Preakness 2018 news: 'No pressure' on Quip, even with rail draw

Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner Quip galloped a mile Friday morning at Pimlico Race Course under trainer Rodolphe Brisset in his final major piece of training toward the 2018 Preakness Stakes.

“One more day. He’ll walk this afternoon and walk tomorrow morning,” Brisset said. “It’s a waiting game after that.”

Quip, who is owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing, was rated third at 12-1 after drawing Post 1 Wednesday. Although the rail post is often regarded as a disadvantage, Brisset is confident that jockey Florent Geroux will work out a good trip.

“Quip can do whatever – that’s why I’ve been saying the draw doesn’t matter to us. From the ‘1,’ people think we have to go, but we don’t,” the 34-year-old trainer said. “I’m going to let Florent see how we break and see how the other horses break.

“It takes all the pressure off when you know you have a good gate horse,” Brisset added “He broke his maiden from the ‘1’ hole. He’s got enough tactical speed to be right up there. We’ll see what happens. The main thing for me is to make sure the saddling goes all right in the paddock. He schooled perfect yesterday. We are lucky enough that the paddock at Oaklawn is pretty much the same as here. We schooled twice at Oaklawn and he ran very good there.”

Brisset was a jockey in his native France before a battle with weight forced his retirement after the 2002 season. He subsequently became the agent for his friend and world-class jockey, Christophe Soumillon, for a year.

“I did it more to help Christophe. He’s one of the best in the world. The fact he asked me helped me, too. It was difficult enough to quit riding. Riding races is a different thing. I needed to find my way and see what I wanted to do,” Brisset said. “The fact that I did that for a year was a good experience.”

Brisset moved on to work for trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre in France before venturing to the U.S. to join trainer Patrick Biancone in 2005 and going on to work for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott in 2007.

“One thing I realize after one year on my own is how many habits I took from [Mott],” Brisset said. “I’m far from him, but I’m going to try to keep his ways, that’s for sure.”

Amoss: Justify, Good Magic Make Lone Sailor’s Task Formidable

G M B Racing’s Lone Sailor, eighth in the Kentucky Derby after finishing second by a neck in the Louisiana Derby (G2), jogged to the starting gate, where he stood and backed out before jogging home to complete a mile circuit Friday under exercise rider Maurice Sanchez.

“The job is done,” Amoss said. “We’ve got one day to the race. Today was simply practicing in the starting gate to make sure he was calm and cool to make sure when the gates do open that he’s standing correctly. It’s very common for horses to go to the starting gate the day before they run. A very easy day. The big work is tomorrow.

“I think it’s important to note that both Good Magic and Justify looked really good on the track. I’m in the barn with them now, I can see them up close. I can see them gallop. They look really good. I’d say that for the rest of us, our task is formidable,” he added. “Look, those horses were dominant in the Derby over the rest of the field, and the Preakness typically plays toward how the Derby plays. The fact that Justify is the heavy favorite and Good Magic is the second choice makes plenty of sense. To turn the tables on those horses, we have to get into position to run a better race and avoid traffic to hopefully be a part of that finish.”

Amoss has spent considerable time as a racing analyst for the TVG cable network and more recently for the New York Racing Association’s Saratoga Live simulcasting show. Asked to put on his analysis hat in regard to how the Preakness shapes up, he said: “I think the most interesting horse is Quip, who is jointly owned by the people who own Justify. So Quip has drawn the ‘1’ hole, and his only chance really to win the race is to get out and get going early. To do that, I think, has the chance of compromising Justify, who is outside him. But to me, in the post-position draw, that was the only unusual post position that could be a factor.”

Amoss has had three prior Preakness starters, finishing fourth in 1998 with Hot Wells, his first Triple Crown race horse; third in 2013 with Mylute and 10th in 2014 with the filly Ria Antonia.

Bravazo, Sporting Chance Jog Once Around

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas’s Preakness horses, Bravazo and Sporting Chance, went out for some light exercise on the track at Pimlico Race Course early Friday morning.

Calumet Farm’s Bravazo, who was sixth in the Kentucky Derby, jogged once around the one-mile track. Bravazo will start from Post 8 with Luis Saez in the Preakness.

Sporting Chance, fourth in the Pat Day Mile (G3) on May 5, jogged once around with a pony. He had walked the shedrow Thursday. Co-owned by Robert Baker and William Mack, Sporting Chance has Post 3. Luis Contreras has the mount.

Tenfold Goes to School at Starting Gate

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Tenfold, fifth in the Arkansas Derby (G1) in his last of three career starts, schooled in the starting gate before galloping about 1 1/4 miles Friday under exercise rider Angel Garcia.

Trainer Steve Asmussen is going for his third Preakness victory, following Tenfold’s sire, Curlin, in 2007 and the filly Rachel Alexandra in 2009. Both of Asmussen’s victories came over a fast track, which appears highly unlikely with this week’s rain and the forecast for more.

“It will be interesting to see how the racetrack plays that late, with this many races already run over it, if they’re poking through or if the bottom stays firm,” Asmussen said. “It was very firm this morning underneath, but we’re looking at 20-some races between now and the Preakness, and the weather doesn’t appear to be letting up. (But) with the way that they maintain it, and all that’s going on, I feel it will get either faster or slower. It’s not going to stay the same. That will be the curious part, and whose feet sting if they’re going to the bottom.”

Asmussen has said that the timing of the Preakness works well for Tenfold and that the race will give them a good read on how he stacks up with the 3-year-old crop.