Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan continues his pursuit of the Triple Crown when he starts Saturday’s 149th Preakness Stakes at Pimlico from post 5. He’s one of nine entrants in the $2 million race that was drawn at a ceremony Monday evening in Baltimore. The field also includes Arkansas Derby winner Muth, who defeated Mystik Dan in their previous matchup at Oaklawn. Muth will begin in post 4 and is the 8-5 morning line favorite as determined by Maryland Jockey Club oddsmaker Brian Nadeau. Mystik Dan is second choice at 5-2 odds. Horseplayers on the 1/ST BET and Xpressbet platforms can enjoy up to a $10 money-back special on the Preakness as well as selected stakes throughout Friday and Saturday if your win bet finishes second or third. It’s also part of the $50,000 Exacta-Thon promotion over Friday and Saturday at Pimlico. Three alumni of the Kentucky Derby make up the Preakness field. Joining Mystik Dan in the rematch will be Derby late-running, fourth-place finisher Catching Freedom (post 3, 6-1 odds) and Derby 17th-place finisher Just Steel (post 7, 15-1 odds); the latter was runner-up in the Arkansas Derby while splitting the expected Preakness favorites. Mystik Dan won the Derby by a diminishing nose over a distance 1/16th of a mile farther than the Preakness. Among the new faces to the Triple Crown trail include Tuscan Gold (post 8, 8-1 odds), whose trainer Chad Brown won this race in 2017 and 2022 with new shooters and was runner-up last year in similar style. Pace forecasts for the Preakness are cloudy. Muth and Bob Baffert stablemate Imagination are the only two of three runners in the field to have won a race wire-to-wire in their careers (once each, joined by Seize the Grey). Which Baffert runner will be sent to the front and which will press the pace? That Muth drew post 4 and has no speed to his inside almost insures he’ll just be sent along from the start. Expect Imagination to track from post 9. Just Steel pressed the Kentucky Derby pace before backing up, but has made the lead only twice in 12 starts. Seize the Grey could show speed from post 6, but both Lukas charges are drawn between the Baffert speeds. Preakness weekend gets off to a fast start Friday with the 100th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for 3-year-old fillies as well as the tradition-rich Pimlico Special for older horses. A forecast for a sunny Friday gives way to potentially wet conditions Saturday, which would be just fine with Mystik Dan based on past form. // Pimlico // Race 13 // 7:01 pm ET // $2 million Preakness Stakes 149 // 1-3/16 miles 1-Mugatu (Joe Bravo // Jeff Engler) 20-1 2-Uncle Heavy (Irad Ortzi Jr. // Butch Reid) 20-1 3-Catching Freedom (Flavien Prat // Brad Cox) 6-1 4-Muth (Juan Hernandez // Bob Baffert) 8-5 5-Mystik Dan (Brian Hernandez Jr. // Kenny McPeek) 5-2 6-Seize the Grey (Jaime Torres // D. Wayne Lukas) 15-1 7-Just Steel (Joel Rosario // D. Wayne Lukas) 15-1 8-Tuscan Gold (Tyler Gaffalione // Chad Brown) 8-1 9-Imagination (Frankie Dettori // Bob Baffert) 6-1 // Full Schedule: Pimlico | Saturday, May 18, 2024 Race 1 | 10:30 am ET | maiden | start of pick 5 Race 2 | 11:05 am ET | allowance | start of pick 4 Race 3 |11:41 am ET | allowance | start of pick 5 Race 4 | 12:16 pm ET | Skipat Stakes | start of pick 4 Race 5 | 12:51 pm ET | maiden | start of pick 5 Race 6 | 1:28 pm ET | Chick Lang Stakes | start of all-stakes pick 4 Race 7 | 2:08 pm ET | Gallorette Stakes | start of all-stakes pick 5 Race 8 | 2:48 pm ET | Maryland Sprint Stakes | start of pick 6 Race 9 | 3:30 pm ET | James W. Murphy Stakes | start of all-stakes pick 5 Race 10 | 4:10 pm ET | Sir Barton Stakes | start of all-stakes pick 4 Race 11 | 4:53 pm ET | Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes | start of late pick 4 Race 12 | 5:52 pm ET | Dinner Party Stakes Race 13 | 7:01 pm ET | Preakness Stakes 149 Race 14 | 7:43 pm ET | allowance

Muth, Imagination Give Baffert ‘Strong Hand’ for Preakness StakesLightly Raced Tuscan Gold Ready for Middle Jewel of Triple CrownCatching Freedom’s Connections Let Cox Make Preakness Call BALTIMORE – Robby Albarado was aboard for Mystik Dan’s first trip to a sealed muddy racetrack at Pimlico Race Course Monday morning while providing a helping hand to trainer Kenny McPeek in preparing the Kentucky Derby (G1) winner for a start in Saturday’s $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1). “He’s such a smart horse. He takes everything in. Obviously, he loved that racetrack. If you saw the Southwest, it was a similar racetrack as this. I’m really not opposed to rain this weekend. Rain is in the forecast,” said Albarado, referring to Mystik Dan’s eight-length romp in the Feb. 3 Southwest Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park. “He did really well [Monday]. He went over the racetrack smooth and looked around. He’s ready for another round.” Albarado Video: Click here to view The retired jockey has ridden the winners of two Preakness Stakes – Curlin in 2007 and McPeek-trained filly Swiss Skydiver in 2020 – among the 5,222 races he won before retiring in 2021. When arriving at Pimlico Monday morning, he recalled the last time he participated in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. “It’s been great, especially coming to Pimlico. I stopped by Stall 24 there, where Swiss Skydiver was. It was nice, it was like déjà vu. Me coming here on Monday, like I did with her in 2020,” Albarado said. “It’s just that I’m not riding in the race, but I’m still part of the team.” While nearing the end of a career in which his mounts earned $221 million in purses, Albarado called on McPeek in his quest to go out in style. “I wanted to win one more major race for myself. I called up Kenny McPeek and said, ‘Man, I want to win one more major race before I retire.’ He said, ‘Me, too!’” Albarado said. “About a month and a half later, he calls me up and said, ‘Hey, you might ride Swiss Skydiver in the Preakness.’ He called me up five minutes later and said, ‘Pack your stuff up. You’re gong to Baltimore.’ I was helping him out at Keeneland. I guess I was there at the right time.” Swiss Skydiver, who finished second in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) a month earlier, beat the boys in the Preakness, holding off Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic by a neck. Albarado was pleased Monday morning how Mystik Dan, who arrived at Pimlico Sunday, went about his exercise while jogging the wrong way once around the track before lightly galloping once around the right way under the supervision of assistant trainer Ray Bryner. Albarado, 50, been getting on Mystik Dan in the morning since last Monday, two days after the son of Goldencents held off Sierra Leone by a nose in a blanket finish with Forever Young to win the May 4 Derby. “He was kind of beat up. He was body sore from getting bumped around on the first turn and turning for home. It was the first time going a mile and a quarter. It takes a toll on them. That was the first day I got on him. The second time I got on him, and I’ve seen a progression since then,” Albarado said. “He’s gotten better and better. “ Monday morning, Albarado credited Brian Hernandez Jr. for a heads-up, ground-saving ride aboard Mystik Dan in the Derby. “It was a Hall of Fame ride, professionalism. He had a plan. He had some audibles, but I think his initial plan was to ride him like he did, and it worked out,” Albarado said. MUTH/IMAGINATION – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert knows how to get it done in Baltimore. No trainer in the history of Thoroughbred racing has known the success Baffert has had in the Preakness Stakes (G1). He has won it a record eight times, including last year’s edition with National Treasure. On Saturday, Baffert will have two chances to get his ninth when he runs likely favorite Muth and Imagination in the 149th running of the $2 million Preakness at Pimlico Race Course. There is really no secret to Baffert’s success in Charm City. “You need good horses and I bring good horses,” Baffert said from his base in Southern California. “I am not going to fly cross-country with a 50-1 shot.” The two colts he is sending to this year’s Preakness are no slouches. Muth, owned by Zedan Racing Stables Inc., is coming off a win in Oaklawn Park’s Arkansas Derby (G1) March 30. Imagination, running for the partnership of SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Stonestreet Stables LLC, Dianne Bashor, Robert Masterson, Waves Edge Capital LLC, Catherine Donovan and Tom Ryan, was last seen finishing second in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 6. “I think this is a pretty strong hand,” Baffert said. “Muth is pretty established, a good horse with a lot of quality. I think Imagination is creeping up there. He will have to run better than he did the last time. He should and he will.” Imagination, who will be ridden in the Preakness by Franke Dettori for the third straight race, only got beat a neck in the Santa Anita Derby by Stronghold, who went onto finish seventh in the Kentucky Derby (G1). A son of Into Mischief, Imagination was a $1.05 million purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. After breaking his maiden on Jan. 1 – his third try – he finished second by a neck in an allowance and then won the San Felipe (G2) by a head before the Santa Anita Derby. Muth will be ridden in the Preakness by Juan Hernandez, who has been in the saddle for all six of his starts. He broke his maiden at first asking, romping to an 8 ¾-length win last June. Since then, he has run only in graded stakes races. Besides the Arkansas Derby, he also had a Grade 1 score in the American Pharoah last year and was second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1). By Good Magic, Muth went for $2 million at the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company March 2-year-old in training sale. The two horses galloped at Santa Anita Monday morning and are scheduled to leave California early Tuesday morning and arrive in Baltimore Tuesday afternoon. TUSCAN GOLD – The first time Tuscan Gold ran in a stakes race, it was his third start. It came in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds on March 23 and Tuscan Gold finished third. Not a bad accomplishment in just race No. 3, but don’t tell trainer Chad Brown that. Under further review, it could have been so much better. “He ran the best race, really,” Brown said from his office at Belmont Park. “He was just really wide the whole way.” Tuscan Gold will make his first start since the Louisiana Derby in Saturday’s 149th running of the $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course. The son of Medaglia d’Oro will get a rematch with Catching Freedom, who beat him by 1 ¾ lengths in the Louisiana Derby. