(Reuters) – The second leg of U.S. thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown could be without Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan as the bay colt’s trainer said on Sunday it would be a last-minute decision on whether to run him in the Preakness Stakes.
Kenny McPeek, speaking outside his barn at Churchill Downs, put a call on speaker from Pimlico Race Course officials of the invitation to run Mystik Dan in the May 18 Preakness Stakes and while he accepted the invite it was not exactly a commitment.
“We’re not committing,” said McPeek. “When I ran him back in two weeks (at Churchill Downs last November), it completely backfired. And we skipped the Rebel (at Oaklawn Park) because it was too short as well.
“So we’ll watch him over the next week, and probably decide then. It will be a last-minute decision. We’ll let him tell us.”
Mystik Dan, ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., pulled off an 18-1 upset in Saturday’s 1-1/4 mile Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs when he finished a nose ahead of Sierra Leone, who was another nose in front of Forever Young.
Sierra Leone’s trainer, Chad Brown, said the horse would not run the Preakness Stakes and will instead be brought to Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York where he will train for the June 8 Belmont Stakes.
“He’s a little tired. He’s a real laid back horse but when we brought him out, he was a little more tired than he normally is after his races,” said Brown. “I think giving him the five weeks to the Belmont is definitely the right thing to do.”
Japanese-bred colt Forever Young was scheduled to return to Japan on Tuesday, meaning the Preakness could be without the top three finishers from the Kentucky Derby.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibilty for its content.