVER/AIKENITE/MISSION IMPAZIBLE – Kentucky Derby winner and likely Preakness favorite Super Saver walked Tuesday at Churchill Downs, on the morning after he breezed three furlongs in :36.60.

DEFECTION OF A LITTLE WARM MAKES ROOM FOR FIRST DUDE IN SATURDAY’S PREAKNESS

Mike Gathagan
Vice President-Communications
Maryland Jockey Club

BALTIMORE, Md. – SUPER SAVER/AIKENITE/MISSION IMPAZIBLE – Super Saver, WinStar Farm’s Kentucky Derby winner, tuned up for the Preakness Stakes with a three-furlong breeze in :36.60 Monday morning at Churchill Downs. Trainer Todd Pletcher also watched Preakness prospect Mission Impazible breeze three furlongs in :36.40 Monday. Pletcher’s third Preakness horse, Aikenite, walked the morning after his breeze.

(NYRA release)

ELMONT, N.Y. – Fly Down came out of his six-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 2, $200,000 Dwyer at Belmont Park in great shape, reported Ricardo Troncozo, assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito.

PLETCHER BACK IN LOUISVILLE TO SUPERVISE SUPER SAVER

Mike Gathagan
Vice President-Communications
Maryland Jockey Club

BALTIMORE, Md. – With just four days before the post position draw, the field for the 135th running of the Preakness® Stakes is in sharper focus. The $1 million classic is the headline event of next Saturday’s card at historic Pimlico Race Course. The middle jewel should feature double digit starters for the 16th time in 19 years.

(Edited racetrack report)

Zayat Stables’ Eskendereya, winner of the Wood Memorial on April 3 and Fountain of Youth Stakes, in February, and early favorite for the Kentucky Derby has been retired because of a soft tissue injury.

Mike Gathagan
Vice President-Communications
Maryland Jockey Club
 
BALTIMORE, Md. – Trainer Bob Baffert reduced his list of Preakness prospects in half Friday morning by declaring Conveyance out of the second jewel of the Triple Crown.

“He’s not going,” Baffert said of the Kentucky Derby pacesetter who finished 15th in the mile and a quarter classic.

Gary Yunt
Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Kentucky Derby favorite Lookin At Lucky and stablemate Conveyance were back on the track Thursday morning for the first time since last Saturday’s “Run for the Roses” with both colts galloping 1½ miles after the renovation break under Peter Hutton.