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Preakness Stakes Notebook Jockey gives Fusaichi Pegasus an edge
Posted: Tuesday May 16, 2000 05:59 PM
NEW YORK -- For all his astonishing physical gifts, Fusaichi Pegasus may have no greater advantage over his rivals in the Preakness than the one provided by his rider, Kent Desormeaux. From the lowliest claimer to the most expensive stakes horse, a ride around the Pimlico track under the experienced and steady guidance of Desormeaux is a luxury akin to riding a raft on the open seas with Thor Heyerdahl at the helm. Perhaps no jockey on Saturday will know the nuances of Old Hilltop as well as the 30-year-old Desormeaux. Though he grew up in Maurice, La., and rode his first races at tiny Evangeline Downs, he rose to prominence as a teenage apprentice on the Maryland circuit in 1987. He led the nation in victories that first year (with 450), then did it again in 1988 (with 474). In '89, Desormeaux dominated the Maryland tracks like no rider before him, winning 598 races, the most ever won by a jockey in a single year. "Watching the 17-year-old at this stage of his career," wrote Andrew Beyer, the racing columnist for The Washington Post, Andrew Beyer, in 1988, "is a bit like having the chance to see Bobby Orr in a Junior-A league in Canada, or Larry Bird on the playgrounds of French Lick, Ind."
Desormeaux seems to be riding in the same kind of zone this spring. His trip in the Kentucky Derby, in which he saved ground along the rail for nearly a mile before swinging Fusaichi Pegasus sharply to the outside at the top of the stretch, was as surpassing a ride as any in memory. Nearly as fine was his victory on Golden Missile in the Pimlico Special last Saturday, where stayed right on top of a moderate pace before making his move in the stretch. "I've been on a roll lately, and I hope it continues," he said afterward. "This is real easy to get used to." A winning combinationDesormeaux's victory on Golden Missile in the Pimlico Special was a weird prelude to the Preakness considering that the horse is trained by Joe Orseno, who will be sending Red Bullet out against Desormeaux and Fusaichi Pegasus on Saturday. Out of sightNeil Drysdale visited Pimlico on Sunday and announced that Fusaichi Pegasus would be stabled in Barn 7 on the backside, rather than in the Preakness Barn behind the track's grandstand, where reporters and photographers traditionally gather. "There's a bit more room and it's the quietest part [of the track]," Drysdale said. "I was here once in the Preakness Barn. I think it was for the Dixie Handicap and the horse didn't run very well." Fusaichi Pegasus worked five furlongs in :59 flat Monday, and is scheduled to ship to Baltimore on Wednesday. Mark Beech is a Sports Illustrated reporter. Look for more Preakness analysis
throughout the
week.
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