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King Fury’s Fever Returns; Lexington Winner No Longer Under Consideration For Preakness

Trainer Kenny McPeek took Lexington (G3) winner King Fury out of consideration for the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico, reporting Tuesday that the temperature that had knocked him out of the Kentucky Derby (G1) has flared back up.

“There's no way to make the Preakness,” he said. “It's a no-brainer.”

McPeek said that King Fury had a “significant cough” Tuesday morning.

King Fury, who earned his way into the Kentucky Derby with an impressive victory in the Lexington at Keeneland, was withdrawn from the Run for the Roses the day before the race.

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Derby Winner Will Van To Pimlico Due To Tex Sutton Service Disruption

Trainer Bob Baffert told media Sunday morning that his Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit, would have to be vanned from Churchill Downs to Pimlico next week for the Preakness Stakes. The usual flight will not be an option due to a service disruption with Tex Sutton, the dominant equine air-transport company in the U.S.

According to the Daily Racing Form, Tex Sutton's lease on “Air Horse One,” its current aircraft, expires on May 8, and negotiations for a new lease have begun but are not yet complete.

“We are in the process of putting a new contract together with another cargo airline,” read a statement from Tex Sutton. “Because of the regulatory process required to get them up and running, we anticipate a short-term gap in our normal service.”

Most of the horses competing in the Preakness are already located on the East Coast, and the one probable entrant still in California, Rombauer, was scheduled to fly to New Jersey on May 5.

‘Outside Chance’: D. Wayne Lukas Considering Pharoah Colt Ram For Preakness Try

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Monday that Ram, who has won his last two starts, is being considered for the 146th Preakness on May 15 at Pimlico Race Course.

Lukas, 85, is a six-time winner of the Preakness, starting with his debut runner, Codex, in 1980. He has saddled a record 44 horses for the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. His most recent Preakness horse was Market King, who was 12th in 2019. In addition to his six wins, he has two seconds and five thirds in the race.

“Pimlico is my favorite spot,” Lukas said. “I would love to come. We all think that Pimlico is the most fun of all the Triple Crown races, without a doubt.”

Ram, a son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, is owned by Christina Baker and William Mack. The ridgling won the opening race on Saturday's Kentucky Derby program at Churchill Downs. Lukas said he is considering other races for Ram as well and probably won't make a decision on the Preakness until next weekend.

“There is an outside chance,” Lukas said. “We've talked about it and I don't know how strong the owner is about it. We'll take a look at the field and see who is going.”

Mack and Christina Baker's late husband, Robert, have teamed with Lukas for about 30 years. Among the horses Lukas has handled for the partners are Grade 1 winners Strong Mandate, Dublin and Sporting Chance. Ram broke his maiden on April 16 in his eighth start and followed with the 3 ½-length allowance victory at a mile.

“He was one of my picks as a yearling and he was, what I like, a little bit feminine,” Lukas said. “He needed some time, but he had all the angles that I like. He's been slow to develop, but he's come along and he is really in great shape right now. If we manage him a little bit, he's going to be a factor.”

Lukas, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1999, operates a racing stable based at Churchill Downs and Oaklawn Park. He has 34 horses in his care and said he typically spends four to five hours in the saddle supervising his runners during training hours.

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‘So Far, So Good’ For King Fury Try In Preakness; Midnight Bourbon Could Return In Second Jewel

Trainer Kenny McPeek, who saddled filly Swiss Skydiver for a gutsy victory over Kentucky Derby victor Authentic in the 2020 Preakness (G1) last October, is hoping to be back at Pimlico for this year's Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown with stretch-running King Fury. The Lexington Stakes (G3) winner was scratched Friday from the Kentucky Derby after spiking a temperature.

With the Churchill Downs track sloppy following an overnight rain, King Fury had a walk day Monday with his temperature back to normal. “So far so good,” said assistant trainer Greg Geier.

McPeek called the temperature spike 'a one-off deal' Sunday, reporting that the son of Curlin had responded quickly to treatment and had good energy on Derby Day.

“It will be one of those call-an-audible-at-the-line-of-scrimmage [things]. We'll take it into Friday, and see what kind of week he has. If he has a good week, we'll contemplate working him Saturday or Sunday,” McPeek said. “Everything will have to fall into line. He'll have to show there are no ill after-effects on him. He'll have to have good blood work and a good scope (endoscopic exam).”

After watching Medina Spirit's front-running victory in the Derby, McPeek thinks that the race scenario may well have stacked the odds against King Fury, who closed from far back to win the Lexington going away.

“And I don't know if that Derby would have set up for him, either. Might have been fortuitous. It didn't look like anybody could really close any ground,” he said. “The way the racetrack played, they even went fast early and kept going.”

When it was suggested that McPeek didn't see anything in the Derby to scare him away from the Preakness, he said with a laugh: “If I wasn't scared last year, I wouldn't be scared this year. If I've got a horse doing good, I'm going to go. If he's doing really well, we'll go. If he backs out of the tub or his bloodwork isn't right, any notion that he isn't at a full energy level, then we won't go. If he is, we'll go.”

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, who rallied to finish sixth in the Kentucky Derby following an awkward start took him out of his usual up-close style, is under Preakness consideration. The Louisiana Derby (G2) runner-up had another scheduled walk day Monday at Churchill Downs and will walk again Tuesday before resuming training Wednesday, said trainer Steve Asmussen.

Asmussen won the 2007 Preakness with two-time Horse of the Year Curlin and again in 2009 with Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner and Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.

“We're considering running in the Preakness, but we will obviously defer to his training,” the trainer said. “We'll keep discussions open.”

Asmussen said jockey Mike Smith told him that Midnight Bourbon's 'hind end slipped out,' and that's that. It wasn't where we were hoping to be. He ran reasonable after a poor beginning, covered plenty of ground and didn't look like he was horribly overmatched – or overmatched at all.”

Trainer Brad Cox said Monday morning that Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun and fourth-place finisher Essential Quality continue to bounce out of the race well with a Preakness decision yet to be made for either horse.

Cox said he has to talk to owner John Ed Anthony about possibly running Caddo River in the Preakness. Anthony, who now races in the name of Shortleaf Stable, won the 1992 Preakness with Pine Bluff and in 1993 with Prairie Bayou while racing with ex-wife Mary Lynn Dudley under the Loblolly Stable banner.

Caddo River, who finished second in the Arkansas Derby, was knocked out of the Kentucky Derby after spiking a temperature.

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