Three Chimneys Farm and trainer John Ennis' Great White will attempt to become only the eighth gelding to win the Preakness Stakes (G1) in Saturday's $2 million Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown at Laurel Park.
The last gelding to win the Preakness was Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Funny Cide in 2003, following Prairie Bayou (1993), Holiday (1914), Buskin (1913), Layminster (1910), Don Enrique (1907) and Shirley (1878). Geldings were barred from the Preakness from 1920-1934.
Great White was gelded before he ever ran, not because of any bad temperament or studdish qualities that kept his mind on matters rather than racing. Instead, he was - as his name implies -- just so big.
"He was just getting heavy," Ennis said by phone from Kentucky. "If we kept him a colt, he would have gotten really heavy and thick through his neck. It's hard to keep those horses super sound when they're that heavy. That's the only reason we gelded him. Not because he was a bad horse or acting bad or coltish. No, he was just so big, it was the right thing to do."
The gunmetal gray Great White arrived at Laurel Park about 4 a.m.Wednesday and spent the morning snoozing. Ennis was to arrive Wednesday, with Great White scheduled to train Thursday with FanDuel TV analyst/reporter Andie Biancone aboard.
If Great White should win the Preakness, there will be no second-guessing the decision to eliminate any future breeding career. That's because Three Chimneys stands his sire, Volatile, and owns his dam, the Uncle Mo mare Kelly Bag. The value of both will be greatly enhanced with a Classic win. And as a gelding, Great White could have at least several more years to race and add to those pedigrees.
Great White gets his size from both sides of his family: by big out of big.
"I think it was very smart to geld him, just because he was so big," said Three Chimneys vice chair Doug Cauthen. "Gelding him kept him light and kept him controllable. He's become an athletic, shapely horse. He was kind of that raw, gawky kid as a yearling. He's very tall, but a more athletic horse, which is what Volatile normally does. I think we got a lot of Uncle Mo size and some Unbridled's Song through Volatile size. Volatile gives you a big horse with leg, but this is far and away the largest Volatile I've ever seen."
Raced by Three Chimneys and trained by Steve Asmussen, Volatile won five of six starts with one second in 2019-2020, capped by Saratoga's Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1). He subsequently sustained a hairline fracture while preparing for Belmont Park's Vosburgh (G1). At stud, Volatile's first crop included T O Elvis, the Japanese-based horse that won the Churchill Downs (G1) on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
Kelly Bag went 0-for-4 on the track. However, her mom was Birkin Bag, a Grade 1 winner in her native Brazil, and Birkin Bag's granddam was a Horse of the Year in Brazil.
Great White was bred by Brazilian Gonçalo Borges Torrealba's Stud TNT, while Three Chimneys is owned by Torrealba and his family.
Great White was offered at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton December Digital Selected Sale but, with a top bid of $55,000, fell shy of his reserve.
"John Ennis was one of the people who liked the horse," Cauthen said. "He liked the horse the most. In a digital sale, sometimes people buy them off the video. But he came and saw the horse. We didn't sell him at that moment, but we talked about doing a deal together. Later on, we sent the horse to John and did the deal with John where he owned 50 percent."
Ennis said he liked everything about Great White as a yearling.
"His demeanor, his size, his presence," he said. "He was a big baby then, but you could kind of see the frame and the power he needed to fill. I loved him. It's a gamble when you take a horse like that because they're either going to be really good or no good, being that big. Lucky for me, he's really good."
Sizing up the field, Ennis said, "Look, without being overconfident, I'm not really scared of anyone."
Great White is 15-1 in the morning line for the capacity field of 14 3-year-olds. He has two wins in four starts including the Leonatus over Turfway Park's synthetic surface, earning $202,495 in purses. In his first start on true dirt, he was a well-beaten fifth in the Blue Grass (G1) at Keeneland after finding himself on the early lead.
