Blazing Sevens | Horse Racing Free Tips

Preakness Runners Plan Next Steps; Mage To Target Travers

Following his win the in GI Preakness S. Saturday, trainer Bob Baffert said that National Treasure (Quality Road) and Sir Barton S. winner Arabian Lion (Justify) would stay at Pimlico for a few more days this week and may go on to New York for races on the Belmont S. program June 10. Though he did not rule out Arabian Lion, he said National Treasure was a more likely candidate for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont S. Baffert said he did not want to send the colts back to his base at California and then ship back to New York.

“They went so slow early, he had so much horse that he couldn't pull him up at the end he told me,” Baffert said. “Arabian Lion, I'm not sure if he's up for the mile and a half, but he did run a big race yesterday. It could change. I have until tomorrow to make these calls. I could change my mind and send them back home on Tuesday. So long as they are eating well, which they are, and they came out of it well, I think I'll be keeping them here relaxed for a little bit and I don't have to ship them.”

Next up for GI Preakness S. third-place finisher Mage (Good Magic) is some time off. The colt, owned by OGMA Investments LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing LLC and CMNWLTH, will head to The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, Ky.

“He was there from May of last year to October,” Restrepo said after checking on Mage at the Pimlico Stakes Barn Sunday morning. “We will get him turned out and do some training. Everything is great. The colt is fantastic, bright-eyed and his head is up. We could not be any happier with him after trying as hard as did in the Preakness. The kid is an iron horse.”

The next goal for Mage, who won the GI Kentucky Derby in his fourth start, will be the GI Travers S. at Saratoga Race Course Aug. 26.

“We will give him a little vacation and he will power up and we will figure out the best way to get to the Travers,” Restrepo said. “He has not missed a day and has been on the engine since January.”

Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) finished a head behind National Treasure in the second leg of the Triple Crown Saturday.

“We thought he ran exceptionally well,” said John Capek. “It's tough to be a little bit short on the winning side of things, but we are pleased with his progress.”

Blazing Sevens shipped back to New York early Sunday morning. Trainer Chad Brown has not said what the colt's next race will be.

“We will talk to Chad and see what is best for the horse for his next race,” said Capek.

Trainer Steve Asmussen saw enough in Red Route One's (Gun Runner) fourth-place finish that after the race he said the GI Belmont S. is the obvious target.

“You're not guaranteed to get pace in the Belmont. You win races because of pace, and you benefit from it periodically. And then other times you don't. This would have been the latter for him,” he added. “He is nearing $700,000 in earnings. He's kept very good company his whole career and was probably beaten [4 3/4] lengths in the Preakness in a race I don't think set up ideally for him. Does he beat them under different circumstances? Who knows? But I do like the opportunity to run him a mile and a half.”

While he did not contest the Preakness as the runner-up at the Kentucky Derby, Two Phil's (Hard Spun) is possible to return to Churchill Downs in June for the GIII Matt Winn S. according to trainer Larry Rivelli.

Rivelli stated Two Phil's could run in either the Matt Winn June 11 or the GIII Ohio Derby June 24 at Thistledown. Either would be used as a prep for the GI Haskell S. at Monmouth Park July 22 and the GI Travers S. at Saratoga Aug. 26.

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National Treasure Outgames Blazing Sevens In Preakness 148

