Preakness 2020: Pneumatic posts bullet effort at Saratoga

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Pneumatic continued his preparation for the 145th Preakness Stakes (G1) on October 3rd with a five-furlong bullet work Monday morning in company in 1:00.85 over the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga.

“On this track that’s about as good as horses work,” said Scott Blasi, trainer Steve Asmussen’s top assistant.

The homebred son of Uncle Mo returned to trainer Asmussen’s barn at Saratoga Race Course following his 2¼-length victory in the Pegasus on August 15 at Monmouth Park. He has worked four times over the training track and Blasi said the colt will breeze again before shipping to Pimlico Race Course on Tuesday, September 29th.

Under exercise rider Angel Garcia, Pneumatic worked in tandem with his Winchell Thoroughbreds stablemate Callibrate, a 2-year-old maiden winner. They turned in fractional times of :12, :23.80, :36 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.

“It was a solid five-eighths. They were out well,” Blasi said. “He’s trained really good since the Pegasus at Monmouth. Off that work we expect a big effort in the Preakness.”

Pneumatic did not start as a 2-year-old. He won his debut at Oaklawn Park on February 15th and followed with an allowance victory at Oaklawn on April 11th. Asmussen moved him into stakes company and he finished third in the Matt Winn (G3) on May 23rd at Churchill Downs and fourth in the Belmont Stakes (G1) on June 20th.

“He’s just been a late-maturing horse,” Blasi said. “This race being later in the year has allowed him to come along and come around at his own rate. It just seemed like a good spot after the race at Monmouth.”

Pneumatic is out of Teardrop by Tapit, a stakes-placed half-sister to Pyro, the G1 winning Winchell homebred trained by Asmussen.