"I think he has a chance to hit the board," Cauthen said. "You always dream of winning, but he's got to improve. He's got to run with a target. He proved [in the Blue Grass] that he doesn't love the lead, and he's got to 'stay' [the distance]. But nobody thought Ocelli [third at 70-1 odds] had a big shot in the Derby except maybe the trainer and the team. You've got to believe, because nobody else is believing. John's had confidence in the horse, and Gonçalo agreed to give him the freedom to try it out."
The Great White team went through the gamut of emotions Derby Week, from the excitement of drawing into the field off the also-eligible list to being a very late scratch when the gelding reared and flipped behind the starting gate while waiting to be loaded.
"It's just one of those things," Cauthen said. "The main thing is the safety of the horse. Obviously, they did the right thing scratching him, even though he was fine. But you don't really know that until you check him out further. He won't be hooked up to the pony this time. He's a pretty good boy but he's got a lot energy, and he rears. He's done it before. It was an unfortunate circumstance. But, hey, maybe it was meant to be, so he could come fresh to the Preakness."
INCREDIBOLT - After arriving at Laurel Park at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, the rest of the day was one of rest for Pin Oak Stud's Incredibolt, who was a last-minute entry into Saturday's 151st running of the Preakness Stakes (G1).
"He has been doing a lot of sleeping," said Edwin Rivas, Incredibolt's groom, who made the nearly 12-hour van ride from Kentucky with the colt.
Once the pair arrived, Rivas walked Incredibolt in the shedrow of the Preakness Stakes Barn on the Laurel Park backstretch before the horse got some nap time.
Incredibolt, who most recently finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), is trained by 34-year-old Riley Mott. The colt, a son of Bolt d'Oro, has won three of six career starts. This year, he started with a dud in the Holy Bull (G3) at Gulfstream Park, where he finished last, beaten 25 1/4 lengths.
Mott chalked that up to the horse not liking the track surface. He made up for it in his next out, a rousing four-length victory in the Virginia Derby at Colonial on March 15. That led to the solid effort in the Kentucky Derby where Incredibolt and jockey Jaime Torres had a troubled trip in the stretch but kept on and finished just four lengths behind the winner, Golden Tempo.
The idea of having a Triple Crown-worthy horse started a year ago when Incredibolt won the Street Sense (G3) at Churchill Downs in his third start.
"That put the Triple Crown on our radar," Mott said. "Then, we were questioning ourselves after he ran so bad in the Gulfstream race, and then he redeemed himself in the Virginia Derby. That really reaffirmed what we thought about the horse."
Mott is scheduled to be at the Preakness Stakes Barn Thursday morning to oversee the final Preakness preparations for Incredibolt.
The colt and Torres - who has ridden Incredibolt in all six of his starts -- will start from Post 12 in the Preakness. Incredibolt is one of three horses in the race who are priced at 5-1 on the morning line. The others are Taj Mahal and Chip Honcho.
OCELLI - Third-place Kentucky Derby (G1) finisher Ocelli had a routine gallop Wednesday at Laurel Park, where the son of Connect will return in Saturday's 151st Preakness Stakes (G1).
Trainer Whit Beckman said stretch-running Ocelli is acting no differently entering the Preakness than he did heading into the Derby at Churchill Downs, where he took the lead briefly in mid-stretch before finishing close behind Golden Tempo and Renegade at 70-1 odds.
"Looks fantastic," Beckman said. "He trains with the same enthusiasm, the same action, same movement. He's that kind of horse."
Tyler Gaffalione has the return mount for the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.
NAPOLEON SOLO - Two hours after the other runners entered in Saturday's $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) went to the track at Laurel Park for their morning exercise Wednesday, trainer Chad Summers sent his colt, Napoleon Solo out for his routine - er, solo - gallop.
Summers prefers to use a quieter time during training hours to keep his Champagne (G1) winner on his best behavior. With regular exercise rider Emily Ellingwood aboard, Napoleon Solo galloped, then made a visit to the paddock for schooling.
Summers said that Gold Square's Napoleon Solo, who will be ridden from Post 10 by jockey Paco Lopez in the 151st Preakness, has settled in well in the Preakness Stakes Barn.