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione rode Tuscan Gold in the Louisiana Derby and was also on board when he broke his maiden by 6 ¼ lengths at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 31. Going from a maiden win to a race with a $1 million purse showed the confidence Brown had in Tuscan Gold, who is owned by William H. Lawrence, Walmac Farm and Stonestreet Stables LLC. In the 1 3/16-mile Louisiana Derby, Tuscan Gold and Gaffalione broke from Post 10 and were four wide around the first turn. Tuscan Gold was ridden hard to hold position and the colt kept on, finishing a game third. Brown said he and his rider spoke after the Louisiana Derby. “Probably too close to the pace,” Brown said. “It was not a good trip and Tyler understands that.” Tuscan Gold began his career last November at Aqueduct and finished fourth in a maiden event which was won by stablemate Sierra Leone, who just missed in the Kentucky Derby (G1), beaten a nose by Mystik Dan. Tuscan Gold, a $600,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, could have run in the Peter Pan (G3) at Aqueduct last weekend, but Brown thinks enough of the colt to try the Middle Jewel the Triple Crown. Brown said that Tuscan Gold is scheduled to ship to Pimlico Tuesday. He said he has not decided when he will arrive in Baltimore. He might not come until race day. JUST STEEL/SEIZE THE GREY – As he has done for decades, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas held court outside the Preakness Stakes Barn Monday morning. Lukas, 88, has two horses for the 149th Preakness (G1) Saturday, Just Steel and Seize the Grey, who were in transit from Louisville, KY while Lukas was speaking to the media. This will be Lukas’ 32nd Preakness in an almost-annual string of visits to Pimlico Race Course that began with his winning debut with Codex in 1980. According to Equibase, the six-time Preakness winner has a record of 27-20-20 from 156 starts at Pimlico, 42 percent top-three finishes. All but two of the starts were in stakes. Lukas Video: Preakness.isctv.com “I've liked to go to big arenas all my life. I ran the first one here 44 years ago,” he said. “I enjoy the competition. I enjoy the better races, Breeders’ Cups, the Derbys and so forth. I really thrive on that. Even at my age I still love the competition that I’m involved in.” BC Stables LLC and Henry Schmueckle’s Just Steel has a 2-4-1 record from 12 career starts. He finished 17th in the Kentucky Derby. “Just Steel has got a really good pedigree,” Lukas said. “His race in the Kentucky Derby was less than perfect. We got into a speed jam and there was no way that we could finish and do well there. But that happens in races. We’ve got to be careful that you don't penalize the horse for one race like that. If you go back one race previous, I think Bob Baffert’s horse Muth is likely to be favored (in the Preakness) and we finished second in the Arkansas Derby to him.” Lukas’s other runner Seize the Grey, owned by the MyRacehorse partnership, won the Pat Day Mile (G2) on the Derby undercard. “I like him. He's really set up for a beautiful effort,” Lukas said. “That Pat Day Mile was just a mile, but it was very, very, very professional. I love the way he ran in it. He was finishing strong at the end. I have no reservations about him getting the added distance of the Preakness at all. He's going to keep everybody honest. He’s a pretty nice horse. And he's got over 600 owners, so we'll make a lot of people happy.” Lukas said he was pleased that trainer Kenny McPeek opted to run Derby winner Mystik Dan in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. The morning after the Derby, McPeek said he was not sure he would bring the colt back to the races in two weeks. “We needed the Derby winner. We really did,” Lukas said. “If this thing is going to carry its credentials, we need the Derby winner in here every year, if we can get him and he’s physically good. And he was. I looked at him this morning. I watched him all week. He's very good. I don't want to be training him for Kenny McPeek, but he looks damn good. I don't think that it'll be easy to outrun him, especially if the weather changes. He's got a pretty good race in the mud there in Arkansas and I’m a little worried about him being a little bit tough. I think that top to bottom, it's a pretty solid Preakness again. It kind of came together here in the last couple of days.” Lukas said that the seven runners he brought for the Preakness and the other stakes will start going out to the track Tuesday morning when it opens for training at 6 a.m. CATCHING FREEDOM – When Dennis Albaugh and Jason Loutsch go with their team to the elite yearling sales, the No. 1 objective is to fast forward 1 1/2 years later to the 3-year-old classics with their Albaugh Family Stables’ horses. That certainly was the case when they paid $575,000 for Catching Freedom at Keeneland’s 2022 September Yearling Sale. Already a millionaire thanks to an excellent fourth-place finish in the May 4 Kentucky Derby (G1) and his preceding victory in the Louisiana Derby (G2), Catching Freedom will now attempt to give Albaugh and Loutsch their first victory in a Triple Crown race in Saturday’s 149th Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course. “We value the Triple Crown, and the opportunity to run in Triple Crown races is really important to us,” Loutsch, who is the stable’s racing managing and Albaugh’s son-in-law, said by phone. “That’s what we go to the sales for, looking to buy horses to go to the Triple Crown. The horse came back well out of the Derby, and we felt it was an opportunity to take a shot in one of the most prestigious races. We’re excited to get up there to Baltimore.” Catching Freedom was scheduled to leave Churchill Downs at 3 p.m. Monday to van to Pimlico. Trainer Brad Cox’s son, Blake, will oversee Catching Freedom’s training for the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Brad Cox — who was awarded the 2021 Kentucky Derby with second-place finisher Mandaloun almost three years after the fact because of Medina Spirit’s disqualification for a medication infraction — has never