Preakness draw: Female trainer looks to make

If another feminine trainer makes historical past Saturday in the Preakness, no one can say they weren’t warned.

Unlike Golden Tempo, who pulled off a 23-1 shocker to make Cherie DeVaux the first lady to practice a Kentucky Derby winner, Taj Mahal will start at a a lot decrease price for Brittany Russell.

The undefeated and untested son of Nyquist was made the co-second alternative on the morning line when post positions had been drawn Monday afternoon at Laurel Park, the non permanent home of the Preakness while Pimlico — about 30 miles north — is being rebuilt. Laurel Park, situated midway between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., has never hosted the Preakness, which is able to start just after 4 p.m. PDT on NBC.

With Golden Tempo changing into the second straight Kentucky Derby winner and third in the last 5 years to race in the Preakness, there might be just three runners from the Derby — Ocelli (third), Incredibolt (sixth) and Robusta (14th).

Among the full discipline of 14 starters, though, only Taj Mahal can full the “Triple Crown” for ladies trainers, with Russell in search of to observe DeVaux and Jena Antonucci, who captured the Belmont three years in the past with Arcangelo.

“It would sort of feel like probably a fairy tale,” Russell said. “ … It would mean an awful lot.”

Taj Mahal was one of three horses listed at 5-1 on the morning line behind lukewarm 9-2 favourite Iron Honor. He is the only Preakness starter who has raced at Laurel; in fact, he has never run anyplace else, going three for three there, including an 8¼-length triumph last month in the Federico Tesio.

His Beyer Speed Figure that day was 92, just two factors (equal to about a size) behind Ocelli’s quantity in the Kentucky Derby. Chip Honcho, with a 92 for his runner-up effort in the Risen Star in February, is the only other Preakness horse with a Beyer quantity above 90 in a route race.

Taj Mahal was in the same yearling sale as Iron Honor (also a son of Nyquist) in September 2024 at Keeneland and offered for $50,000 more than his rival this week ($525,000 to $475,000). The colt initially was skilled by Bob Baffert but was despatched to Russell last fall when he wasn’t progressing.

“When he first showed up, it took some time for him to come around,” Russell said. “And, honestly, that’s why he was sent my way. If horses aren’t progressing or need a change of scenery, luckily for me it’s kind of become their place [for the owners] to send them.

“… The first time I worked him, did I think he would become a star? No, it took some time, but he developed and he progressed.”

Taj Mahal gained a maiden race Feb. 6, then got here back 15 days later to win a minor stakes race. He had nearly two months between that race and the Tesio on April 18.

Russell’s husband, Sheldon, will journey Taj Mahal, who will break from the rail.

“To be fair, he’s a good gate horse,” Sheldon Russell said. “He broke so sharp last time. If he were to do the same thing again, he’d put me in a great spot. We’ve just got to hold that spot until we get to the bend, but we’ve got a longer run this time. He’s going to have to overcome a few things, but good horses overcome things.”

Iron Honor, who joins Taj Mahal as the most inexperienced horses in the sector with three begins each, gained his first two races, including the Gotham at Aqueduct. But he completed seventh last month in the Wood Memorial, his only attempt around two turns. He might be ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat.

“[He] got bothered in the first turn from a bad post and … just never really relaxed,” said his trainer, Chad Brown, who gained the Preakness in 2017 (Cloud Computing) and 2022 (Early Voting). “We took the blinkers off the horse, gave him a chance to get over that experience and he seems to be in a good place right now, training just the way we want.”

The other horses listed at 5-1 had been Incredibolt, who wasn’t even talked about as a chance for the race until Monday, and Chip Honcho, who completed forward of Golden Tempo in the Risen Star but skipped the Derby after a poor exhibiting in the Louisiana Derby. Ocelli is 6-1, and Napoleon Solo, the only Grade 1 winner in the sector (last yr’s Champagne Stakes), is 8-1.

Incredibolt, skilled by Riley Mott, at least spares the Preakness from not having a single graded-stakes winner in a two-turn race. The son of Bolt d’Oro captured the Grade 3 Street Sense last fall over 1 1/16 miles at Churchill Downs. (He also gained the ungraded Virginia Derby this yr at 1⅛ miles at Colonial Downs.)

Chip Honcho will break from the No. 6 post under Jose Ortiz, who gained the Derby. Ortiz’s brother, Irad Ortiz Jr., who was second in the Derby with Renegade, might be next to him in the No. 5 post aboard Talkin.

Ocelli is the most skilled horse in the race, with seven begins. He’s also the only starter not to have gained a race. No maiden has gained the Preakness in the trendy period, with the last victory coming in 1888. Bodexpress was the last to attempt, in 2019, but he reared leaving the beginning gate and dumped his jockey.