"He's taken everything in stride," Summers said. "I'm proud of him. He's been in Saratoga and run at Aqueduct and went down to Palm Meadows and ran at Gulfstream. He's been to a few different places, and that part of it doesn't really seem to bother him. He's pretty laid back. [Laurel trainer] Mike Trombetta has been nice enough to let us use his round pen, so that takes some of the steam out of him in the morning time."
Napoleon Solo stamped himself as a 2-year-old to watch with a decisive maiden win at Saratoga and the 6 1/2-length triumph in the one-mile Champagne. He has finished fifth in his two starts in 2026, both around two turns, but is priced at 8-1 on the morning line for the Preakness.
"He's matured a lot from 2 to 3," Summer said. "As a 2-year-old, Emily did a really good job with him, because he was not easy by any stretch the imagination. He would kind of be on his hind legs every morning. He's starting to mature and as he continues to mature, we'll be even happier."
PRETTY BOY MIAH - After his first Triple Crown series runner Pretty Boy Miah exercised and was safely back in his stall Wednesday morning at Laurel Park, trainer Jeremiah Englehart headed to his hotel to sleep until feed time in mid-afternoon. Some rest was overdue.
Englehart had followed form Tuesday, balancing his family and professional responsibilities. When his day-long duties with his business based in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. were finished, Englehart attended his daughters' high school lacrosse games. He said that his older daughter Raelyn's Schuylerville varsity team defeated South Glens Falls and that Anna and her junior varsity teammates lost to Averill Park.
A few hours later, at 12:30 a.m., Engelhart started his long drive south from upstate New York to Maryland and arrived about 40 minutes before the 7:30 a.m. scheduled training time for reserved Preakness Stakes (G1) entrants.
Pretty Boy Miah drew the outside post in the full field of 14 for the Preakness Monday evening and was shipped from Saratoga Springs during the day Tuesday. After he galloped on the track Wednesday morning, Englehart stepped in and helped the groom cool out the gelding.
Englehart said Pretty Boy Miah appeared to be handling the ship and adjusting to the new venue well.
"He did everything great today," Englehart said. "He's very athletic. He's not a big, robust horse, but he gets over the ground very easily. Hopefully, he takes to the track."
In his first run in a graded-stakes, Pretty Boy Miah faces the additional challenge of starting from the far outside. The son of Beau Liam has shown plenty of speed in his four-race career and will be asked by jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. to use it early in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness.
"We're going to be aggressive leaving there," Englehart said. "I imagine I'll talk to Ricardo a little bit more as we get closer and see how the race goes. But, given our post, I think it would be beneficial for us to let him go early on."
Englehart and his wife, Robin, have five children and it is a priority to attend their many school activities and sporting events.
"My parents always did a really good job of making sure that they were present for me," he said. "So I always wanted to make sure that I did the same for my kids. I find that busy is good for me. It keeps me on point."
CRUPPER - Because nothing is in a vacuum, it's hard to say what sparked Preakness Stakes (G1) contender Crupper's improvement during his past three races: Trainer Donnie Von Hemel adding blinkers? Running closer to the pace? Or - coinciding with a 12-point improvement in the Beyer speed figures since his previous best - picking up jockey Junior Alvarardo for Oaklawn Park's April 18 Bathhouse Row? Maybe just maturity?
Regardless, Crupper looked like a different horse in his front-running victory in the 1 1/8-mile Bathhouse Row, for which he earned a lifetime best 80 Beyer speed figure, topping his previous high of 68 two races prior. Crupper's stakes debut marked his second win in three starts, beginning with a maiden victory in his first start with blinkers that was followed by a decent third in an allowance race.
"I think it made him just a little more focused, instead of worrying about some of the other stuff going on," Von Hemel said of the blinkers. "We just have a French cup on him; it's not much blinker, but sometimes little changes like that help you out. I think he just moved forward as a horse."
Von Hemel acknowledges that, to win the Preakness, Crupper most likely will have to make a move forward similar to his stakes victory. "And then, I think we're competitive," he said.
