Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert notified Pimlico racecourse officials to the Wood Memorial Stakes, which Resort World Casino winner Rodriguez presented on May 17th in the $2 million Preakness Stakes.
Goal-oriented debuted on April 6 at Santa Anita Park with a special way race from the 6-furlong maiden, off-pace, 3 1/4 length victory. This time, my son returned at Churchill Downs on May 3rd. There, they registered a three-quarter-long victory on the frontline in the 1 1/16 mile allowance option claiming race.
Goal Orientation, Keeneland September 2023 purchase of $425,000 for the year-round sale, is owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stone Street Stables, Diane Masterson, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital and Katherine Donovan campaigning Rodriguez.
Rodriguez and goal orientation galloped at Churchill Downs Thursday morning.
Buffart is about to extend the record for eight Preakness wins, saying Rodriguez will work this weekend and will ship to Pimlico on May 12th.
Tom Ryan, head of science fiction racing, was off to watch the Colts train. He was asked who Rodriguez was.
“Rodriguez was named after a lot of things. His groom is Mr. Rodriguez,” he said of his real son. “He was named after (singer-songwriter) Sixto Rodriguez. When you watch the film, you know where the name comes from.”
So, isn’t the name of A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez?
“If you want it, that’s possible,” Ryan said. “Every Rodriguez should feel part of the family.”
With the deadline for a comfortable decision a few days later, Journalism, the second game in the May 3rd Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, remains a candidate for the 150th Preakness Stakes.
Sent as a 7-2 favorite in the Derby, journalism went on a troubled trip early and surged into the lead coming out of the second turn. He went 1 1/2 length of sovereignty following a thriving battle between the two colts of stretches. Carlin’s son, Journalism, is owned by the partnership of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Albert Stable, Robert Trapenta, Elaine Stable 5, and Coolmore Partners of Colt, Susan Magnier, Michaelta Ball and Delic Miss.
Journalism, trained by Michael McCarthy, remains in Churchill Downs. McCarthy staff said he came out of the race. He returned to the truck Wednesday and was sent out for daily exercise on Thursday morning.
“We are not in a hurry to any resolution right now. We are going to keep playing,” says Aron Wellman, president and founder of Eclipse. “This is an important American classic that holds extreme prestige, whether or not the line has a triple crown. We intend to monitor journalism to the fullest and make the best decisions for the horse at the end of the day.
Wellman pointed out that success at Preakness has helped lift the horse into the championship for decades.
“I think this is a classic caliber colt,” Wellman said. “We’re back 18 years ago, but that’s not exactly ancient history, but his bull was definitely a third in the Kentucky Derby and came back two weeks later to beat Street Sense in Preakness. He then ran very well at the table and ended up winning the Breeders Cup Classic and was named the horse of the year.
“Obviously, they’re very big shoes. But journalism comes from Carlin, and history has an interesting way of repeating itself,” he added. “We certainly don’t close our minds with the possibility that he could do that. We have the highest respect we can imagine him. We only take the next handful of days where we can really appreciate the best benefits of a horse, with the luxury we can do on Monday before the entry.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqrdjmmh1aa
The winner of Keeneland’s Stonestreet Lexington Stakes, Gosger is on the course to get his next start at Preakness Stakes. Brendan Walsh has added a standard trainer qualifier to run the Colt, while Jockey Lewis Saize line up to ride the Gosgar with a gem in the middle of the triple crown.
Saez will become Gosger’s fourth jockey with four career starts. After his first seconds at Gulfstream Park, Gosgar won a one-mile maiden race at the Florida track and won his two-turn debut at Lexington, 1 1/16 miles.
The Sars, who won the Belmont Stakes twice, are looking for his first Preakness victory. He finished second in the Bravazo in the Half Lengths in 2018, after Kentucky Derby winner Justify. Gosgar will become Walsh’s first Preakness Starter.
