A Quiet Preakness Week Morning at Wet Pimlico

It was a relatively quiet May 13 morning at a soggy Pimlico Race Course as two of nine starters in the May 17 $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) jogged around the wet, sealed racetrack. Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who at the age of 89 years young will be shooting for back-to-back wins in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, had Virginia Derby winner American Promise jog around the racetrack. "We got soaked, but we got him trained," Lukas said. "He jogged a couple of miles." Lukas, who sent the son of 2018 Preakness and Triple Crown winner Justify out to the track when it first opened at 6 a.m., had high praise for the track maintenance crew for having the surface in excellent condition despite the rain. "The surface was perfect. It was unbelievably good. It was sealed and it was really good. The trackmen did a great job because it rained hard from 2-3 a.m. You could have raced on it, breezed on it, done anything on it," Lukas said. The Pimlico track maintenance crew is led by director of racing surfaces John Banno and track superintendent Danny Fiske. Lukas said BC Stables' American Promise, who was 16th in the Kentucky Derby (G1), would jog again May 14. "We'll see what the energy level is, but maybe we'll let him catch his stride through the stretch a bit on Thursday (May 15)," Lukas said. Lukas will be chasing a record-tying eighth Preakness win. His first win in the Preakness came 45 years ago when Codex took the classic in a controversial victory over the filly Genuine Risk. Heart of Honor (GB), the UAE Derby (G2) runner-up, arrived early Tuesday morning and put in a light, one-mile jog a few hours later. A son of Honor A.P., Heart of Honor was second in his last three starts and has two wins and four seconds in six career starts. Grade 1 winner Sandman, who was seventh in the Kentucky Derby, also shipped into Pimlico early Tuesday morning but did not go to the track. Sandman won the Arkansas Derby (G1) prior to running in the Kentucky Derby Gosger, the Lexington Stakes (G3) winner, arrived later Tuesday morning. The rest of the field must be on the grounds by Wednesday. Journalism, the 8-5 morning line favorite, is scheduled to arrive later Tuesday along with Goal Oriented, Pay Billy, and Clever Again. Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy, figures to be a heavy betting favorite after running second in the Kentucky Derby and winning the Santa Anita Derby (G1). River Thames, who has not raced for trainer Todd Pletcher since finishing third by a little less than a length in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), is due to be on hand Wednesday morning.