Preakness notes: Goal Oriented breezes Sunday for Bob Baffert

Goal Oriented worked a half-mile in 47.6 seconds Sunday morning at Churchill Downs in preparation for his stakes debut next weekend in Preakness 2025.

Trained by eight-time Preakness winner Bob Baffert, Goal Oriented is 2-for-2, including a front-running victory in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on the Kentucky Derby undercard.

Preakness decision for Journalism is expected Monday.

Churchill Downs clockers caught the $425,000 Keeneland September yearling going the first quarter-mile in 23.6 seconds and galloping out five-eighths of a mile in 1:01.2 with exercise rider Eric García in the saddle.

“He went a half really easily,” Baffert said outside his Churchill Downs barn. “He did it on his own, just cruising around there. That’s all he needed. He was nice and relaxed. Looks like the race didn’t take too much out of him. I just wanted a little maintenance work. I just wanted to see how he handled it. He’s only had two outs, and you want to see how it affects them mentally. Some horses get a little bit uptight or tense and nervous. He handled it like a pro. He’s got a great mind.”

Baffert acknowledged the tall task that faces Goal Oriented, a Not This Time colt owned by a big partnership led by SF Racing.

“It’s asking a lot, but I’ve always been really high on this horse,” Baffert said. “He’s a big strong horse. He’s handled everything thrown at him. He’s shipped, he won. (The 2018 Triple Crown champion) Justify won the Santa Anita Derby (G1) third out. I’m not comparing him to Justify, but he’s a big strong horse like Justify. I think he can handle it.”

Asked about connections for Kentucky Derby runner-up Journalism taking their time in deciding whether to go post-ward in the Preakness, Baffert said, “Journalism is the key horse.” Jokingly he added, “He should wait for the Belmont. Have a showdown with Sovereignty and get his revenge, right?”

Heart of Honor. Preakness-bound Heart of Honor, who lost the UAE Derby (G2) by a nose to Admire Daytona, cleared quarantine at Churchill Downs and will leave for Pimlico on Monday morning after training, said Jimmy McCarthy, who is traveling ahead of U.K.-based trainer Jamie Osborne. Heart of Honor flew from the England to Cincinnati on Friday and then was vanned to Kentucky.

Heart of Honor will be ridden in the Preakness by Saffie Osborne, the trainer’s daughter. McCarthy said he expects the Osbornes to arrive in Baltimore on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Great Britain-bred Heart of Honor is 6: 2-4-0 for owner Jim and Claire Limited with all his races except his debut coming in Dubai. He was a runner-up in his previous three races, each time getting closer. He was beaten by 1 1/2 lengths in the UAE 2,000 Guineas, by a head in the Al Bastakiya at the Preakness distance of 1 3/16 miles and by a nose in the UAE Derby, also contested at 1 3/16 miles.

“It was just the stride pattern he was on,” McCarthy said. “A stride before, a stride after, he was up. But that’s the luck of the draw. We’ve had him about a year and always quite liked him. The boss bought a few horses with the idea of campaigning them in the UAE, so they were pretty much all American-bred dirt pedigrees. He was the one out of the five or six that he bought that stood out as the best. Now how good he was, we didn’t know. We still don’t know how good he is, because hopefully he’s still improving. Where that leaves us, we’ll find out. We’ve got to roll the dice and see where we are.”

Heart of Honor could have run in the May 3 Kentucky Derby, but Osborne chose instead to point to the Preakness, McCarthy said. Admire Daytona did run in the Kentucky Derby, finishing last of 19 in the slop.

Given Heart of Honor’s dirt pedigree by Honor A.P. out of Chile-bred Scat Daddy mare Ruby Love, Heart of Honor is unlikely to run in the U.K. with all its grass racing, McCarthy said. 

“It was either give him a break when he came back from Dubai or possibly have a goal here,” he said of the U.S. “He did get a slot in the Derby, but we felt it would be too soon. They decided to miss that and, if he was OK, to consider the Preakness and Belmont. And he seems OK, so we’ll have a go.”

Gosger. With Gosger having made the jump from maiden win to Grade 3 victory, trainer Brendan Walsh is eager to see how the colt goes from winning Keeneland’s Lexington (G3) to Saturday’s Preakness.

“I thought he took a big step up in the Lexington off a maiden win, and he looks like he’s come forward again,” Walsh said. “Which he’ll need to. But, yeah, I think we need to take a go. (Journalism and Sandman) are two very nice horses. Both were very prominent in the betting for the Derby. But it’s the Preakness. Every year you’re always going to get three or four or five nice horses in there. But I think he fits and should have a good chance.”

Gosger worked five-eighths of a mile in 1:00.6 in company Saturday at Keeneland with Black-Eyed Susan (G2)-bound Paris Lily.

“He’s got a good mind,” Walsh said of Gosger, who makes his fourth start. “He’s very laid back about things. Even his work, he’s not the most spectacular work horse in the world, but he works fine. Very nice temperament. He’s done very well physically. He’s grown up and filled out unbelievably the last couple of months. He’s getting there. He’s not there yet. I hope he has a few more steps forward to make through the year. But I think he’s going to be a really nice horse going forward.”

Gosger would be Walsh’s second Preakness starter. His first was Illinois Derby (G3) winner Multiplier, who finished sixth at Pimlico in 2017.

American Promise. Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas traveled to Baltimore on Sunday with two of his horses who are scheduled to run during Preakness week.

American Promise, the 16th-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, is set to arrive at Pimlico on Monday afternoon between 4 and 5 p.m. EDT, according to Lukas. The son of Justify who galloped two miles at Churchill Downs Sunday morning is being pointed to Saturday’s Preakness.

Lukas has won the middle jewel of the Triple Crown seven times, most recently last year with Seize the Grey.

Princess Aliyah, set to run in the Black-Eyed Susan, and Lemon Muffin, who will go in the Allaire du Pont Distaff, also were traveling with Lukas on Sunday. Lukas said the two will train Monday morning, around 6:30 a.m. EDT at Pimlico, ahead of their Friday assignments.

Clever Again. The winner of the Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn, Clever Again galloped Sunday at Churchill Downs in preparation for a half-mile work Monday for two-time Preakness winner Steve Asmussen.

Sandman. Entering the Preakness picture only Saturday, Sandman jogged two miles on Sunday at Churchill for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.

River Thames. WinStar Farm, CHC, Pantofel Stable and Wachtel Stable’s River Thames can complete a career Triple Crown for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher with a victory in the Preakness.

The eight-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer has saddled Kentucky Derby winners Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017 and Belmont Stakes winners Rags to Riches in 2007, Palace Malice in 2013, Tapwrit in 2017 and Mo Donegal in 2022.

Pletcher has had 10 Preakness starters. His first, Impeachment, the third-place finisher in 2000, had the best result.