before run one of his Derby horses back in the Preakness. But Catching Freedom’s energetic gallops at Churchill Downs after three days off following the Derby spurred Cox to change his mind in this instance. “If Brad wants to go, you know the horse has a legit shot,” Loutsch said. “So why not take a chance? Brad’s style is to not come back that quick, and it’s not our style either. We always say horse first. But the horse did come out of the race in great shape, and we felt it’s a good opportunity to capture one of the Triple Crown races. It’s going to be a tough challenge, but you can’t win unless you’re in the race.” Loutsch recalls having only two starters in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness: Early in their ownership venture, as a member of Donegal Racing, Albaugh was a partner in Paddy O’Prado, third in the 2010 Derby before finishing sixth in the Preakness and embarking on a highly successful turf career. Two years later, having established Albaugh Family Stables, Cozzetti was seventh after Kentucky Derby aspirations were dashed with an Arkansas Derby (G1) fourth-place finish. Albaugh Family Stables also was third in the Kentucky Derby last year with Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire. Cox skipped the Preakness to await the Belmont Stakes three weeks later, with Angel of Empire finishing in a dead heat for fourth. It will be only Cox’s second time in the Preakness, having finished third in 2019 with Owendale and fourth the same year with Warrior’s Charge. Last year he had one of the favorites in First Mission, only to have that horse scratched the day before the Preakness. “You’re only 3 one time,” Loutsch said. “You can only run in the Preakness once. If you’re doing well, why not give it a shot? If he runs good or bad, we can still give him some time this summer and hit the late-summer derbys we want to get to.” In the Kentucky Derby, Catching Freedom rallied under Flavien Prat to finish 1 ¾ lengths behind Mystik Dan, who nosed out Sierra Leone and Japan’s Forever Young. “I thought he broke really sharp, and then he got kind of covered up,” Loutsch said. “About the eighth-pole (down the stretch for the first time after breaking from Post 4), he got in a little trouble. That’s part of the Kentucky Derby, that many horses coming over on top of you. He got back a little farther than we thought after he broke. I thought he stayed there, took a lot of dirt obviously. I thought Flavien gave him a heck of a ride. “About the three-eighths pole and on the turn, I thought he was making a great move,” he added. “ We all stood up out of our chairs and got ridiculous with excitement, like ‘Oh boy, here he comes!’ Even after the race, Flavien said, ‘At the top of the stretch, I thought we had a chance to win this thing.’ He gave all he could, and he was a length-and-a-half short.” The Preakness favorite is likely to be Bob Baffert-trained Muth, the Arkansas Derby winner who was ineligible to run in the Kentucky Derby, The Hall of Fame trainer also will have Imagination, runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby (G1), by a neck, as he attempts to win the Preakness for the ninth time. Albaugh Family Stable has had a few horses with Baffert, including $1 million yearling Thousand Words in partnership with Spendthrift Farm. That multiple stakes-winner had the misfortune of flipping in the paddock and was scratched from the COVID-delayed Derby of 2020, which Baffert went on to win with his other horse, Authentic. “Tremendous respect for Bob,” Loutsch said. “I’m excited he’s in the race. I think he’s great for the sport. I’ll be excited to see him this weekend. We know he’s the biggest challenger with two great horses. We know he’s got horses that are doing great, won the Arkansas Derby, and are fresh. It’s going to take a lot to beat them. But that’s why you run the race. You never know. “But we have a good horse, too,” he added. “He’s done nothing but good things for us, runs hard every time.” UNCLE HEAVY – When trainer Butch Reid Jr. announced last week that Withers Stakes (G3) winner Uncle Heavy was headed to the Saturday’s $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1), he heard from plenty of people he has known during his long career. “You suddenly find out how many friends you really have,” he said. “When you get in a big one like that, they start showing up out of the woodwork.” Reid laughed as he described a piece of unsolicited guidance that appeared on his phone. “I actually got an anonymous text from Phoenix, Arizona,” Reid said, “and it said, ‘If this is the guy with Uncle Heavy, make sure you run him into Preakness because he's going to win it! didn't respond to it. But I took his advice, and we're going to go out and run in it.” Reid, 67, is based at Parx in suburban Philadelphia. Since launching his training career in 1985, he has 968 wins from 5,685 starts. His top-earning horse is champion Vequist, winner of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Keeneland. Uncle Heavy is scheduled to ship to Pimlico Race Course on Tuesday. MUGATU – Average Joe Racing Stables LLC and Dan Wells’ Mugatu, galloped at Belterra Park Monday morning in preparation for a start in Saturday’s Preakness 149 (G1) at Pimlico Race Course. “Everything is on track,” trainer Jeff Engler said. “We’re leaving here tomorrow (Tuesday) at 1 p.m.” Mugatu is coming off a fifth-place finish in the April 6 Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland, rallying from 10th. Joe Bravo, who scored aboard Mugatu the only time he has ridden the son of Blofeld in a Gulfstream Park maiden race last November, has the call.

