Brad Cox trainee Militant leads Preakness prep at Oaklawn

Lightly raced Militant is the 5-2 program favorite for the Bathhouse Row, which will award the winner automatic entry into the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, May 18 at Pimlico.

A homebred for Gary and Mary West, Militant exits a one-length maiden allowance race victory at 1 1/16 miles March 30 at Oaklawn. In his only other start, Militant, a son of Quality Road, finished an even third while racing for a $125,000 claiming tag March 7 at Oaklawn. That race was one mile.

“Nice horse,” trainer Brad Cox said. “Throwing a lot at him in a short period of time, but I do think he’ll like the mile and an eighth. He should off pedigree and based off his last run. Looks like a horse that should like the distance. Good colt. Had a good winter there at Oaklawn. Just the two runs, but they were positive races.”

Militant (5-2) is scheduled to break from post no. 5 under Florent Geroux and carry 118 pounds. Cox won the Bathhouse Row in 2021 and 2022 and finished second and third last year. He also finished second in its inaugural edition in 2019, when it was called the Oaklawn Invitational.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen is also bidding for his third victory in the race after winning in 2019 with Laughing Fox and again last year with Red Route One. Asmussen’s entrants, Informed Patriot and Imperial Gun, finished fifth and seventh, respectively, in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) on March 30.

Brilliant Man, Maximus Magic, Gould’s Gold, Willy D’s and Count Dracula complete the eight-horse Bathhouse Row field.

Maximus Magic exits a front-running neck victory over Count Dracula in a one-mile allowance race March 28 at Oaklawn for trainer Norman McKnight. Willy D’s finished sixth in the race, beaten 3 1/2 lengths, for co-owner and trainer Greg Compton.