BALTIMORE, MD–The ABC Wide World of Sports telecast used to kick off with legendary TV host and personality Jim McKay uttering “The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.” And never were those atipodal points more evident than they were for trainer Bob Baffert on Pimlico's Preakness Day card. His first runner on the card, Arabian Lion (Justify) strode to a four-length victory in the Sir Barton S., getting the Baffert team off to a fast start. However, the celebration was short lived. Two races later, 4-5 choice Havnameltdown (Uncaptured) broke down tragically during the running of the GIII Chick Lang S., necessitating his euthanasia. The Baffert team was utterly devastated. Fast forward to the day's feature event, the Baffert team sheltered in Pimlico's indoor paddock to watch the race, and while Baffert put on a brave face, chatting with the media, his wife Jill looked visibly shaken. Just moments later, nerves and anticipation culminated in an explosion of emotion as National Treasure (Quality Road) crossed the wire in front. Baffert's son, Bode, had his father in an intense bear hug his father, shouting in jubilation. And in a heartbeat, Bob worked his way over to Jill, engulfed in the frenetic excitement and who just collapsed into his arms, in a flood of tears. The couple's emotionally charged and lingering embrace felt palpable to many in the small group of bystanders.

“This business is twists and turns, ups and downs,” said Baffert. “We started out great, we had a horrible race and we've been totally wiped out after [Havnameltdown] got hurt. The emotions of this game, there's so many responsibilities a trainer has, employees, horse and jockey safety, and then to win this…Losing that horse today really hurt. I'm very happy for Johnny [Velazquez] that he got the win. It's been a very emotional day.”

The victory marked a record eighth Preakness win for the Hall of Fame trainer, surpassing Robert Wyndham Walden (7) and Baffert's good friend and fellow Hall of famer D. Wayne Lukas (6).

“To win eight–right now I'm not thinking about the eight because, hopefully, I want to come back here and add to that. But I'm happy for just this horse doing what he did today. I mean, this horse brought us all out of just a horrible moment today, and I'm just grateful to that horse.”

The victory also marked the first Preakness win for Velazquez, who has been aboard for all six of the colt's career starts.

“With all the blessings that I've had and all the success I've had in other races, not having won this one was definitely missing. It's very special to have it.

Pace Makes the Race..
Away cleanly from the inside stall, the colt drew Velazquez to the front as Coffeewithchris (Ride On Curlin), the co-longest shot on the board at 10-1, took up the chase with 9-2 third choice Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) and the defending Kentucky Derby champ and 7-5 favorite Mage (Good Magic) in close pursuit through an opening quarter in :23.95. Down the backstretch, a super-rank Red Route One (Gun Runner) sensed the poky pace and threw his head in the air as Joel Rosario tried to quell the smoldering inferno. Still cruising up front while throwing down an equally sedate half in :48.92, National Treasure maintained a 1 1/2-length advantage over Coffeewithchris with the trio of Red Route One, Mage and Blazing Sevens drafting another length behind. Blazing Sevens rider, Irad Ortiz Jr., started to turn the screws on the leader after three quarters in 1:13.49, setting the duo up for an epic battle. Turning for home, National Treasure held the inside advantage, while Blazing Sevens swung out six paths wide with the Derby champ being fanned out even wider and trying to mount his own challenge down the center of the track. At the top of the stretch, Blazing Sevens relentlessly closed on the leader who still had something left in the tank. Deadlocked midstretch, the duo appeared to gain, and then lose, the lead with every stride. With Velazquez scrubbing on the colt left handed and Ortiz Jr. showing the whip to his mount on the outside, the pair rolled down the stretch, battling with every stride, and ultimately hitting the wire seemingly in unison. The photo told another tale, however. Or a head as it were. Mage finished 2 1/4 lengths back in third while Red Route One was another 2 1/2 lengths farther back in fourth.

“I got a good break and hooked him outside a bit to think about what I was going to do,” explained Velazquez. “It wasn't really the plan [to put him front] but I really wanted to put him in a good rhythm. We got to the [first] turn and went to the inside and saved some ground. And we also saved some ground on the second turn when Irad [Ortiz Jr. aboard Blazing Sevens] started moving at the three-eighths pole, I stayed in there. But when I came to the quarter pole, I put a little pressure on [National Treasure] and he fought the whole way. At the 3/16ths pole, he put up a really good fight and he did not let [Blazing Sevens] pass him. That's what champions do.”

