Preakness Field Opens New Chances
New Shooters Giant Moon, Yankee Bravo, Stevil Get Their Moments
New shooters who think they have a chance to derail Derby champ Big Brown in the Preakness Stakes include Giant Moon, Yankee Bravo, and Stevil; 15 are possible.
Ironically, one of the biggest Preakness Stakes fields in recent years is shaping up to challenge dominating Kentucky Derby Champion Big Brown. Only one Derby chaser will repeat against the Big Brown Machine; that's Recapturetheglory, who finished fifth. The absence of other Derby players leaves the door open to new shooters to take aim at Big Brown.
Giant Moon, a Giant's Causeway son who earlier owned a handful of consecutive wins, will be in the Preakness field. Trainer Richard Schosberg is readying his colt for the Preakness Stakes with positive thinking. He believes things are opened up for new competition to wear down Big Brown, who will be just one of two Preakness runners facing the two-week turnaround between races. However, he still gives the big Boundary champion colt much credit. "...that was some effort" he said of Big Brown's Derby victory.
Giant Moon won the Count Fleet Stakes Jan.5, and he ran fourth in the Apr.5 Wood Memorial behind classic contenders Tale of Ekati, War Pass, and Court Vision.
Schosberg looks for Giant Moon to move up from his Wood Memorial race. The colt has three stakes wins on his ledger, and Schosberg thinks he can run well in the Preakness. But he added that if Big Brown runs in the Preakness as well as he did in the Derby, no one will touch him.
Paddy Gallagher, trainer of Yankee Bravo, likes his charge's chances at Pimlico. A lack of graded stakes earnings prevented Yankee Gentleman colt Yankee Bravo from participating in the Derby, but the Preakness presents an open field opportunity, Gallaher believes. He'll have his colt at Pimlico on May 14.
Yankee Bravo won the California Derby Jan.27, and he finished fourth in the Apr.5 Santa Anita Derby, giving way to winner Colonel John and Kentucky Derby entrant Bob Black Jack, as well as Coast Guard.
Stevil, a Robert LaPenta-owned colt trained by Nick Zito, is thought by his connections to be ready for a big race at Pimlico. The Maria's Mon colt raced fourth in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes Apr.12, which was won by Todd Pletcher's two boys, Monba (1st) and Cowboy Cal (2nd). Kentucky Bear, who also enters the Preakness, was third in the Blue Grass.
Running in the Louisiana Derby against winner Pyro, Stevil finished fifth. Zito says Stevil is "a very consistent horse" who never performs badly, and he likes his chances to do well at Pimlico. Stevil owns a one-win in six starts record.
Second jewel of the Triple Crown, the $1 million Preakness Stakes, takes place at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD on May 17, with as many as 14 new shooters possible to face Kentucky Derby star, Big Brown.
