After finishing a bang-up second in the 149th Kentucky Derby, Two Phil's will not make his way to Maryland for the second jewel of the Triple Crown, trainer Larry Rivelli told the Daily Racing Form on Tuesday.
“He came back great, but it's 11 days from today,” Rivelli told DRF. “He just got home (to Hawthorne), he settled in, looks great, but it's way too soon. There's no pressure to do it. I might not have run even if he won, which would have been a bigger deal.”
The 3-year-old son of Hard Spun ran close to the hot early pace under jockey Jareth Loveberry, and took the lead at the head of the stretch but was run down by Mage in the final eighth of a mile.
Next-race options for Two Phil's include the Belmont Stakes on June 10, the Grade 3 Matt Winn at Churchill on June 11, or other options later down the road, like the Jim Dandy and/or Travers at Saratoga.
Meanwhile, DRF also reported that Federico Tesio Stakes winner Perform will be supplemented to the Triple Crown for $150,000 for a start in the Preakness Stakes. Trained by Shug McGaughey, the Good Magic colt came from well off the pace and endured a tough trip to win Laurel's Tesio by a head on April 15.
“I thought he moved up a lot going two turns on dirt, he finished strong [in the Tesio],” McGaughey said. “Distance will help him. It's something we decided we wanted to do.”
Read more at the Daily Racing Form here and here.
The post Two Phil’s Will Skip Baltimore Trip; Tesio Winner Perform Supplemented To Preakness For $150,000 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