“You ride the best you can and the horse responds the best he can and does everything you want to do. That's what it takes. We do all the planning, that's what you hope for. He did everything I asked him to do.”

While the fractions proved a detriment to some, they were the ace in the hole for team Baffert and National Treasure.

“I loved [the early fractions],” he said. “If we could make the easy lead and just cruise around there…We knew he would love the distance. Once I saw the half-mile fraction, there was no excuses. That horse came to him…I thought he was going to go by us. But our horse dug in. It was a great race.”

In stark contrast, a visibly gutted Chad Brown was pragmatic about Blazing Seven's narrow defeat.

“I did not want to be in the middle of the racetrack the whole way, but I don't think Irad [Ortiz Jr.] had much choice,” the trainer explained. “The horse just got a very, very wide trip and he came up just short. I think the amount of ground lost probably cost him. I was a little worried because he was so wide the whole way. I thought maybe it might take the starch out of him a little bit, and it did. He had the outside post and I think Irad made the best decisions that he could. I don't see what he could have done differently.”

With Mage's Triple Crown dreams dashed, assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr. also thought his colt's chances were compromised by the slow pace.

“We took the shot; it was worth the shot, and we got beat,” he said. “But I don't take anything from the winner. They beat us. That's it. He ran a good race to be third.”

He continued, “If you take him farther back [off a slow pace], the closer, maybe he doesn't respond. No speed in the race…The horses in front were going easy. Those horses, you don't beat them [with that pace]. They always fight. They fight when they go fast; imagine when they go so slow. They rebreak.

He added, “He's lightly raced; we'll see how he comes back. We'll regroup, take our time and see what's next to him. Nobody is going to take the Derby from him.”

Classic Winner in the Making…
Sent off the 3-1 second choice in his career debut at Del Mar last September, the Kentucky bred came home a 1 1/2 length winner and was jumped up into top tier company for his next two, finishing runner-up behind stablemate Cave Rock (Arrogate) in the GI American Pharoah S. before coming home third to ultimate juvenile champion Forte (Violence) and Cave Rock in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Keeneland in November. Shelved for the rest of the year, he returned with a third behind two more Baffert alums–Reincarnate (Good Magic) and Newgate (Into Mischief)–in the GIII Sham S. Jan. 8. Transferred to Tim Yakteen in order to earn Kentucky Derby points for his latest start, he finished fourth behind Practical Move (Practical Joke) in the GI Santa Anita Derby.

“He won early and he showed us he was a nice horse, but we knew that he needed distance.” Baffert explained. “It just took him a while. He is still hasn't really filled out into his frame.”

Coming into Saturday's race, the sophomore worked four furlongs in a bullet :47.40 (1/31) at Santa Anita May 12 following a six-furlong move in a bullet 1:11.20 (1/4) May 6.

“We can tell his last works were very strong–he was working like a really good horse,” he continued. “His works were ridiculous. We also shipped here early because I didn't want to bring him too close to the race. I wanted to give him a chance to settle in.”

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Following the highest of highs and the lowest of lows experienced by the Baffert team over the course of a single day, the Hall of Fame trainer acknowledged it was the team effort that meant the most to the man who has spent a lifetime training horses..43 years to be exact.

“To me, this means more for Johnny getting his first Preakness win,” he said. “I give Johnny credit; he got him out of the gate beautifully. That's why he's in the Hall of Fame. I always feel confident when Johnny is on my horse.”

He continued, “I also have a great team. We've got Jimmy Barnes, you all know; my assistant, Pascual Rivera; all my grooms. They're the ones that do all the hard work. I delegate a lot of this, and we're a good team. They know what's expected of them.”

And while Baffert admits that his team at the barn are important parts in his success, he also acknowledges that his 'home' team is the very foundation of his empire.

“Well, I couldn't have done it without my beautiful wife Jill's support and my family and my friends,” he said. “We've been through a tough go. But we knew we would get through this, and the thing–I just focus. Like I said, it's the love of the horse that just keeps me focused and keeps me going, and I just kept the noise out.”

