Firing Line ‘Fit and Fresh’ for Preakness 2015

Trainer Simon Callaghan returned to Southern California to tend to his Santa Anita-based stable shortly after he saddled Firing Line for a gutsy second-place finish behind American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby.

The 32-year-old trainer left Arnold Zetcher’s 3-year-old colt in the capable and trusted hands of assistant trainer Carlos Santamaria and exercise rider Humberto Gomez at Churchill Downs to prepare for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes.

All of the updates on Firing Line’s training have been positive, said Callaghan prior to leaving California to reunite with his Sunland Park Derby (G3) winner at Pimlico Wednesday afternoon.

“Carlos and Humberto have been happy with the way the horse has been training. Everything seems to have gone perfectly between the Derby and now,” Callaghan said. “He seems to have really good energy. He’s seems very happy. He’s showing all the signs you want to see going into a big race.”

Based on his staff’s reports, Callaghan designed Firing Line’s training program for the Preakness. While none of the four Derby starters scheduled to run Saturday will have had workouts prior to running in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown,  Firing Line was allowed to open gallop while finishing up his morning trips around the Churchill oval Sunday and Monday.

“We didn’t want to breeze him between the two races. He’s feeling really good and has had lots of energy, so we decided to give him slightly more open gallops just to keep him calm, so he’s not too fresh with not doing any breezes in two weeks,” Callaghan said. “The horse is really fit and fresh going into a big race.”

Firing Line walked Wednesday morning before being vanned to the Louisville airport.

Source: Maryland Jockey Club