Walsh said Keeneland-based Nyquist Colt could work on May 9th, but it is likely to work on May 10th given the rain forecast. Owned by breeder Harvey A. Clarke Racing Stables, Gosger worked for five furlongs in the company on May 1st.
“He worked with him and it worked really well,” Walsh said. “I was there (in Keeneland) this week. He looks like he’s doing good training. He looks good physically. He doesn’t give me much reason not to go.
“Obviously, the winner of the Derby won’t go. The third horse (Baeza) won’t go,” he added. “If there’s a realistic chance that the horse is in the first three, we have to take a shot.”
Virginia Derby winner American Promise, who finished 16th in the Kentucky Derby, returned to the Churchill Downs track on Thursday to jog two miles.
BC Stables’ American promises are heading towards Preakness after a problematic trip contributed to the finish in the Kentucky Derby. Trainer D. Wayne Lucas said Justify Colt came out of the Derby in a clean form and was ready for a 1 3/16 mile preakness. The Derby was his fourth start in 2025, but he was the first since winning the Virginia Derby on March 15th.
“I might not do anything,” Lucas said. “I’m going for the rest of the week with light workouts and we’re probably going to show up there (in Pimlico) on Monday.
Starting with the Codex victory over the real risk of the 1980 Derby winner, the 89-year-old Lucas won seven Preaknesses. Codex was one of Lucas’ three Preakness winners who participated in the race after the victory. He won the Hollywood Derby. Following his score in the Derby, he first finished with Pimlico in 1999. A victory in the Put Day Mile Stakes on the Kentucky Derby undercard took away his grey preparations for his Preakness victory last year.
If America’s promises win Preakness, Lucas will be the first trainer to saddle a back-to-back winner since Bob Baffert in 2001-02 with the symbol of points and war. Lukas is one of six trainers who have achieved Preakness in consecutive years. Other: Buffert, twice. Tom Bohannan, Horace “Jimmy” Jones, Thomas Healy, R. Wyndham Walden. Bohannan is the only person not in the Hall of Fame.
Baffert’s first double appeared in Silver Charm in 1997 and Real Cieting in 1998. Lucas won Preakness with the Tabasco Cat in 1994 and Timber Country in 1995. This followed Bohannan’s successive victory in 1992 at Pine Bluff and in 1947 successive victory over Prairie Bayou.
Rktn Racing’s Pay Billy blew half a mile away on Thursday at Delaware Park with a final adjustment to Preakness.
It was the second training session for the son of a multi-millionaire son who has won four Grade 1 awards since automatically anchored at the Triple Crown Middle Jewel for a victory at the Federico Tesio Stakes in Laurel Park on April 19th.
“He went well,” said trainer Mike Gorham.
Raul Mena, a regular rider who will be joining Preakness, was on the way to training, ranked 10th out of 34 training sessions far away in Delaware.
“We just wanted him to finish strong and get strong. We’re always looking for it, especially on horses of distance. Raul was happy. Today’s track was a little slower than before, but it was in good shape,” Gorham said. “He’s back to the food stall, he’s happy and he’s ready for lunch. Everything is good.”
Gorham said it is likely that Pay Billy will build an hour-long ship from Delaware to Pimlico on May 13th. The trainer brings in a $30,000 full moon cash for the $300,000 George E. Mitchell Black Eyed Susan Stakes and bets the 3-year-old Colt Chipotle in the $150,000 Cittaran Stakes in the luxurious stakes.
Winchel Thoroughbred, Susan Maggie, Michaelta Ball and Delicious Miss jogged at Churchill Downs Thursday morning after a holiday after workout. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said he was in the smart school again on Friday. He is scheduled for half a mile wind on May 12th before shipping to Pimlico on Tuesday.
Winster Farm, Choxey, Pantofelstable and Wattelstable, which finished second in the Kentucky Derby winner Soverey on March 1st, will be second in the Cool More Yass of Youth Stakes Fountain in Gulfstream, and is scheduled for May 10th to begin Preakness.