Addressing some of the challenges he has faced in recent times, he admitted, “It was tough. We had some tough moments. But it's days like this that it's not really vindication. I feel like we have a moment where we can enjoy it. We have a moment where we enjoy what we do. We get rewarded for how hard everybody in my team works. To me, that's mainly what it's about.”

Pedigree Notes:
National Treasure's victory gave Lane's End sire his 15th Grade 1/Group 1 victory. Offered at last summer's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling sale, bloodstock agent Donato Lanni extended to $500,000 on behalf of SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Sol Kumin's Madaket Stables. The partners subsequently brought on partners Robert Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan. The colt was bred in Kentucky by Peter Blum Thoroughbreds, also responsible for Champion 3-year-old Authentic, also trained by Baffert and campaigned by Starlight and Madaket in partnership with Spendthrift and Myracehorse.

Run through the Keeneland September yearling sale in 2013, the winner's dam Treasure RNA'd for $375,000. After producing a pair of colts by Speightstown in 2017 and 2018, both with earnings over $200,000, she followed with a full sister to National Treasure prior to the Preakness winner. Most recently, she produced a colt by Omaha Beach in 2021 named Pirate followed by a filly by Authentic last season. She was bred back to Quality Road.

Saturday, Pimlico
PREAKNESS S.-GI, $1,650,000, Pimlico, 5-20, 3yo, 1 3/16m, 1:55.12, ft.
1–NATIONAL TREASURE, 126, c, 3, by Quality Road
               1st Dam: Treasure, by Medaglia d'Oro
                2nd Dam: Proposal, by Mt. Livermore
                3rd Dam: Lady of Choice, by Storm Bird
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN,
1ST GRADE I WIN. ($500,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG). O-SF Racing LLC,
Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Robert E. Masterson,
Stonestreet Stables LLC, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge
Capital LLC and Catherine Donovan; B-Peter E. Blum
Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-John R. Velazquez.
$990,000. Lifetime Record: 6-2-1-2, $1,335,000. Werk Nick
Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Blazing Sevens, 126, c, 3, Good Magic–Trophy Girl, by
Warrior's Reward. 'TDN Rising Star'. ($140,000 Ylg '21 KEEJAN;
$225,000 Ylg '21 FTSAUG). O-Rodeo Creek Racing, LLC; B-Tracy
Farmer (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. $330,000.
3–Mage, 126, c, 3, Good Magic–Puca, by Big Brown. ($235,000
Ylg '21 KEESEP; $290,000 2yo '22 EASMAY). O-OGMA
Investments, LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing LLC and
CMNWLTH; B-Grandview Equine (KY); T-Gustavo Delgado.
$181,500.
Margins: HD, 2 1/4, 2HF. Odds: 2.90, 4.90, 1.40.
Also Ran: Red Route One, Chase the Chaos, Perform, Coffeewithchris. Scratched: First Mission.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Preakness 148: Could It Be Magic?

Continuing on the heels of a stacked card Friday, Pimlico offers a robust eight-stakes offering Saturday, led by the $1.5 million GI Preakness S. With GI Kentucky Derby winning Mage (Good Magic) looming as the one to beat, the race suffered a notable blow Friday with the defection of Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' First Mission (Street Sense), shaving the field back to seven. Having not only showed a recency in form but also the ability to win at the highest level, none of the chestnut's rivals can really make the same claim. The lightly raced colt ran three times at Gulfstream Park this winter, culminating with a runner-up finish behind 'Rising Star' Forte (Violence) in the Apr. 1 GI Curlin Florida Derby. Sent off at 15-1 odds in the Run for the Roses, the Gustavo Delgado-trained colt came from well off the pace to win by a length, propelling his entire team into a ride of a lifetime.

