Brown Points Iron Honor to Preakness Instead of Derby

Gotham Stakes (G3) winner and beaten Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) favorite Iron Honor will bypass the Kentucky Derby (G1) in favor of the Preakness Stakes (G1)—as long as no major defections from the Derby field occur prior to entries April 25—trainer Chad Brown said April 21 at Churchill Downs. "He's going to go to the Preakness. The only thing is if something weird changes in the (Derby) field and there's a bunch of defections or something crazy, then I'll take a look at it," Brown said. "I'm going to work him in New York Saturday. I can get him down here in time if I need to, but right now I'd rather go to the Preakness with the horse." Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks (G1) runners are required to be on Churchill Downs property at 11 a.m. ET Saturday. Brown said the decision came down to timing and wanting to make some changes with the horse. After the son of Nyquist was bumped early in the Wood Memorial, jockey Manny Franco reported to Brown that he got aggressive and was pulling hard, attempting to run off down the backstretch. The fight eventually tired him out and Iron Honor finished seventh. In an attempt to solve that aggression, Brown worked the colt, who is owned by St. Elias Stable, William Lawrence, and Glassman Racing, without blinkers April 18 at Belmont Park, saying he worked "excellent" without them when breezing 4 furlongs in :49. Furthermore, the time of six weeks between the April 4 Wood and the May 16 Preakness, held at Laurel Park this year as Pimlico Race Course undergoes renovations, is something Brown sees as a positive. Both of Brown's Preakness winners, Cloud Computing in 2017 and Early Voting in 2022, followed the same trajectory. "I like the six weeks rest for him. He's coming off a disappointing finish and a tough, tough trip," Brown said. "Both Preakness winners I had were out of the Wood, both of them got beat in the Wood, and they had that six weeks' rest and I was able to get them there really ready for a top effort, that's what I'll try to do with this horse." Brown also announced April 18 that Ottinho, runner-up in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), would also skip the Derby and point for either the Preakness or Peter Pan Stakes (G3) May 9 at Aqueduct Racetrack. Brown has moved Ottinho from Keeneland to Churchill Downs so he can see the horse train with his own eyes throughout the week to help make the decision. READ: Ottinho to Bypass Kentucky Derby Brown will still be represented in the Kentucky Derby by Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Emerging Market, who trained over the Churchill Downs track for the first time Tuesday morning. An admirer of the sport's history, Brown holds a lot of value in running in the Preakness and looks forward to having an opportunity to win it a third time. "There's a lot of history around the race," Brown said. "If you're lucky enough to win that race, it's also quite an honor—one of the oldest trophies in sports, the Woodlawn Vase. It's quite an honor when you do get to hold that." Chip Honcho Draws In, Still on Fence to Run in Derby The withdrawal of Iron Honor allows Leland Ackerley Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe, and John Cilia's Chip Honcho to draw into the field. The son of Connect exits a disappointing fifth in the March 21 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. Earlier in the season at Fair Grounds, he won the Gun Runner Stakes before finishing fourth in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) and second in the Risen Star Stakes (G2). That Louisiana Derby run, which Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen called a "step backwards," has left Chip Honcho's participation in the Derby up in the air even if he drew into the field. However, Asmussen said the colt has been training "really impressively" in the mornings. Ultimately, the decision will come down to entry day Saturday when Chip Honcho is scheduled to make his final work. "I think we've timed it where we plan on working him Saturday morning, which is entry morning," Asmussen said outside his Churchill Downs barn Tuesday morning about an hour before news of Iron Honor's defection. "I think we need all the information that we could possibly have. I think the last Derbies have shown us there are a lot of surprise deletions late, but we will obviously wait to make a final decision after his last work." Asmussen went on to say that Chip Honcho's size and demeanor give him confidence that "there's more in him." Next up on the bubble of horses waiting to get into the Derby field, in order of preference, are Intrepido, Litmus Test, Great White, and Ocelli. An updated list of horses in contention sent to the media by Churchill Downs Tuesday removed Champagne Stakes (G1) winner Napoleon Solo, who would have ranked 24th currently, from consideration. No horses are listed under consideration by Churchill Downs after 24th-ranked Ocelli. Although only 20 can run in the Derby, 24 can enter with the outside four being listed as also-eligibles; drawing into the field if any scratches occur between entries April 25 and the morning of May 1 when betting opens. Rich Strike drew in off the AE list in 2022 to win the Kentucky Derby and Baeza drew in to run third in 2025.