The Kentucky-based trainer does believe certain horses can be impacted by the "bounce" theory - where they show a regression following a really big effort.
"I think there are horses that bounce," Von Hemel said. "I don't think all horses bounce. I think it's more an individual thing." He added with a laugh, "I'm hoping we're just on an upward trend."
Crupper had a walk day Wednesday after arriving at Laurel Park at 4 a.m. from Louisville, Ky.
THE HELL WE DID - Each time he climbs aboard The Hell We Did for his daily exercise, Oscar Rojero comes away more impressed than he did the day before.
That was the case again on Wednesday after The Hell We Did galloped over the Laurel Park track just after 7:30 a.m. Runner-up in the Lexington(G3) in his last start, The Hell We Did is 15-1 on the morning line for Saturday's Preakness Stakes (G1).
"What can I say about the horse? He amazes me every time I take him," said Rojero, trainer Todd Fincher's assistant, said. "When I think he has already given me his best gallop, the next day he amazes me and shows me he can do better than the day before."
Rojero has served as Fincher's assistant for 26 years. He has been in Maryland with The Hell We Did ever since the son of Authentic shipped in April 28.
"This horse is just so smart," Rojero said. "I told my boss that he probably didn't need to bring me to Maryland because the horse does everything by himself, He always knows his routine. Whenever I ask him to go, he'll go. Whatever I ask him to do, he'll do. He doesn't refuse to do anything."
Wednesday, The Hell We Did, owned and bred by Peacock Family Racing Stables LLC, galloped 1 3/4 miles. Rojero said more of the same is scheduled for Thursday.
The Hell We Did has started four times in his career and has two wins and two seconds. The Lexington was his first try in a graded-stakes race.
Jockey Luis Saez, who rode The Hell We Did in the Lexington for the first time, will be on board for the Preakness. They will start from post position seven.
BULL BY THE HORNS - Peachtree Stable and Mark Corrado's Bull by the Horns visited the Laurel Park racetrack Wednesday for the 7:30 a.m. training session reserved for entrants in Saturday's 151st Preakness Stakes (G1) and Friday's 102nd George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan (G2).
The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained gray son of Essential Quality galloped once around the Laurel oval under exercise rider Luis Hernandez in preparation for a start in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.
"He looked around a little bit, which is to be expected, but he looked confident and happy," assistant trainer Rasharn Rochester said. "I'm happy with the way he looked."
Joseph, who saddled Bull by the Horns for a late-rallying victory in the 1 1/16-mile Rushaway over Turfway Park's all-weather surface last time out, is expected to be on hand during training hours Thursday morning.
Bull by the Horns will be ridden by Micah Husbands.
ROBUSTA - One of the longest prices on the morning line for Saturday's 151st running of the Preakness Stakes (G1) got into town late Tuesday night. Wednesday morning, Robusta wasn't wasting any time.
At 7:45 a.m., he was on the track at Laurel Park with the most of the other Preakness horses for morning exercise.
Owned and bred by Calumet Farm, Robusta galloped 1 1/4 miles.
"He was ready to go," said Sabas Rivera, assistant to trainer Doug O'Neill. "He is acting like a horse with a lot of energy. He is doing good, looking good, eating good. We will see what happens [Saturday]."
Robusta took a 10-hour van ride from Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., where he had been training since finishing 14th in the Kentucky Derby (G1) May 2. He was 70.01-1 in the Derby, sent to the gate as the second longest odds for the Run for the Roses.
Robusta was assigned 30-1 odds on the morning line for the Preakness..
While Robusta was taking a van ride, Rivera flew to Maryland from California, where he met the horse.
"I am probably more tired than he is," Rivera said with a laugh.
Robusta has just one win in six career starts, a maiden score Jan. 9. The Preakness will be his sixth start this year.
Rivera said Robusta will either gallop or jog at Laurel on Thursday morning.
Robusta will start from Post 4 and will be ridden by Rafael Bejarano Saturday.
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