“I think he came back from [the Derby] better than he did from the [Florida Derby] to be honest,” confirmed Gustavo Delgado Jr., his father's assistant

Throughout the week at Pimlico, Mage went through his paces like an old pro, never turning a hair despite the throng of spectators and media turning out to the see the reigning Derby winner.

“Professional, that's the best way to describe [his demeanor],” said Delgado, Jr. “[He's] very quiet. The track being so quiet with only a few horses at the same time [during the Preakness training period], that helps too.”

Added Ramiro Restrepo, who owns the 3-year-old with OGMA Investments LLC, Sterling Racing LLC and CMNWLTH, “He's so smart. I can't overstate that. He's a really intelligent horse. Not only does he take care of himself during his races, but he knows when to commence.

“The races are developing him race by race. We're just waiting to see how much he has in the well of talent. Every day, he's showing more and more signs of maturation and understanding his job as a racehorse. It's great to see it happening.”

GI Champagne S. winner Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) is winless in three starts this season, finishing a solidly beaten third last time out in the Apr. 8 GI Toyota Blue Grass S. Despite some of the shortcomings, the colt's trainer Chad Brown has already tasted victory on two prior occasions in the Preakness with 'fresh' horses–Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) and Early Voting (Gun Runner). Additionally, he is responsible for guiding Good Magic through his championship juvenile season in 2017 before finishing runner-up in the Kentucky Derby the following spring. Fourth in that year's Preakness, Good Magic also won the GI Haskell Invitational S.

Setting up the race for a possible 'Magic' trifecta, Perform offers trainer Shug McGaughey the opportunity to win his first Preakness. At Pimlico's annual Alibi Breakfast Thursday morning, McGaughey took to the podium following an enthusiastic round of applause to discuss the chances of the Federico Tesio S. winner. Somewhat stayed while assessing his chances in the second jewel of the Triple Crown, the Hall of Famer spoke with the confidence of somebody who knows they have a legitimate contender. And supplementing the horse for $150,000 seemed to underscore that belief as well.

“If he hadn't run well [in the Tesio] we wouldn't be running here,” said McGaughey. “Although we didn't go into the Tesio thinking we'd run here if he ran well. He was not nominated to the Preakness. After the way he ran..[jockey] Feargal [Lynch] said he thought it was too bad the horse wasn't nominated because he thought he was a Preakness-type horse.”

You don't know if you're good enough until you try them. I've never won the Preakness and I won't win the Preakness if they're standing there in the stall.”

Trainer Bob Baffert is also represented with National Treasure (Quality Road) a first-out winner who has hit the board in four of five career starts. Third in the GIII Sham S. in January, he was last seen finishing fourth in the GI Santa Anita Derby. Baffert is bidding for his record-breaking eighth victory in the Preakness. His most recent victory was in 2018 with Triple Crown winner Justify.

Rounding out the field are a trio of stakes winners, Chase the Chaos (Astern {Aus}), Coffeewithchris (Ride On Curlin) and Red Route One (Gun Runner).

East vs. West in Chick Lang
It's East versus West in the six-furlong GIII Chick Lang S. Saturday afternoon. Representing the left coast is Havnameltdown (Uncaptured), a three-time graded stakes winner trained by Bob Baffert. Runner-up in last season's Del Mar Futurity, he finished a close-up second his latest start in the G3 Saudi Derby.

“He ran a great race,” Baffert said of the Saudi Derby. “A mile is a little bit too far for him. He's a sprinter. That's his distance, six to seven furlongs.”

Also having shown his affinity for three-quarters of a mile, four-time stakes winner Super Chow (Lord Nelson) enters the Chick Lang off an impressive 5 1/4-length score in Gulfstream's Hutcheson S. in March.

