15 Horses Targeting Preakness

Pimlico officials reported May 9 there was a possiblility that the 14-horse field for the May 15 Preakness (gr. I) would be oversubscribed because the connections of 15 3-year-olds are considering entering their runners in the second leg of the Triple Crown.  If all 15 are entered May 12, First Dude would be the horse excluded from the field.

The starters will be determined in a three-tier process. The first seven horses with the highest lifetime earnings in graded stakes will be given preference. The next four starters will be determined by the highest lifetime earnings in all “non-restricted stakes,” which means those stakes whose conditions contain no restrictions other than age or sex. The remaining three starters will be determined by the highest lifetime earnings in all races.