'How about that?' Wests' Miss Preakness runner is Fighting Mad

Though a coincidence, the name of owners Gary and Mary West’s entrant in Friday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Adena Springs Miss Preakness has proven prophetic.

The 3-year-old filly Fighting Mad carries a 2-for-2 record into the six-furlong Miss Preakness, the second win coming at Churchill Downs on the Tuesday of Kentucky Derby Week. Four days later, the Wests’ Jason Servis-trained Florida Derby (G1) winner Maximum Security finished first in the Kentucky Derby, only to be disqualified to 17th for interference.

The Wests now have a high-profile lawsuit in federal court seeking to reinstate Maximum Security as the 145th Kentucky Derby winner. Like Maximum Security, the Bob Baffert-trained Fighting Mad is a homebred and by New Year’s Day, with whom the Wests won the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. New Year’s Day, who had trouble attracting mares as a stallion, was sold this year to Brazil.

“How about that? Baffert said with a laugh of Fighting Mad. “That’s an omen right there. Fighting Mad. They named that one right.”

Baffert was especially pleased with Fighting Mad’s allowance victory given that she broke slowly from Post 1.

“She got left and still came back and ran in 1:09 and change,” he said. “She came out of the race really well. But there are some tough races on the undercard. I was hoping there would be like five, six horses. A lot of full fields.”

Baffert also has the program favorite for the Preakness Stakes in Improbable.