“The horse hasn't done anything wrong since he came to the barn as a 2-year-old,” said Jorge Delgado, who is based at Monmouth Park in the summer and Gulfstream Park in the winter. “His record is magnificent. In his eight starts he has run at [five] different racetracks with six wins, one second and one third. The last time he got beat [GIII Swale Feb. 4], he got beat by a horse that won at Churchill [Downs] on Derby Day [General Jim, GII Pat Day Mile]. So, he's been competing against real quality horses. I do know the race is going to be very competitive, but my horse is 100% ready to run this race.”

Never to be discounted on te big days, trainer Steve Asmussen saddles Ryvit (Competitive Edge), who rides a three-race winning skein. In his latest start, the colt took a muddy renewal of Oaklawn's Bachelor S. Apr. 29.

Motion Well Armed on Turf
Trainer Graham Motion once again presents a customary strong hand in Pimlico's graded turf features. Motion is represented by a trio of runners in the GIII Galorette S., headed by dual stakes winner Vergara (Noble Mission {GB}). Off since a runner-up finish in last fall's GII Sands Point S. at Aqueduct, the bay is reunited with Joel Rosario. The trainer also offers up Italian import Sopran Basilea (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) and MSW Bipartisanship (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), runner up in a Keeneland allowance in her sole race in 2023.

Hoping to get a win early in the day is Chad Brown, who saddles SP Whitebeam (GB) (Caravaggio) in addition to SW Eminent Victor (Mr. Z), making her 2023 debut under Flavien Prat.

One race later in the nine-furlong GIII Dinner Party S., Motion returns with another three runners, including last out Keeneland winner Hurricane Dream (Fr) (Hurricane Cat). The French import will be accompanied by GI Hollywood Derby scorer Speaking Scout (Mr Speaker) and Easter (Fr) (Exosphere {Aus}), a winner going a mile in a Big A allowance Apr. 7.

Todd Pletcher brings to the fore 'TDN Rising Star' Emmanuel (More Than Ready), victorious in the GIII Tampa Bay Derby and GIII Canadian Turf earlier this winter. Most recently, he was seventh after a tardy start in the GI Maker's Mark Mile Apr. 14.

This winter's GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational winner Atone (Into Mischief) tries to bounce back following a lackluster ninth in the Muniz Memorial Classic S. Mar. 25.

Rounding out Pimlico's graded action is the GIII Maryland Sprint S. Trying to recapture their winning form are Grade III winners 'Rising Star' Prevalence (Medaglia d'Oro) as well as Willy Boi (Uncaptured). Likely to take much of the money at the windows, Straight No Chaser (Speightster) and GSW Wonderwherecraigis (Munnings) will try to successfully take the next step up to graded company following last out allowance wins. Wesley Ward returns with Nakatomi (Firing Line), winless in his last three starts, including a fourth-place finish in Keeneland's GIII Commonwealth S. Apr. 8.

Churchill offers it's solitary graded test of the day, the card's anchor the GIII Louisville S. Mike Maker offers a strong pairing led by last out GII Pan American winner Therapist (Freud). He also takes a shot with former claimer turned recent Gulfstream allowance winner Yamato (Artie Schiller).

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Preakness Preview: Mage Evolves From Underdog To Target

Onward to Baltimore! Here are the GI Preakness S. entrants listed in “likeliest winner” order.

1) Mage
GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage won't be a heavy favorite on Saturday. In fact, he projects as the possible second choice in the betting based on the “fresh competition” angle in a Preakness that will feature no other starters who ran in the 18-horse Derby.

Pari-mutuel value notwithstanding, a Preakness victory is within the grasp of this white-blazed, chestnut son of Good Magic ($235,000 KEESEP; $290,000 EASMAY). He's a lighter-framed colt who might not have taken the pounding that a bigger runner would have in a demanding race like the Derby. And in the eight-horse Preakness, he figures to be more in touch with the pace, and will likely not have to give up as much real estate (four wide on the far turn before floating to the eight path) as he did in the Derby.

