If Rich Strike's Cinderella story is to continue in the May 21 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, he will likely need to defeat both familiar foes and newcomers to the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
The Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner could face competitors from the May 7 race at Churchill Downs, as well as newcomers to the three-race series, including Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino (G2) runner-up Early Voting .
A day after the Derby, the field for the Preakness is only in the initial stages of taking shape, with most horsemen eager to evaluate their Derby competitors in the coming days before committing them to the race.
Even trainer Eric Reed, who trains Rich Strike for Rick Dawson's RED TR-Racing, is taking a wait-and-see approach to a degree. Kentucky Derby winners historically return in the Preakness when they exit the Derby in good condition.
"That is probably the plan. We'll see how things go over the next couple of days, but that would be our logical step," Reed said of the 1 3/16-mile Preakness.
"I don't like to run him quick. This will be the first time we've had to do that, but this is where it goes," added Reed, who said he has never run a horse at Pimlico.
The Keen Ice colt left Churchill Downs Sunday morning around 9:30 a.m. ET to return to Reed's regular training base at Mercury Equine Center near Lexington.
Reed indicated Rich Strike could return to Churchill Downs to work over the track.
Rich Strike is 2-for-2 at Churchill Downs, and 0-for-6 elsewhere, though twice stakes placed. He took a maiden claiming race at Churchill by 17 1/4 lengths last September in addition to the Derby, in which he scored an 80-1 upset over Winchell Thoroughbreds' Epicenter , the 4-1 favorite, and Jeff Drown's Zandon .
The trainers of the latter two horses stopped short of committing them to the Preakness, though both 3-year-olds could race there.
"He came out the race good; just try to move forward," Epicenter's Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen said Sunday morning. "I have not spoken with (owner) Ron (Winchell) yet today, but I obviously will speak with him later, figure out what we're going to do next."
Asmussen is a two-time Preakness winner, taking the 2007 race with Curlin and in 2009 with Rachel Alexandra. Both raced on two weeks' rest, with Curlin exiting a third-place finish in the Kentucky Derby and Rachel Alexandra a 20 1/4-length victory in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) for her prior trainer Hal Wiggins.
Asmussen competed in the Preakness as recently as last year, saddling Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, the sixth-place finisher from the 2021 Derby, to a runner-up finish behind Rombauer .
Midnight Bourbon, like Epicenter, came into the Derby off a well-spaced campaign at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots that gave him six weeks off prior to the start of the Triple Crown.
"They're individuals. I think the foundation they have going into this either allows for it or doesn't allow for it," Asmussen said of the quick turnaround.
Chad Brown intends to participate in the Preakness with the speedy Early Voting, whom he kept out of the Derby and in training at Belmont Park for the Preakness, though he has not ruled out Zandon.
"He's going to depart Churchill tomorrow afternoon, headed to New York, and then I am going to think about it, talk to the owner, take a look at him," Brown said.
Brown typically avoids racing his horses on short rest but will occasionally do so when he believes circumstances warrant it. His trainee Good Magic ran fourth in the 2018 Preakness after a second behind Triple Crown winner Justify in the Derby.
Brown won the 2017 Preakness Stakes with Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence's Cloud Computing, who went directly into the Preakness after a third-place finish in the Wood.
Brown said he doesn't think Zandon is as well suited to the 1 1/2-mile distance of the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), the final leg of the Triple Crown. In the Derby, Zandon, the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner, closed to loom in midstretch, only to be turned aside by Epicenter before the two were caught by the inside rally of Rich Strike.
"He was a little late, a little reluctant to go by Epicenter the last sixteenth," said Brown. "Maybe a little cutback will be good for him, but it's all about that two weeks' rest, I think, and all the shipping. I gotta figure out what's best for him."
Tami Bobo and Tristan De Meric's Simplification , fourth in the Derby, is "90% for the Preakness," trainer Antonio Sano said Sunday morning in advance of a scheduled noon discussion with the colt's owners. The colt rallied from 15th to check in 3 1/2 lengths behind Rich Strike.
