Concert Tour aims for bounce-back effort in Preakness

After setting a record for Kentucky Derby wins by a trainer last Saturday, Hall of Fame conditioner Bob Baffert will attempt to do the same in the May 15 Preakness Stakes when he saddles Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit and Concert Tour in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Baffert – who surpassed Ben Jones with his seventh Kentucky Derby win – also has seven wins in the Preakness, which ties him with R. Wyndham Walden for most Preakness wins by a trainer. Walden’s victories all came between 1875 and 1888. Although Baffert is a perfect 5-for-5 with Derby winners on two-weeks rest in the Preakness, the decision to also run Concert Tour at Pimlico came after consultation with owner Gary West.

Concert Tour was among the future-book favorites for the Derby after reeling off three straight wins to start his career, including the San Vicente (G2) at Santa Anita in early February and Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn five weeks later. But after a head-scratching third-place effort in the April 10 Arkansas Derby (G1), it was decided Concert Tour would not run in the Derby. According to Baffert, the choice was made by West.

“I’ve never had an owner who had a nice horse talk me out of running in the Kentucky Derby,” Baffert said with a laugh during a Thursday teleconference hosted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. “We talked about it, and I really respect Gary West. He’s been in the business forever and he said let’s give the horse a couple weeks and maybe run him in the Preakness if he is doing well.”

After Concert Tour worked five furlongs in 1:00.6 on Sunday at Churchill Downs, Baffert proclaimed Concert Tour a “go” for next Saturday’s Preakness.

“Coming off that (Arkansas Derby), we just didn’t like it,” Baffert said. “We looked at the pros and cons of it all, and at the end of the day, (West) wanted a good horse for the rest of the year. That’s why we didn’t run. But I kept working him like we were going to the Preakness. When he breezed the day after the Derby, he went like a good horse.”

In the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby, Concert Tour pressed pacesetter Caddo River and poked a head in front of that rival to lead the field at the eighth-pole. But the son of Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense faltered in the final 660 feet and was overtaken by winner Super Stock and again by Caddo River to finish nearly three lengths back.

“It was a very deflating race for us,” Baffert said. “We really thought we had the goods there, but for some reason he came up short and Gary didn’t feel comfortable running him right back three weeks later in the Derby.

“Then after his last work, Gary asked, 'is he doing good enough to run in the Preakness?' I said yes. We’ll run in it and see if he’s as good as we think he is," Baffert continued. "Or maybe he’s not as good as we think he is.”

In the Preakness, Concert Tour will be ridden for the first time by Mike Smith. The Hall of Fame jockey finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby aboard Midnight Bourbon, who also is slated to run in the Preakness for trainer Steve Asmussen.

“We’ll give him a chance,” Baffert said of Concert Tour. “I still think he’s a good horse.”