Joe's connections will watch Derby, then make Preakness call
All options remain on the table when it comes to the next start for The Elkstone Group’s multiple stakes-winning Maryland homebred Joe, including the 2022 Preakness Stakes, Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.
The Grade 1, $1.5 million Preakness on May 21 anchors a blockbuster weekend of 16 stakes, 10 graded, worth $3.8 million in purses that begins the previous day with the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) Day program.
Joe, part of trainer Michael Trombetta’s string at Laurel Park, returned to the work tab with a half-mile breeze in 49 seconds over a main track rated good Monday. It was his first piece of work following a gutsy head victory over stablemate Mr Jefferson in the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio Stakes on April 16.
The Tesio serves as a “Win and In” qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 1 3/16-mile Preakness. Because he is not Triple Crown nominated, Joe would have to be supplemented at the time of entry at a cost of $150,000.
“He looks good and he’s training well,” Elkstone’s Stuart Grant said. “He appears to continue to get better, so we’re very happy with that.
“There’s a good chance that you will see us at Pimlico on the third Saturday in May,” he added. “We will have to see what we want to do, but there’s a good chance that we will be running at that track on that day.”
Other stakes for 3-year-olds on Preakness weekend include the $200,000 Chick Lang (G3) sprinting six furlongs and the $100,000 James W. Murphy going one mile on the grass. The $100,000 Sir Barton going 1 1/16 miles is for sophomores that have not won an open sweepstakes.
“We’re very excited. It’s awesome,” Grant said. “We’ve been there before. I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone in the Preakness. I’ve had a few horses in the Black-Eyed Susan and I’ve had a few horses on the undercard on Preakness Day, and it’s a ton of fun. It’s a great day for Maryland racing. It’s a great day for horse racing. It’s a great time to be down there. We also want to win races, so we have to place our horses smartly.”
Part of the decision-making process will be the result of Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, where a full field of 20 was entered this week. Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner Zandon is the narrow 3-1 program favorite over Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Epicenter (7-2), with Santa Anita Derby (G1) runner-up Messier (8-1) the third choice. The remaining 17 horses range from 10-1 to 30-1.
“It will depend on how (Joe) is training. We’ll watch the Derby and we’ll see how those horses are. It looks like a pretty good crop,” Grant said. “If the race goes 1:59 and two and there’s six of them across the track, that’s a little bit tough. If the race went in 2:03, maybe they’re a beatable group.
“But there’s some pretty nice 3-year-old colts this year. There’s not one dominating one, but that’s almost scarier because you never get chased out of a race because there’s one really good horse. You get chased out because there’s half a dozen that can win.”
Maryland’s champion 2-year-old male of 2021, Joe clinched his title with a victory in the Maryland Juvenile in mid-December/ He won his two-turn debut Jan. 23 in an optional claiming allowance at Laurel and was second to Shake Em Loose in the March 19 Private Terms. Named for President Biden, he has been first or second in five straight races, four of them wins, since finishing fifth in a 5½-furlong turf sprint last October in his career debut.
“I guess we’ll see how the Derby goes (and) we’ll see how our horse continues to progress,” Grant said. “It’s a nice position to be in. I’m very happy with how Joe’s done. I’m very appreciative of what Mike has done, and we’ll see where we go.”