Yonkers Raceway has an 11-race card to begin the week. The 0.50 Pick 5 with a $10,000 guaranteed pool rolls in Race 5. The $1.00 Late Pick 4 starts in Race 8, and it will be my focus. Comments and selections below are based on a fast track. Race 8 (9:20 PM EST) 1-Leonida A (3-1)-This warrior has lost something off his fast ball. But this race is probably his best chance to pick up a win this year if ready to battle, has been idle since 4-22. Drawing the rail should help and could be on the point or in the pocket. 2-None Bettor A (3-1)-Cashed a 3rd place check in his 1st start since 9-9 and that was against Invitational company. Can be a threat if dialed on high. Joe B should be on the point or in the 2 hole right next to the one above. Race 9 (9:40 PM EST) 3-Night Hawk (3-1)-Hasn’t landed on the point in the last 3 starts and that trend could change tonight. George Brennan should have enough gate speed to get on the engines or to get a cozy trip right behind the leader. Leaving looks like the best option and might offer some value. 5-It’s A Me Mario (7/5)-Mario’s 5 race win streak was snapped last week after leaving from post 7. Closed in a hurry and came from a way back to finish 2nd. Jason Bartlett should work a smooth trip with this post draw and starting a new win streak isn’t out of the question. Race 10 (10:00 PM EST) 5-Nowhere Creek A (5/2)-Comes off a handy win, there isn't a lot of gate speed inside and should get another close-up seat. Has been camera shy this year (16-1-1-2) but meets another beatable field. 6-Dance On The Beach (7/2)-Got the top and faded down the lane in last. Beaten 3/5 chalk has been consistent for a few months. Best to respect, and could make amends. Likes to race on the point and there shouldn't be an issue getting that trip. Race 11 (10:20 PM EST) 2-Semi Tough (2-1)-This classy veteran can still dial it up for a picture if at the right level. Drops and this smells like a winning situation. 4-Sling Shock (6-1)-Will need to come with its best effort at this class to win and is in fine form. Stratton steers for the 3rd straight and he has handled him well. Could stalk and catch the leaders at a healthy price. $1.00 Late Pick 4 1,2/3,5/5,6/2,4 Total Bet=$16 Check me out on Twitter!

A historic 100th edition of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes anchors the Preakness Eve card Friday at Pimlico. The 3-year-old fillies match up over 1-1/8 miles on a 6-stakes card that also includes the tradition-rich Pimlico Special. Horseplayers on the 1/ST BET and Xpressbet platforms can enjoy up to a $10 money-back special on the Black-Eyed Susan as well as selected stakes throughout Preakness weekend if your win bet finishes second or third. It’s also part of the $50,000 Exacta-Thon promotion over Friday and Saturday at Pimlico. Let’s meet the contenders for the $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan (Race 13): #1-JEANNE MARIE: Runner-up in Maryland’s prep, the Weber City Miss Stakes at Laurel, she accompanies Butch Reid stablemate Uncle Heavy in his Preakness bid. Based at Parx near Philadelphia, she won the Main Line Stakes at her home track and a maiden sprint last summer. Jockey Mychel Sanchez was Parx’s leading jockey in 2023 and leads the standings so far in 2024. #2-RINGY DINGY: Daughter of 2011 Preakness fourth-place finisher Dialed In makes her first start since December. Her 4-race juvenile campaign featured a romping victory in Delaware Park’s White Clay Creek Stakes over a mile. She wintered in Florida for trainer Danny Gargan, whose father Dan. Sr won the 1973 Black-Eyed Susan aboard Fish Wife. Jockey Katie Davis can become the second female rider to win the BES, joining Lisa Ruch, who piloted Batna in 1983. #3-LEMON MUFFIN: The field’s top money earner at $339,000 returns on 2 weeks’ rest from the Kentucky Oaks, where she finished eighth. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas, 88, has won the Black-Eyed Susan 4 times in his hallowed career (1984, ’86, ’89, ’95) and a fifth victory could put him past Todd Pletcher as the all-time winningest trainer in this race. Daughter of Collected, who sired last year’s BES winner Taxed, who also plied her winter campaign at Oaklawn Park. Lukas also sent Just Steel and Seize the Grey to Baltimore for Preakness 149. #4-CALL ANOTHER PLAY: Red-hot local can become the first Maryland-based winner of the Black-Eyed Susan since Buddy Delp-trained Calipha in 1994. She’s won 3 straight, including Laurel’s Weber City Miss Stakes, as this former claimer has caught fire at the right time. Jockey Jaime Rodriguez has won more races in Maryland this year than any other rider. Her 4 wins and 9 career starts both are field highs. #5-GUN SONG: Jockey John Velazquez can push past Chris McCarron in the Black-Eyed Susan record books if successful with his fifth winning ride in this race. Gun Song was a Gulfstream allowance winner in February and most recently fourth in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks. She’s a daughter of Gun Runner, whose current crop of 3-year-olds had a big recent weekend at Churchill Downs with Kentucky Derby runner-up Sierra Leone and Eight Belles winner Vahva. Trainer Mark Hennig was third in Smarty Jones’ 2004 Preakness with Eddington. #6-WHOCOULDASKFORMO: $450,000 daughter of Uncle Mo is the field’s most expensive purchase, but has just a maiden win from 5 starts on her form to date. Runner-up in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs, but managed only minor checks in the Davona Dale and Gazelle most recently. Black-Eyed Susan winning connections include trainer Shug McGaughey (1996 Mesabi Maiden) and jockey Luis Saez (2016 Go Maggie Go). #7-CORPOSO: Santa Anita Oaks third-place finisher is a granddaughter of 2007 Preakness winner Curlin as her sire is Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso. Tyler Gaffalione, runner-up by a nose in the Kentucky Derby aboard Sierra Leone 2 weeks ago, takes over the mount. His local success peaked in 2019 with Preakness winner War of Will. California trainer Peter Eurton makes his first Pimlico appearance since 2017. His She’s A Warrior finished seventh in this race in 2016. #8-RECHARGE: Sunland Park Oaks winner exits a lead and fade fifth in the Grade 2 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn, significantly against eventual Kentucky Oaks heroine Thorpedo Anna. Last year’s Black-Eyed Susan winner Taxed also exited the Fantasy Stakes. The Fantasy loss was her only defeat in 4 starts, winning at Remington Park, Sam Houston and Sunland Park prior. Trainer Steve Asmussen has 2 Preakness wins and historically strong hands to play Preakness week in stakes, but has yet to win the BES. Jockey Joel Rosario has won this race twice (’13 Fiftyshadesofhay, ’21 Army Wife). Like race rival Gun Song, she’s a daughter of Gun Runner.