We've now seen Mage uncork two consecutive, sustained, late-race bids against Grade I competition. One was a slightly premature move in the GI Curlin Florida Derby that catapulted him to the lead, only to be reeled in by the vastly more experienced divisional champ Forte (Violence). The other was a more measured move under Javier Castellano in the Kentucky Derby in which Mage went from 11th to second between the five-sixteenths and the three-sixteenths poles before zeroing in on a tiring (but not quitting) leader while being kept to task under hand-hustling though the final furlong and a half.

Mage's 105 Beyer Speed Figure stands out as at least seven points better than any number his rivals have run so far, but it remains to be seen whether that rating holds up. It was 11 points higher than Mage's previous best, and to fully embrace it, you have to have faith that the 2-3-4 finishers in the Derby also realistically upped their Beyers by 4-10-10 points.

2) National Treasure
The draw of post one, the addition of blinkers, and the continued partnership with one of the game's premier front-end riders all point to John Velazquez seeking the lead in the Preakness with National Treasure.

This $500,000 FTSAUG son of Quality Road sports a past-performance block anchored by mid-90s Beyers and company lines featuring heavy divisional hitters. But there are also some gaps in his training, most notably time missed in early March because of a quarter crack that caused this colt to pass on an expected start in the GII San Felipe S.

Although he wasn't finishing with the authority of the top trio in the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, National Treasure's fourth-place effort there can serve as a useful bridge to a better effort at 1 3/16 miles considering the nine-furlong try was his first race in three months.

Trainer Bob Baffert has saddled seven Preakness winners. Five of them were Kentucky Derby winners. The two who weren't both were beaten Derby favorites: Point Given (2001) and Lookin At Lucky (2010).

National Treasure | Jim McCue

3) First Mission
This Godolphin homebred by Street Sense debuted too late to make a run at Derby qualifying points, so after breaking his maiden at Fair Grounds in start number two on Mar. 18, his connections opted for the 1 1/16-miles GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. at Keeneland.

First Mission went off favored at 2-1, rolling out of the gate alertly, then conceding the lead while attaining inside position. He started to inch up 4 1/2 furlongs out over a short-stretch configuration, then reeled in an opening-up pacemaker who twice put him in tight at the fence through the stretch.

First Mission prevailed by half a length (98 Beyer), but it was the visual appeal of how he refused to be by intimidated by the more experienced Arabian Lion (Justify) that contributed to this colt being bet down to the 6-1 second choice in the Preakness future wager.

On Saturday you can get a better read on the Lexington S. by seeing how 2-5 morning line fave Arabian Lion runs in Pimlico's fourth race, the $100,000 Sir Barton S.

4) Perform
Perform required six starts to break his maiden, but since tasked with two turns for the first time, he's 2-for-2. This $230,000 KEESEP colt by Good Magic has also tangled with Mage once before, having run fourth, beaten 5 1/2 lengths by the eventual Derby winner, when that colt broke his maiden at Gulfstream back on Jan. 28.

Perform broke through with his first victory on the GIII Tampa Bay Derby undercard over one mile 40 yards, and both the second- and fifth-place finishers from that race came back to graduate in their next starts.

Let go at 10-1 odds in the $125,000 Federico Tesio S., Perform dropped out to last and looked unlikely to even hit the board on the far turn, lingering near last after a dueling duo had set a tepid pace and opened up by five turning for home.

Weaving through the pack, jockey Feargal Lynch switched Perform off heels of tiring rivals not once, but three times through the Laurel homestretch, at the three-sixteenth pole, the eighth pole, and again in the run up to the wire. The result was a head victory, and although the 85 Beyer came back a little light, this could be an example of “how he did it” resonating more than “how fast” in terms of overall impression.

“I hope we're finishing with Mage and can outkick him,” said Hall-of-Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. “But I think that just the two turns on the dirt, the distance, the mile and three-sixteenths, the timing is pretty good. We've got plenty of time in between races. He had a good work here last Sunday with Lynch on him, and that's what made up my mind that, along with his owners, to say, 'Let's give it a chance.'”

