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Derby champ draws seventh post
Associated Press
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Media frenzy greets champ
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Amid a media frenzy that would have made any star athlete proud, Fusaichi Pegasus arrived in Baltimore
Wednesday afternoon.
Just before 2 p.m. ET, the colt's trailer rolled up directly to the
entrance of barn seven in the Pimlico stable area. Fusaichi Pegasus was
whisked off the van by his trainer, Neil Drysdale, and less than five
minutes later, the Preakness favorite was resting in his stall. Outside,
reporters and photographers scrambled for even a glimpse of what many are
describing as a "superhorse".
Barn seven is not the typical home to the Kentucky Derby winner in the week
leading up to the Preakness Stakes. Traditionally stall 40, across the track
and directly behind the grandstand in the Pimlico stakes barn, is set aside
as a place of honor for the Derby winner. But because the stakes barn also
houses a majority of the other Preakness competitors and draws a number of
media visitors each morning, Drydale declined.
"I just thought it would be less crowded, quieter here." he said. "We're
just trying to do what's right for the horse."
Drysdale also stated that he intends to buck another Preakness tradition on
Saturday, saddling Fusaichi Pegasus away from the other horses prior to the
race. Drysdale will likely eschew the area set aside on the Pimlico turf
course in front of the grandstand, instead using Pimlico's indoor paddock.
-- ESPN.com news services
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BALTIMORE -- Fusaichi Pegasus, named for the winged horse of
Greek mythology, flew into Baltimore on Wednesday for the
Preakness, where the Kentucky Derby winner will try to take a
second step toward the Triple Crown.
He would be the fourth straight Derby winner to win the Preakness should be succeed Saturday. The previous three -- Silver Charm (1997), Real Quiet (1998) and Charismatic (1999) -- all lost in the Belmont Stakes, failing to become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978.
"No problems, he was fine," trainer Neil Drysdale said of the
colt's plane trip from Louisville and his van ride from the airport
to Pimlico.
"My main concern after the Derby was that he not lose too much
weight and I think he has handled the weight well," Drysdale said,
adding the colt would get his first look at the Pimlico track when
he gallops Thursday morning.
In his final workout at Churchill Downs on Monday, Fusaichi
Pegasus went five-eighths of a mile in 59 seconds.
"He went a little quicker than I anticipated," Drysdale said.
"But he did it easy. He was well within himself, and the track was
fast that day."
Fusaichi Pegasus is the 3-5 early favorite, making him the first
Derby winner to be favored in the Preakness since Go For Gin in
1994. Go For Gin, 2.80-1, finished second in the Preakness, six
lengths behind Tabasco Cat, the third choice.
The early 9-2 second choice for Saturday's race is Red Bullet,
who could become the first Preakness winner not to have started in
the Derby since Deputed Testamony in 1983. In his last start, Red
Bullet finished second, 4½ lengths behind Fusaichi Pegasus in the
Wood Memorial.
Other Derby horses in the 125th Preakness are Impeachment
(third), Captain Steve (8th), High Yield (15th) and Hal's Hope
(16th).
Two other 3-year-olds making their debuts in Triple Crown
competition will be Snuck In and Hugh Hefner.
It is the smallest Preakness field since Hansel beat seven
rivals in 1991.
Drysdale, getting the sixth pick, took the No. 7 post for
Fusaichi Pegasus.
"It's a quarter mile to the (first) turn and eight horses, I
don't think it's that important," Drysdale said of the post
position.
The long stretch should help sort things out by the time the
field hits the first turn in the 1 3/16-mile race.
Trainer Joe Orseno, picking first, took No. 4 for Red Bullet,
while trainer D. Wayne Lukas, picking third, chose No. 5 for High
Yield.
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Wednesday, May 17
Remember the Derby? Fusaichi Pegasus came out of the
16th post and Kent Desormeaux went right to the inside
with a very risky move. Here we have only eight horses
and starting in the seventh post doesn't really matter at
all.
During the draw, I was sitting next to Roxy Roxborough,
who makes lines in Las Vegas, and he didn't change a
number after the draw from what he had before the
draw. But I think the 3-5 odds on Fusaichi Pegasus will
go down. I think this horse will be a huge favorite by
post time -- 2-5, maybe even 1-5. It's hard to imagine
anyone betting against this horse in a straight bet.
Hal Hope starting outside doesn't help this speed horse. If you are going to go for the
lead, you're going to have to be inside. That's what I thought was interesting about High
Yield drawing No. 5 -- it tells you something about D. Wayne Lukas' strategy for his
horse, which has been something of a front-runner in the past. I think Wayne feels his
horse can rate somewhat and I think his strategy is to keep his horse off of what he
anticipates will be a hot pace.
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Fusaichi Pegasus, bought for $4 million as a yearling by Fusao
Sekiguchi of Japan, was a big, gangling 2-year-old and so Drysdale
did not elect to start him until Dec. 11, when he finished second
in a 6½-furlong maiden race.
The son of Mr. Prospector opened his 3-year-old campaign by
winning a six-furlong maiden race Jan. 2, then won a 1 /116-mile
allowance, the 1 1/16-mile San Felipe, the Wood Memorial
and the 1¼-mile Derby.
Asked how the Derby winner might lose, Lukas said, "He might
not. I thought he had less chance of winning the Derby than he does
of winning the Preakness."
Lukas also thinks Red Bullet has the best chance of pulling an
upset.
After Red Bullet finished second in the Wood Memorial on April
15, it was decided to skip the Derby with the colt, who did not
race as a 2-year-old.
"We decided if we're going to try to beat him (Fusaichi
Pegasus), let's do it the right way and not run back in three
weeks," Orseno said. "I want to go in there off five weeks and
try to beat him."
As for Red Bullet not racing as 2-year-old, Orseno said, "He
was slow in getting started. I got him in September and he didn't
really have that racing attitude. Mentally, I thought we should
take our time."
Red Bullet won a six-furlong maiden race in his debut Jan. 8,
then won a seven-furlong allowance and the one-mile Gotham before
finishing second in the Wood Memorial.
Captain Steve, who also was flown in from Churchill Downs on
Wednesday, finished third in his first three starts this year and
had the lead briefly in the Derby, during which he was bumped badly
by Wheelaway in the stretch.
High Yield finished second to Hal's Hope in the Florida Derby
and won the Blue Grass before his dismal 15th
finish in the Derby.
"A lot of horses have come in here after not doing very well in
the Derby and run very well in the Preakness," Lukas said. "He
might not run a winning race, but he'll have something to say about
it."
Hal's Hope, owned and trained by 88-year-old Harold Rose, has
run poorly since winning the Florida Derby. He finished last in the
eight-horse Blue Grass, then ran 16th in the 19-horse Derby.
It will be only the third start this year and the first since he
finished second in the Arkansas Derby on April 15 to Snuck
In, who won four of seven starts as a 2-year-old. He also arrived
from Kentucky on Wednesday.
In two starts this year, Hugh Hefner finished second in the
restricted La Puente over one mile on the grass and was runner-up
in the Snow Chief for California-breds on April 30. In two
starts in open stakes competition, he finished fourth, beaten by
10½ lengths, in the 6½-furlong Best Pal on Aug. 18, and he was
13th, beaten by 34½ lengths, in the 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Cup
Juvenile on Nov. 6.
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