Brown ‘Confident’ in Tuscan Gold Going into Saturday’s PreaknessTuesday Travel Day for Baffert Trainees Muth, ImaginationChasing Freedom Confirmed for Middle Jewel of Triple Crown   BALTIMORE – Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan arrived at Pimlico Race Course for a run in Saturday’s 149th renewal of the Preakness Stakes (G1) just after 4 p.m. Sunday following a van ride from Churchill Downs. Trainer Kenny McPeek is scheduled to arrive in Baltimore in time for Monday’s post-position draw for the $2 million Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Assistant trainer Ray Bryner accompanied Mystik Dan on his road trip to Pimlico. “No muss, no fuss. He’s a really easy horse to be around, not complicated,” said Bryner who said he expects the Derby winner to go to the track at Pimlico for a jog and gallop Monday morning at 8:30 following the renovation break. Mystik Dan will be ridden again by Brian Hernandez Jr., who provided the son of Goldencents a brilliantly executed ride in the Derby, in which the McPeek trainee tracked the early leaders while saving ground before surging to the lead at the top of the stretch along the rail and holding off Sierra Leone by a nose. TUSCAN GOLD – Trainer Chad Brown has won the Preakness Stakes (G1) twice. He’ll come to Baltimore this weekend confident that he can get No. 3 with the lightly raced Tuscan Gold. Brown watched the son of Medaglia d’Oro work four furlongs in company with Blazing Sevens, who fell a head short of defeating National Treasure in last year’s Preakness, Saturday at Belmont Park. “That was the best I have ever seen him work,” Brown said Sunday from his office at Belmont. “He came out of it in good shape.” Brown said that Tuscan Gold has worked with Blazing Sevens in the past. After seeing the two horses go four furlongs in 49.30 seconds, Brown is more than anxious to see how Tuscan Gold does in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Tuscan Gold will be making his fourth career start in the Preakness, easily the fewest of any of the nine colts expected to run in the 1 3/16-mile spring classic.. “It was a good test for him against a horse that is established,” Brown said of the pairing with Blazing Sevens. “What better horse to prepare him? I thought the work went excellent. I am confident going into the race. He is fast enough on figures to win.” This will be Brown’s seventh starter in the Preakness. He won in 2017 with Cloud Computing, his first Preakness starter, and in 2022 with Early Voting. Tuscan Gold, who is owned by William H. Lawrence, Walmac Farm and Stonestreet Stables LLC, will be ridden in the Preakness by Tyler Gaffalione. Gaffalione was the rider when Tuscan Gold finished third behind Preakness rival Catching Freedom and Honor Marie in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds March 23. He also rode when the horse broke his maiden in his second career start, at Gulfstream Park, on Jan. 31. Brown said that plans call for Tuscan Gold to ship to Baltimore from Belmont on Tuesday. MUTH / IMAGINATION – Zedan Racing Stables Inc.’s Muth, the likely favorite for Saturday’s $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, and SF Racing LLC and partners’ Imagination will begin their long day of travel early Tuesday morning from California. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday that plans call for the two colts to leave their Santa Anita barn between 1 and 2 a.m. (PST). The cross-country flight, Baffert said, follows around 5 a.m. “It is a long day,” Baffert said. “Hopefully, they’ll get (to Pimlico) in the afternoon.” Baffert said he is scheduled to fly to Baltimore Thursday, arriving in the late afternoon. Muth and Imagination both jogged at Santa Anita Sunday after working in tandem Friday. “They are both doing well,” Baffert said. “I liked the way they breezed; they were a good team. I am happy the way they are coming into this.” Muth was last seen winning the Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park on March 30, beating Just Steel and Mystik Dan to the wire. Mystik Dan, the Kentucky Derby (G1) winner, was third in the Arkansas Derby, 6 ¼ lengths behind Muth. Just Steel, who was 17th in the Run for the Roses, was beaten two lengths in the Arkansas Derby by Muth. Muth will face both horses in the Preakness, a race Baffert has won a record eight times, the most recent being last year with National Treasure. Imagination had never been worse than second in six career races. When last seen, he was second, beaten a neck by Stronghold in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) April 6. “It’s going to be a very competitive race,” Baffert said of the Preakness. “I am really looking forward to it.” CATCHING FREEDOM – Albaugh Family Stables’ Catching Freedom, the Kentucky Derby (G1) fourth-place finisher, will run in Saturday’s $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, trainer Brad Cox said Sunday morning. Catching Freedom has been training so well at Churchill Downs that Cox felt the colt deserved another chance at a Triple Crown race. “Obviously we like how he’s doing,” Cox said. “It’s just eight days after the Derby. It’s very important to watch the horse. He has been galloping well. I’m happy with the way he’s moving. Tomorrow (Monday) is entry day, and we are going to ship tomorrow. We need to get our ducks in a row, and we feel he’s shown us enough.” Flavien Prat, who was aboard for Catching Freedom’s Louisiana Derby (G2) victory and Kentucky Derby run, has the mount. JUST STEEL / SEIZE THE GREY – Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said he welcomed the news Saturday that Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan will run in the 149th Preakness Stakes (G1) next Saturday at Pimlico Race Course. Lukas is scheduled to challenge Mystik Dan with BC Stables LLC and Henry Schmueckle’s Just Steel and MyRacehorse’s Seize the Grey. Mystik Dan’s trainer, Kenny McPeek, spent last week watching how the colt recovered from the stress of running in