“He trained all right this morning,” said Confidence Game's trainer, Keith Desormeaux.

The colt was last seen finishing 10th in the GI Kentucky Derby.

“He's just not 100%. He's got something aggravating him in the right front shoulder area. We're going to send him to Dr. [Larry] Bramlage [at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital] and let him do full diagnostics and let him advise us on how to proceed. He's good, but he's not Preakness perfect.”

After he was scratched from Saturday's Long Branch S. at Monmouth, Coffeewithchris's connections alerted Pimlico officials Saturday morning that the Maryland bred is being pointed toward a Preakness start. Jaime Rodriguez, who has been aboard for the gelding's last five starts including a win in Laurel's Heft S., will have the mount in the second jewel in the Triple Crown.

“Our plan was to run in the Preakness,” said trainer John Salzman Jr. “We were hoping to win the [Federico] Tesio [5th last time out Apr. 15]. The biggest thing is coming up with the money sometimes. I'm a poor working guy. Thirty thousand is a lot of money. I looked at the Long Branch. It wasn't an easy spot. If it was an easy spot, I might have gone on to the Long Branch. I worked it out to come up with the funds to take a chance. I don't get to take a chance very often.”

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