Preakness report
Posted on Thursday, May 15, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/225773/
Zito sees Stevil in the money
BALTIMORE — Trainer Nick Zito has a modest goal for Stevil in the Preakness on Saturday.
“I think he’ll be in the money,” Zito said. “I’ll be surprised if he’s not, and I don’t usually say that. That’s all I could ask for.”
Against Big Brown, the dominant winner of the Kentucky Derby, snaring a smaller piece of the $ 1 million purse is a realistic target.
“The story, without question, is Big Brown,” Zito said. “I hope we run a good race, get close and try to beat him in the next town. To say anybody, on paper, can beat Big Brown is a hard stretch. However, they don’t run on paper. They run on dirt, and they run here. We’ll see what happens.”
Zito, who won the 1996 Preakness with Louis Quatorze, has gotten minor shares the past three years. He was fourth with Sun King in 2005, third with Hemingway’s Key in 2006 and fourth last year with C P West.
Stevil will be Zito’s 19 th Preakness starter, tying him for second all-time with Max Hirsch. D. Wayne Lukas holds the mark with 32 runners in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.
Stevil will try to end a five-race losing streak dating to his maiden victory at Belmont Park in October. Most recently, Stevil was fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes. The gray colt’s string of defeats has not discouraged Zito.
“He’s very consistent,” Zito said. “He always runs a good race.”
John Velazquez has the mount, becoming the fifth different jockey to ride the colt.
Dirt man The topic of track surfaces has come to forefront again following the fatal breakdown of the filly Eight Belles after finishing second in the Kentucky Derby. Advocates of the new synthetic tracks make the case that the composite surfaces that include rubber and plastic prevent breakdowns and should be installed at the Triple Crown venues: Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont Park. Trainer Nick Zito is a traditionalist who clings to dirt racing. Rather than make a wholesale switch, Zito urges the existing dirt tracks to focus on renovating their racing strips while conducting more extensive soil-sample testing. “We want to protect the horses,” Zito said. “I like dirt because God made dirt and grass. The issue of Eight Belles is going to come up over and over this week. We have a big issue with track surfaces and protecting these horses. There should be more research in dirt surfaces before we change everything over.” Back for more Hey Byrn never had a clean shot at Big Brown in the Florida Derby. The colt was knocked off his game at the start, bumped hard at the break. “The start kind of took its toll,” said trainer Eddie Plesa Jr. Hey Byrn recovered to finish a distant fourth. A cleaner trip might not have made a difference as Big Brown powered away to a five-length win. Hey Byrn is back to tackle the Derby winner, having regrouped by winning the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream
3 Park at the same 1 / 16-mile distance as the Preakness. Hey Byrn is one of most consistent horses in the field, with the Florida Derby the lone defeat in four races this season.