the Derby before committing to the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. “I think it's good. It's very good,” Lukas said Sunday while enroute from Kentucky to Baltimore. “I think we needed him. I think the industry needs him. I think it's very important that in this Triple Crown hype that we get that we have the Derby winner participate. And I think Baltimore needed it too. People show up because of a marquee horse and he's the horse of the hour, whether he wins that or not. The other story, I'm sure it'll be (Bob) Baffert showing up. That's wonderful, too.” Baffert, the Preakness record-holder with eight victories, is scheduled to enter two horses, Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Muth and Santa Anita Derby (G1) runner-up Imagination. They are new shooters to the Triple Crown because Churchill Downs would not take Derby entries from Baffert again this year. Lukas, who is competing in his 32nd Preakness, said he looks forward to facing McPeek and Baffert on the big Triple Crown stage at the Preakness. “They're both good friends of mine and I think they bring a lot to the table,” Lukas said. “They really do, and they need to be here.” Lukas and a crew of four members of his staff left Louisville for Baltimore shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday and arrived at Pimlico shortly after 2 p.m. “It was a smooth trip for us,” said Lukas, who will have media availability at 9:30 a.m. Monday. The advance party will prepare the stalls at the Preakness Stakes Barn for the Lukas horses that will ship from Kentucky Monday with an expected arrival time at 2 p.m. “I've got seven of them and whenever we get that many, we always go in a day early and set up,” Lukas said. “It's too chaotic when you come in with seven and a pony, eight head of horses, and they're wanting them off the van and with no screens, nothing, trying to do it all, it's too chaotic.” Just Steel and Seize the Grey will bring Lukas’ total number of Preakness starters to 48. This will be the 14th time he has had two or more horses in the field. He has six wins. Just Steel was on the pace early in the Derby, but tired in the stretch and finished 17th. Seize the Grey won the Pat Day Mile (G2) on the Derby undercard. “They're doing great,” Lukas said. “They're both doing very, very, very well.” UNCLE HEAVY – Trainer Butch Reid Jr. served up a very positive report on Uncle Heavy Sunday on the morning after he worked a half-mile in in 47.34 seconds at Parx in preparation for the 149th Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course Saturday. “The horse is good. Came out of his breeze great,” Reid said. “Ate everything and was sharp this morning. I’m very happy with him.” The Pennsylvania-bred will likely gallop Monday morning, Reid said, and jog on Tuesday before being shipped from Parx to Pimlico Race Course. Reid welcomed the addition of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan to the Preakness field. “It’s OK. We’ve got to take them all on,” Reid said. “We had an idea that some of them might show up. He’s got to come back in two weeks and ship halfway across the country. It’s not an easy task that he’s cut out for that horse.” Besides his impossible-to-ignore name, Reid said that Uncle Heavy is a cool horse to deal with. “He's very laid back. He's got a tremendous attitude about him,” Reid said. “He's a big, giant guy that probably weighs over 1,200 pounds, I'm sure, but I’ve never weighed him. He's just a big, gentle giant. Very easy to train in the morning. Doesn't worry about anything. When he comes back from training he lays down and takes a nice long snooze right after training. He's not worried about it. We're way more worried about it than he is.” Uncle Heavy will be Reid’s first starter in the Preakness. He stepped onto the Road to the Triple Crown with a victory in the Withers (G3) Feb. 3 at Aqueduct. He ended up fifth in the Wood Memorial (G2) on April 6, and Reid figured that he did not have enough qualifying points to secure a berth in the Kentucky Derby. After a pair of solid works at Parx, Reid decided to enter Uncle Heavy in the Preakness rather than Saturday’s $200,000 Peter Pan (G3) at Aqueduct. Michael Milam and Glenn Bennett’s LC Racing LLC, the partners in the colt, are both longtime clients of Reid’s stable. The colt is named for Reid’s older brother, Mark, a retired trainer and bloodstock agent, and was bred by Mark’s wife, Barbara. Five-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. will ride Uncle Heavy in the Preakness. MUGATU – Average Joe Racing Stables LLC and Dan Wells’ Mugatu exited Saturday’s five-furlong workout in preparation for a start in next Saturday’s $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico in good order, reported trainer Jeff Engler. “He’s perfect,” said Engler, whose Preakness contender was timed in 59.60 seconds before galloping out six furlongs in 1:13 at Belterra Park. Mugatu most recently finished fifth in the April 6 Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland after closing from 10th in his third start on dirt in 12 career races. The son of Blofeld broke his maiden on Tapeta at Gulfstream Park by 3 ¼ lengths last November. He came back to finish fourth in a stakes-quality optional claiming allowance on the main track at Gulfstream. The Kentucky-bred colt ran four times on Tapeta at Turfway Park, including a fourth-place finish in the John Battaglia Memorial, before returning to dirt for the Blue Grass. “I actually think he prefers the dirt. He ran his biggest number on dirt in the Blue Grass, and he ran a good race at Gulfstream,” Engler said. ”I think he ran well on the Tapeta at Turfway,as well, but I think he’s a better horse on dirt. I brought him to Belterra Park to train him on dirt specifically for that reason, and he’s just thriving on it.” Mugatu is scheduled to ship to Pimlico Tuesday night. Joe Bravo, who was aboard Mugatu for his impressive maiden score at Gulfstream the only time he has ridden by Engler trainee, has the call for the Preakness. ‍

