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Round 2 Trainer commits Derby winner to Preakness
Posted: Tuesday May 16, 2000 10:17 AM
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Fusaichi Pegasus will have a shot at winning the middle jewel of horse racing's Triple Crown. Trainer Neil Drysdale said Sunday that the Kentucky Derby winner will run in Saturday's Preakness. Drysdale flew in from Churchill Downs to inspect the racing surface and stables at Pimlico. He said he was being cautious because he was unfamiliar with the track. "I was here once in the Preakness Barn," Drysdale said, "I think it was for the Dixie Handicap and the horse didn't run very well. That's probably why I can't remember." Drysdale also eschewed the accommodations traditionally reserved for the Derby champion, deciding to keep Fusaichi Pegasus out of the Preakness Barn altogether. Instead, the horse will stay in Barn 7, on the backstretch, about three furlongs away from his rivals. "There's a bit more room, and it's the quietest part," Drysdale explained. He also said that Fusaichi Pegasus appears to be in good shape and has gained back the weight he lost in his 1 1/2-length Derby victory. Fusaichi Pegasus remained at Churchill Downs, where he was expected to have a final workout Monday or Tuesday. Drysdale said he plans to ship the horse to Baltimore on Wednesday. Three other Preakness competitors were working out at Pimlico on Sunday. Hal's Hope was feisty in his morning exercise, bucking and jumping as he came off the track after jogging a mile and galloping 1 1/2 miles. Harold Rose, the trainer for the Derby's 16th-place finisher, said he looked as if he wanted more of a workout than he got. High Yield galloped 1 1/2 miles. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said he planned another workout early Monday for his horse, who finished 15th in the Derby. Red Bullet walked Sunday morning in the Preakness Barn after a five-furlong workout Saturday.
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