Par-tay
11 a.m.
The Alibi Breakfast is underway. A Preakness tradition, the Maryland Jockey Club offers a big spread of breakfast delights, plenty of juice and coffee, and a Black-Eyed Susan, if you’re so inclined.
It’s a chance for trainers and owners to offer up an “alibi” for the race. None do this year. In fact, most are more than candid.
After being goaded by host Chris Lincoln, trainer Rick Dutrow concedes and gives a “go to the windows” statement about Big Brown. The Derby winner is the 1-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday’s Preakness.
Others concede to Big Brown.
“We all have the same horse to beat,” said trainer Eddie Plesa Jr., who conditions Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) winner Hey Byrn.
“It’s Big Brown’s party, but we’re happy to be here,” says Yankee Bravo’s trainer, Paddy Gallagher. –E.H.
Setting the Table
8:50 a.m.
The apron area at Pimlico fills with portable seats for the Preakness;
good viewing areas are at a premium
Clockwork
8:30 a.m.
Right on time, Big Brown exits the stakes barn to head to the track for a morning gallop. He’s met by a few hundred of his closest friend and admirers, the media. Exercise rider Michelle Nevin guides the big fella to take a sharp left and head out over the “Preakness” path to the track.
There are two wood-chipped pathways to the track from the stakes barn. The “Preakness path goes around another barn and meanders around along the back fence of the Pimlico property. It’s the long way around. Big Brown and Nevin are in no hurry.
Out the track, they take two laps around the dirt track at a nice, easy gait. Trainer Rick Dutrow and IEAH Stables principal Michael Iavarone look on. Later, Dutrow would say “Big Brown is not the kind of horse that takes your breath away in the morning.” We’re not so sure. He looks pretty good on this morning.
Back at the barn, a good section of the grassy area behind the stakes barn is roped off with yellow caution tape. Big Brown has a wide area in which to receive his morning bath.
Dutrow later takes to a podium to answer few questions.
He’s asked how great it is to have a horse like Big Brown?
“Any trainer in the world would love to be training Big Brown,” he says. “I’m in a special spot. It’s so interesting. He’s such a cool horse. I love it. You dream about it (having a horse like this).
“The first time I got excited about him was when he was at the quarter pole the first time that we ran him. It just took my breath away. I never imagined he could run like that.”
How will the colt take to the crowd in Baltimore?
“Big Brown is laid back,” Dutrow says. “He doesn’t get excited. It’s a good thing in front of a big crowd. When we put the bridle on him for the Derby, I wanted to take his temperature…I thought he was sick. He didn’t even care that we were going over there. It meant nothing to him at all.”
What’s up between now and the Preakness?
“I’m just wasting my time,” he says. “I just can’t wait to get over there for Saturday. There’s nothing that I’m going to do in the mean time to get me excited.” - E.H.
Where's Waldo? The Derby winner is in there somewhere...
Draw This One Up
Wednesday Evening
The post position draw for the Preakness Stakes is nothing like the draw for the Kentucky Derby: it’s just a good, old-fashion draw…with a little mustard on it.
Like the Derby, the event takes place in front of the national television cameras of ESPN2 and it takes place in a downtown setting. However, the connections don’t get to choose their starting gate spot, and the event takes place behind closed doors at the ESPN Zone restaurant.
The show runs an hour, which is long time to pull out 13 post positions. Derby winner and 1-2 morning line favorite Big Brown draws post seven…not too inside, not too outside…just right. With a long run to the first turn at Pimlico, and a 13-horse field, one can’t complain about any of the posts.
After the draw, the connections on hand are encouraged to come over to another room and address the media. Brightly dressed young girls hold signs of the runners where the connections are supposed to stand. Some draw plenty of attention, some are by themselves because none of the connections are there.
Cameras flock to Reade Baker, trainer of Kentucky Bear, and his wife, Janice. Terry Finley, who operates West Point Thoroughbreds – they have Derby Trial winner Macho Again breaking from the rail in the field, conducts some interviews.
Macho Again’s trainer, Dallas Stewart, pulled a good move earlier in the day, vanning his colt from Louisville to Lexington to hop an earlier flight to Baltimore, along with Preakness runners Gayego and Yankee Bravo. The plane then flew back to Kentucky, this time Louisville, to pick up another crew of runners including Big Brown. The flight was late departing the Derby city.
“Sometimes planes can get backed up and we took a calculated risk,” Finley said of the early move. “We didn’t want to get here after feed time. It saved us about four hours and now he’s settled in. We’re going after every edge we can.”
The majority of cameras zoom in on Michael Iavarone, the principal behind IEAH Stables, the majority owner of Big Brown.
After most of the sound bites have been said, Iavarone drops a bombshell on the industry by stating the chances of Big Brown racing as a 4-year-old are “none,” and if he doesn’t win the Preakness, the colt will likely to skip the Belmont. -E.H.