A possible starter in the Preakness is Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Taiba , trainer Tim Yakteen said. Taiba ran 12th in the Derby, while Yakteen's other starter, Messier , was 15th.
In the case of Taiba, who was making only his third start, Yakteen felt the horse was hindered by the kickback he encountered racing off the pace, causing him to "climb some and be very uncomfortable."
Also, he said, "His lack of experience certainly could have played a role in the situation."
Other Derby participants are likely to skip the Preakness and race in the Belmont five weeks after the Derby—spacing considered more desirable by most trainers.
One such horse that has the Belmont Stakes on his radar is WSS Racing's Barber Road, the sixth-place finisher in the Derby.
"Since March we circled the Belmont Stakes regardless of the Kentucky Derby," Ortiz said Sunday morning. "That was where we were always going to head. Getting the points to the Kentucky Derby was just another path to the Belmont. To me, this horse has always been a Belmont Stakes horse."
Ortiz, who saddled his first Kentucky Derby starter with Barber Road, said the Race Day colt appeared to have exited the race in good order.
"I thought he ran fantastic. When (jockey Reylu Gutierrez) finally got him to tip out around the turn, that was the first time we've gotten see a full three-eighths run from Barber Road."
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher typically awaits the Belmont with Derby starters, though he did run his two Derby winners, Super Saver (2010) and Always Dreaming (2017) in the Preakness. Both ran eighth.
Pletcher has not won the Preakness but is a three-time Belmont Stakes winner.
The trainer's best Derby effort on Saturday from his three starters was a fifth-place finish from Mo Donegal, who rallied to lose by 3 3/4 lengths after a tardy start from the dreaded inside post position. His other entrants, Charge It and Pioneer of Medina, ran 17th and 19th, respectively.
"They're all doing well," Pletcher said. "We'll take a few days and have some conversations to figure out what's next for them. But it's likely they'll be headed up to our stable in New York."
Other horses are headed home to their regular training bases far away from Churchill Downs. Among them is Crown Pride (13th), who heads back to Japan.
Masa Matsuda, assistant to Crown Pride's trainer, Koichi Shintani, said they were slightly disappointed, mentioning that Crown Pride pressed a hot pace in the Derby.
"We want to try again—little bit better next time," Matsuda said, mentioning the possibility of a return for a Breeders' Cup race.
Trainer Saffie Joseph reported that White Abarrio came out of his 16th-place Derby finish "very well." The Florida Derby (G1) winner, who had a very wide trip throughout the Derby, will not run in the Preakness, but Joseph said Skippylongstocking, who finished third in the Wood Memorial last time out, is being pointed to the Middle Jewel.
Besides Early Voting, other potential new shooters for the second leg of the Triple Crown include In Due Time, who skipped the Derby after being sent to Kelly Breen's base at Monmouth Park, and Un Ojo, who was not entered in the Derby after developing what trainer Ricky Courville said was a foot bruise.
He resumed training and has recovered from that setback, Clay Courville, the trainer's son and assistant, said Sunday morning.
Trainer Kenny McPeek said via text that Creative Minister is possible for the Preakness after his impressive victory in a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on the Derby undercard. McPeek, who won the 2020 Preakness with the filly Swiss Skydiver, said he'd watch Derby eighth-place finisher Smile Happy this week before making a decision.
Grade 1 winner Rattle N Roll, who was on the Derby also-eligible list, is also under consideration. Tiz the Bomb, who beat Rich Strike in both the John Battaglia Memorial and the Jeff Ruby Steaks, will not run in the Preakness, McPeek said.
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said earlier in the weekend that the Preakness is an option for Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath, and potentially Ethereal Road, whose scratch from the Derby created a starting spot for also-eligible Rich Strike to draw into the race and produce one of the largest upsets in Derby history.