Red Route One | Jim McCue

5) Red Route One
Red Route One has stamped himself as a capable one-run closer from far back. That means he's going to be picking off horses late, but how many runners he passes in the stretch is largely going to be at the mercy of the pace. The faster they go up front, the better the finish for this Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred.

By Gun Runner out of a Tapit mare (same cross as stablemate and 'TDN Rising Star' Disarm, who was fourth in the Derby), the potential for later development has always figured in Red Route One's progress. Recall that his sire ran third in the 2016 Derby, finished on the board in a series of graded stakes into the summer and fall, but didn't truly burst onto the scene until after the Breeders' Cup, when he won the GI Clark H., and then seven of his eight final races against top-class competition.

Red Route One has run respectably over firm and good turf, plus sloppy and fast dirt, so he handles various types of footing quite well. He went 7 1/2 months between his first and second lifetime victories, but closed with abandon to score in the $200,000 Bath House Row S. at Oaklawn, which was the Plan B option after failing to make the qualifying points cut for the Derby.

6) Blazing Sevens
Blazing Sevens ($140,000 KEEJAN; $225,000 FTSAUG), the third son of Good Magic entered in this Preakness field of eight, is the real handicapping conundrum among the trio. He hasn't won since the Oct. 1 GI Champagne S., yet his last two efforts have a “can't be as bad as they look” vibe about them.

Through his first five career tries, Blazing Sevens won twice and was beaten by champ Forte the other three times. Racing for the first time since the Breeders' Cup in the GII Fountain of Youth S., this colt got pinballed early and was never a factor, finishing eighth while beaten 26 lengths.

Stretched to nine furlongs in the Apr. 8 GI Toyota Blue Grass S., Blazing Sevens ran a so-so third, with the impression of that result blunted by the arresting stretch battle of the two dominant horses who finished six lengths ahead of him.

Blazing Sevens qualified for the Derby based on points, but was withdrawn by trainer Chad Brown to instead aim for the Preakness. Those skip-the-Derby tactics worked well for Brown in 2017 and 2022, when he won Baltimore's big race after opting out of Louisville with Cloud Computing and Early Voting, respectively.

Bettors who had a nose for that trend sniffed out 21-1 odds in the Preakness future wager, which is significantly higher than the 6-1 morning line ranking for Blazing Sevens.

Blazing Sevens | Jim McCue

7) Chase the Chaos
Chase the Chaos (Astern {Aus}) started his career in Minnesota, winning at Canterbury on the grass before running credibly over Tapeta at Golden Gate Fields in early winter.

One of his two wins there, in the Feb. 11 El Camino Real Derby (lifetime best 82 Beyer), gave him an automatic berth into the Preakness. But this $10,000 KEENOV gelding has been seventh and eighth in two starts since then.

He was outgunned in his only lifetime try over fast dirt in the Mar. 4 GII San Felipe S. at Santa Anita, then was the beaten 5-2 fave when returning to Golden Gate for the Apr. 29 California Derby.

8) Coffeewithchris
The Preakness is always a little more interesting with a Maryland-bred long shot in the mix, and Coffeewithchris fits the bill as this year's local hopeful after having sold for $2,000 as an EASOCT yearling.

This gelding has been steadily competing in the series of sophomore stakes on the Maryland circuit, and he most recently raced to the front in the moderate-paced $125,000 Federico Tesio S., where he held well under pressure until upper stretch before regressing to fifth.

But they'll be going a bit quicker in the Preakness, and the 88-85-82 downward arc of the last three Beyers for Coffeewithchris doesn't bode well for his chances.

His sire, Ride on Curlin, finished second in the 2014 Preakness at 10-1 odds behind California Chrome. He competed in all three Triple Crown races (7th, 2nd, 11th), yet concluded his 22-race career never having won beyond six furlongs.

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