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Specifically designed for the rolling exotic player, Jeff Siegel’s “What You Need to Know” isolates those horses that should be included in daily doubles, pick-3s, pick-4s, pick-5s, and the pick-6. The selections are posted at 6:00 a.m. and updated later in the morning to reflect late scratches and changes (approximately 10:30 a.m.). For additional commentary, follow us on twitter @jsiegelracing. Grade Descriptions: Grade A=Highest degree of confidence; Grade B=Solid Play. Grade C=Least preferred or pass; Grade X=probable winner but likely at odds too short to play. View Jeff Siegel’s Prime Plays Video ______________________________________________________________________________ RACE 1: Post: 1:00 PT Grade: A- Main Ticket: 5-Final Boss Backups/savers: 2-El Rey Rey. Forecast: Final Boss clearly is the controlling speed if he’s permitted to use his best weapon. In his only prior try around two turns, the J. Sadler-trained colt was guzzled off the pace, then tried to rally but had no chance to make any impact into the teeth of the race shape (slow early, fast late). This time, with blinkers on, the son American Pharoah should grab control early and run his rivals into the ground. It’s there for the taking. ______________________________________________________________________________ RACE 2: Post: 1:32 PT Grade: A- Main Ticket: 2-Soi Ngern Backups/savers: 6-Timty; 4-Ivan the Great. Forecast: Soi Ngern has done everything asked of him in the morning, and while his workout times don’t jump off the page the son of Good Magic has shown to be an exquisite athlete with smooth, flawless action. He’s listed as the second choice on the morning line at 5/2 and it’ll be interesting to see if receives unusual action on the tote. We like him as a strong win play and rolling exotic single. ______________________________________________________________________________ RACE 3: Post: 2:06 PT Grade: X Main Ticket: 5-Flavius Backups/savers: none. Forecast: Flavius seeks his third straight win, and if he has one good one left he’ll extend this streak against a moderate group he certainly should beat. The ex-classer is dropping from $32,000 to $25,000 for connections who clearly don’t view him as a viable long term racehorse. At 4/5 on the morning line, he’ll offer no value in a race that probably should be left alone. ______________________________________________________________________________ RACE 4: Post: 2:38 PT Grade: X Main Ticket: 4-Ball Don’t Lie Backups/savers: none. Forecast: Ball Don’t Lie earned a monster number when breaking his maiden over the local main track last month and is logically the 4/5 morning line favorite to repeat on the raise in this year’s edition of the Lazaro Barrera S. for 3-year-olds over seven furlongs. He’s the controlling speed if he wants to be but from his cozy outside draw the son of Blame can stalk and pounce if the connections prefer to teach him something. ______________________________________________________________________________ RACE 5: Post: 3:12 PT Grade: B+ Main Ticket: 2-Proof He Rides Backups/savers: 1-Give Me the Lute; 5-Grazed; 4-Barristan the Bold (GB) Forecast: Proof He Rides is an interesting Bay Area invader with three wins from his last four starts and rising speed figures with each outing. First or second in his two grass starts to date, the quick son of Idiot Proof catches a field without his kind of zip and almost certainly will inherit the early lead without having to be sent. With another forward move for new trainer S. McCarthy, the lightly raced six-year-old gelding (with five wins from 10 starts) can steal a purse as a win play and rolling exotic single. ______________________________________________________________________________ RACE 6: Post: 3:44 PT Grade: B- Main Ticket: 2-Epione; 6-Moonlight Tryst. Backups/savers: none. Forecast: Epione returns to the main track after being outrun in a very quick turf sprint and a repeat of her debut effort two runs back – a solid third place finish with the two ahead of her returning to win – should be good enough to earn a diploma in this maiden special weight dash for older fillies and mares. Moonlight Tryst, a daughter of American Pharoah finally making it to the post at age four, shows a series of okay drills and really won’t have to be a world beater to act with these. She’s drawn comfortably outside and will have no excuses. ______________________________________________________________________________ RACE 7: Post: 4:16 PT Grade: B- Main Ticket: 4-Freedom Lass Backups/savers: 1-Indy’s Star. Forecast: Freedom Lass shows up in a $32,000 seller in what we’d have to concede is a logical class drop for a mare who at age seven hasn’t won a race since April of 2022. She’s most comfortable when held up early and allowed to take hold late, and in a mile grass affair with a sufficient amount of early speed signed on the P. D’Amato-trained mare should be capable of producing a winning late kick. However, she’s 9/5 on the morning line and won’t offer much wagering value. ______________________________________________________________________________ RACE 8: Post: 4:49 PT Grade: X Main ticket: 2-Man O Rose Backups/savers: none. Forecast: Man O Rose has won four of his last five with rising numbers that now are borderline stakes-quality. He’s back in three weeks and the relatively quick turnaround is the only concern. Two nice breezes in the interim probably should alleviate any concerns. ______________________________________________________________________________ RACE 9: Post: 5:23 PT Grade: B Main ticket: 4-Special Club Backups/savers: none. Forecast: Special Club is back sprinting where he belongs, and while he’s probably more comfortable on dirt the son of Clubhouse Ride doesn’t have much to beat in this state-bred abbreviated dash and should be capable of tagging the speed close home. None of the others inspire so let’s make him a win play and rolling exotic single.