By Steve Sherack
BALTIMORE, Md. – Trainer Doug O'Neill graciously took time out to chat with a group of fans enjoying a Sunrise at Old Hilltop tour a little after 6 a.m. as the GI Preakness S. contenders continued their preparations on a cloudy and brisk Wednesday morning at Pimlico.
Fellowship (Awesome of Course), third in the GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby, was the first of the Preakness horses to head out to train at 6:20 a.m. Led out of the stakes barn by assistant trainer Norman Casse, the Jacks or Better Farm homebred, sporting black blinkers and a braided mane, got acquainted with the Pimlico main track for the first time, galloping a mile over the surface labeled as “good.” Fellowship, accompanied to Baltimore by 10 other Mark Casse-trained horses slated to run in stakes this weekend, was most recently fourth in the GIII Pat Day Mile S. on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
After a very quiet hour or so on the backside, things quickly began to pick up once Nyquist (Uncle Mo) made his way out to train at 7:35 a.m. With the maiden of five career starts Laoban (Uncle Mo) already on the track jogging with a pony, the Derby winner began his two-mile jog alongside popular O'Neill stable pony Satire. Equipped with his customary red shadow roll, Nyquist displayed his usual even-keel demeanor and was on his toes nicely with his ears up as fans lined the rail to get a closer look at the champ.
Laoban, sporting a blue bridle and matching Southern Equine saddle pad, was fourth after setting a hot pace in the GI Blue Grass S. at Keeneland last time Apr. 9.
The energetic Derby runner-up Exaggerator (Curlin), meanwhile, was also out on the track now, and proved to be a bit of a handful for his exercise rider during his first circuit around the track–even playfully bucking a couple of times in the stretch–before settling down and jogging nicely for the duration.
“He was feeling good,” trainer Keith Desormeaux said during his presser later in the morning. “The kids were running around on the grandstand, and that usually gets him stirred up, any horse stirred up. He handled it well. It's not a dangerous energy. Some horses, their energy can be used in dangerous ways. His is just a happy energy.”
The top two from the Derby are both looking and feeling quite possibly better than ever as they prepare to lock horns for the fifth time Saturday.
The always entertaining Eric Guillot held court with reporters while Laoban was getting cleaned up back at the barn. The native of Louisiana clearly didn't mind the cool weather, sporting his usual racetrack attire of shorts and sneakers.
O'Neill met with the media by the nearby podium while Speedway Stable's Collected (City Zip) made his way back from galloping following the break. The handsome chestnut, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, heads to the second jewel of the Triple Crown riding a two-race winning streak headed by a powerful win in Keeneland's GIII Lexington S. Apr. 16.
“He went great,” O'Neill said of Nyquist's trip to the track. “As planned, we jogged him two miles. I know I sound like a broken record–[he showed] great energy and he looked great. We're just looking for him to continue what he's been doing since he's been here in Baltimore and just keep his appetite up and stay injury free and stay loose. I'm very happy. It was a really good morning.”
Continuing his training schedule of alternating days of jogging and galloping, Nyquist is scheduled to gallop at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
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