Preakness Report, 5/19
Photos and Text by Emily Hufford

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High Limit Gallops at Pimlico

Giacomo	It had been a full year since I was last at Pimlico, but Maryland-regular and Turf Angels Staff Member Amanda Saunders, the "Deputy Angel" Laura Ferguson, and I trekked out to Pimlico Racecourse for a morning of Preakness contender action. Many non-Preakness stars were on the track, such as the Lane's End horses Private Gift and Alumni Hall; the Phipps Good Reward; and Nick Zito's Pinpoint, Indy Storm, and Go Now. The atmosphere is not as intense as the Kentucky Derby, and most of the reporters are real horse people, and cover racing on a regular basis, which can't be said for the first leg of the Triple Crown.
Since beginning to write this, I have discovered that my fantastic set of photos that I was so thrilled with are really not that good. At all. Ooops... I am still learning this camera, because it is not mine! The first horse we spotted on the track was Afleet Alex, who went out right at 6 am. High Fly was also on the track then, and they were soon followed by Hal's Image and Greeley's Galaxy. Hal's Image is a horse that you have to be impressed with. He is physically imposing and quite flashy. I don't think he quite "fits" here, but I do like him a lot from a "pretty pony" perspective. High Fly is one horse that has made tremendous improvement recently. I love the way he has worked out of a choppy gallop that I hated and he is looking fabulous.	Afleet Alex on the Track
High Fly Gallops	High Fly
Hal's Image	Greeley's Galaxy
Sun King	Soon after, Sun King and Noble Causeway followed. Sun King is looking mighty impressive out there. Going Wild appeared, led by D. Wayne Lukas, his trainer, on a pony, and he has been quite a handful since arriving at Pimlico. Going Wild and Hal's Image had baths at the same time, quite near each other, and Hal's Image stood and looked while Going Wild threw his head about. Sun King, in customary Nick Zito fashion, had several different people assist in his bath. Trainer Craig Dollase was still debating what to do with his horse, Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Wilko, when Giacomo took to the track at 7:45. Closing Argument was already on the track, feeling a tad on the frisky side and eyeing the crowd suspiciously.
Sun King Bathing	Noble Causeway

"Team Giacomo"

Closing Argument

Team Giacomo was in good spirits all morning, kindly answering questions from media and fans and the big horse himself took to the track nicely, according to exercise rider Frankie Herrarte. After the morning ended, the gray Derby winner got his regular carrot and apple juice, which he gets several times a day, and drinks with thrilled abandon. Dollase finally made the decision to jog Wilko, and put Giacomo's exercise rider on him for the morning. John Shirreffs agreed to this move, so Herrarte is in the position of knowing who took to Pimlico better. When asked he smiled and said, "Bet where your heart is."

Going Wild

Frank Leal

Tim Ritchey and Chuck Zackney of Afleet Alex fame	We spent the rest of the morning with Jose Cuervas, Bobby Frankel's assistant, checking on Badge of Silver and High Limit, who went to the track in blinkers today. Also in that area is Runway Model and Hot Storm, two three-year-old fillies. Friday is the Pimlico Special and the Black Eyed Susan. Look for another update tomorrow!
Wilko Gets a Bath

Badge of Silver

Hot Storm

Wilko

Pimlico: An Experience by Laura Ferguson Pimlico is a blue-collar track, vaguely reminiscent of Churchill Downs, but lacking the soaring spires to lift it up into the real of something special. And yet the sky was crisp and clear, a breathtaking shade of blue as the sun danced down over the early morning shadows. I always forget that the sun rises so much earlier here, at this, the other end of the time-zone. So, the early works were clearly visible to the throng of reporters gathered at the end of the final turn, watching the horses galloping by. The sun wasn’t at the best angle, photographers needed to shoot the horse anywhere but straight in front of them. There was one comment that the tracks needed to take the sun into consideration when building them, but venerable Pimlico was built well before photography had become popular.

The stakes horses, for the most part, are stabled conveniently in a handful of barns right near the track and the grandstand; the rest are on the backstretch like most tracks. Greeley’s Galaxy is stabled next to Hal’s Image and Scrappy T. Just like that, all in a row. Giacomo is in the traditional Stall 40. Malibu Moonshine is still at Laurel – we took a brief side trip to that track, where the turf course is under construction, and we had arrived late enough in the day that wandering the shedrow looking for a single horse no longer seemed like that exciting an idea. Bobby Frankel, as usual, has his horses stabled in Barn A, slightly away from the stakes barn. We were able to go there, where the farrier was checking High Limit’s and Badge of Silver’s shoes, and we were able to check out High Limit, who was standing sleepily in the stall, but not so sleepy that he didn’t demand attention, wanting his soft, velvety muzzle scratched. Badge of Silver was more interested in challenging the horses walking the shedrow.

On the track, most of the horses were there Thursday. Many had arrived the day before and were stretching their legs. Others wanted to get in their final gallops before the threat of the rains that were originally scheduled to arrive later that day. High Fly looked more comfortable on the track than he had at any point at Churchill, and looks like a horse on the rise. Private Gift, who looked amazingly like her half-sibling, Alumni Hall, moved well, and may be a filly to watch over a sloppy track (in fact, the one worker had told us she was Alumni Hall, only to be corrected later by Neil Howard himself). Zito appears to have the market cornered on solid bay horses: Pinpoint was full of himself and galloped out extremely well; Indy Storm was yet another lookalike. The two Phipps stakes horses both took a liking to the track, as did With Distinction.
Giacomo arrived on the track and stood, looking around as the cameras snapped in rapid fire. He went extremely easily over the surface, and his connections were pleased with the effort. Craig Dollase went out to the surface, inspected it, and then borrowed Giacomo’s exercise rider to take his colt out for a quick trip over the track. The small colt appears to have recovered well from his Derby exertions. All of the Preakness runners looked good physically, which helped to ease some steadily increasing concerns about the Churchill shippers, where three horses have died of equine herpes, and another is gravely ill. This outbreak had already dashed any chance of Summerly or Second of June appearing in the Black-Eyed Susan and Pimlico Special.

The regular Pimlico horses were also out there working, and provided some memorable moments. One exercise rider stood in the stirrups the entire time – my ankles hurt just watching him. But, the horses never stumbled, and around and around they went, him standing the whole way. Another rider would sing to his horses – we clearly heard “I only have eyes for you” being sung, pretty well, I might add, as one horse galloped by. Two other riders hit the track, one noting that she had only ridden chestnuts today, to which the other replied, “Only chestnuts? Redheads are trouble!”

One of the benefits of all the horses being in the stakes barn is that all the baths are taken there as well. Ringing the stakes barn is a small woodchip path, where all the horses go to bathe. Wilko was particularly sudsy and played with his lead shank, while Giacomo threatened to kick the mob of reporters. All the horses are used to the press by this point, and were unfazed by the added attention. Back at the stall, a farrier worked on Scrappy T for quite a while. Definitely an interesting morning, and while rain clouds are ahead, for now optimism reigns with all of the contenders.