No Rush to Challenge in Preakness

LOUISVILLE, Ky. â€”  Pimlico Race Course officials expect between eight and 11 opponents for Fusaichi Pegasus in the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, on May 20, but on Sunday, the day after the colt’s powerful win in the Kentucky Derby, it did not appear that many of the Derby’s vanquished would take up the chase in Baltimore.

The only Preakness definites are High Yield and Hal’s Hope, who finished 15th and 16th in the Derby.

Even Neil Drysdale, the close-to-the-vest trainer of Fusaichi Pegasus, did not guarantee that his colt would move on to Pimlico. But Drysdale has roughed out a training plan for the horse and has his eye on a plane from here to Baltimore on May 17, three days before the Preakness.

Fusao Sekiguchi, the Tokyo businessman who has raced Fusaichi Pegasus after buying him as a yearling for $4 million, said the Preakness decision would be up to his trainer, and although Drysdale is known for playing against the book, it’s unlikely that he will pass up the chance to sweep the Triple Crown. Fusaichi Pegasus was far more superior than his 1 1/2-length Derby victory margin indicated. His time for 1 1/4 miles was 2:01, sixth-fastest in race history, and he will be an odds-on choice for the Preakness.

“The horse will remain at Churchill Downs,� Drysdale said Sunday, “and whether he gets on that plane will depend on how he trains. He’s doing fine now. He’s come out of the race in good order, but horses always look good for a couple of days after a race. You only really know when you resume training them.�

Sekiguchi, 64, can more than recover his purchase price if Fusaichi Pegasus wins the Preakness and Belmont Stakes, on June 10, and completes a Triple Crown sweep that is worth $5 million in bonus money. The Derby win was worth $1,188,400, which included a $150,000 bonus tied to his Wood Memorial victory on April 15. The Preakness and the Belmont are also $1-million races.

The new competition in the Preakness includes Red Bullet, undefeated until he ran second to Fusaichi Pegasus in the Wood; Snuck In, second in the Arkansas Derby; and Tim’s Crossing, a Maryland horse whose three-race undefeated string ended with a loss in the Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel Park on April 22.

Trainer Todd Pletcher, who saddled four horses in the Derby, the best finish a third by Impeachment, said he will wait several days before he decides about the Preakness. Graeme Hall, the Pletcher trainee who won the Arkansas Derby, displaced his palate Saturday and was eased as he finished last in the 19-horse field. Pletcher’s other horses were More Than Ready, who was fourth, beaten by six lengths; and Trippi, who finished 11th after pressing the pace for the opening mile.

Trainer Jenine Sahadi, disappointed that The Deputy ran so poorly, said that the Irish-bred colt will be flown back to California, where she’ll map out a grass campaign. The Deputy, 14th in the Derby, ran his first six races on grass, five of them in England, before he was switched to dirt at Santa Anita this winter. After a month’s rest for The Deputy, Sahadi will zero in on an immediate goal, the Del Mar Derby in late summer.

The Deputy was “scoped� after the race and there was no evidence that he bled. Searching for a reason why The Deputy, the second betting choice, didn’t do better in the Derby, Sahadi speculated that he might not have liked dirt hitting him in the face.

“All we got were small fields at Santa Anita,� she said. “In the San Felipe Stakes, he caught some dirt and started climbing. In the Santa Anita Derby [jockey Chris McCarron] kept him to the outside and there was no dirt to contend with. On Saturday, he was caught behind a lot of horses and took some dirt. I’m not saying he was uncomfortable, but he didn’t look completely at peace with himself out there. He didn’t run a jump, after working so well here. But a lot of horses that worked good over the track didn’t finish in the first five.�

Sahadi seemed relieved that she won’t have to contend with Fusaichi Pegasus again.

“I said before the Derby that if he ran his Wood Memorial race back, we’d all be running for second place,� she said. “We’re probably as close as you can get to seeing someone sweep the Triple Crown, because he’s a legitimate horse, and the horses that came close to sweeping recently (Silver Charm in 1997, Real Quiet in 1998 and Charismatic in 1999) weren’t Triple Crown horses. This horse is brilliant. He’s an amazing animal.�

Trainer Wayne Lukas, who besides High Yield finished 12th with Exchange Rate and 17th with Commendable on Saturday, isn’t conceding the rest of the series to Fusaichi Pegasus.

“He’s good, he’s very good,� Lukas said. “I hope he’s not as good every day as he was Saturday. But as for the Triple Crown, I don’t know if he can do it. There are some grueling weeks left. Anything that’s left is not a given. Let’s not bronze him yet. We throw that term greatness around so easily. Greatness is doing it over a test of time.�

Horse Racing Notes

Aptitude jockey Alex Solis has finished second in three of the last four Kentucky Derbies. Solis may get another shot at Fusaichi Pegasus in the Preakness, if he rides Red Bullet. Solis has ridden Red Bullet in his last two races, a win in the Gotham and the second in the Wood. . . . Aptitude will run in the Belmont, as will fifth-place Derby finisher Wheelaway, who’ll first run in the Peter Pan at Belmont Park on May 27.