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No thanks Derby winner set to face seven challengers in Preakness
Posted: Tuesday May 16, 2000 05:07 PM
BALTIMORE (AP) -- There are two schools of thought on whether to challenge Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus in the Preakness on Saturday. The first is to concede the second leg of the Triple Crown to the $4 million colt and find another race to run. The second is to step up and figure out a way to beat him. It looks as if there are more 3-year-olds in the first category than the second. Just seven horses are set to go against Fusaichi Pegasus in the 1 3/16th-mile Preakness, leaving the $1 million race with the smallest field since Snow Chief won in 1986 against six challengers. There have been two other eight-horse fields since, in 1989 and in 1991. In the Derby, Fusaichi (pronounced Fu-sah-EE-chee) Pegasus won by a convincing 1 1/2 lengths in a field of 19. Among those returning for another shot at FuPeg, a shortened version of the colt's name, is High Yield, trained by Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas. "When you win the Derby by more than a head or a neck, you're going to get people that drop out," said Lukas, whose Charismatic won the Derby by a neck and then won the Preakness against 12 challengers. "The other people will spend the next 10 days running up and down trying to upset him. "There's seems to be an underlying challenge for somebody to come up with the angle on how the Derby winner can be beat." Lukas says High Yield didn't run a lick in finishing 15th in the Derby but, with four wins, four seconds and three thirds in 13 career starts, he expects the colt to be competitive. Add that to tough wins in the Wood Memorial and the Derby by Fusaichi Pegasus, and Lukas says anything can happen. "These are not wind-up toys," Lukas said. "This isn't NASCAR where we can put on a new carburetor, tune 'em, tighten the screws, test drive 'em and say 'here we go.' This is an animal, flesh, blood ... and a lot of things can happen." And here's his take on Fusaichi Pegasus: "That horse is going into his third consecutive tough race. Now he's going to try to put three -- possibly four -- tough races together. "If he does, well, we'll anoint him and that will be that. But he's got to do that. It's not an easy task. I've tried it every way conceivable." There's also the fresh-horse angle, which would be Red Bullet, soundly defeated by 4 1/4 lengths by FuPeg in the Wood. But trainer Joe Orseno sat out the Derby and is ready for a strong effort from his colt, who won his first three starts before the Wood. "I think my horse is a better horse then he was in the Wood," Orseno said, "and if he can put in a quicker turn of foot I think we can get to the wire before him. "I watched the Wood and know he [Red Bullet] wasn't finishing. If he runs his race and the other horse runs by me in the stretch, I'll admit it. Until then, I'm sorry, I still have to be convinced." Impeachment, third in the Derby behind Aptitude, was declared Preakness-bound on Tuesday by trainer Todd Pletcher. After working a half-mile in 48 seconds at Belmont Park, Pletcher said the colt will be vanned to Pimlico on Thursday. Captain Steve, trained by Bob Baffert, and Hal's Hope, owned and trained by 88-year-old Harold Rose, are the other Derby runners set for the Preakness. Joining Red Bullet on the Triple Crown trail are Snuck In and Hugh Hefner. The draw for post positions is Wednesday, the day Fusaichi Pegasus arrives at Pimlico from Churchill Downs. On Tuesday, FuPeg walked under tack and trainer Neil Drysdale said, "He's bright and alert. He's well within himself." Among the Derby runners skipping the Preakness are Aptitude and Wheelaway (fifth), both of whom are preparing for the Belmont Stakes on June 10 and possibly another shot at Fusaichi Pegasus.
More Than Ready, fourth in the Derby, is being pointed to the Met Mile at Belmont on May 29.
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