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| Sumita Pawar |
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Bob Baffert, a renowned trainer who is currently banned by Churchill Downs from racing in the Gr.1 Kentucky Derby, is gearing up to showcase two 3YOs in the upcoming Gr.1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on 18th May.
One of the two horses is Muth, who was confirmed for the second leg of the Triple Crown by Zedan Racing Stables or Amr Zedan, the owner, after his unsuccessful legal challenge to the ban. The other horse is Imagination, trained by Bob Baffert and pointed to the Preakness, according to Jack Wolf, the co-owner, who confirmed it on 29th April.
The Into Mischief colt, who won the Gr.2 San Felipe Stakes, finished a close second to Stronghold in the Gr.1 Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park. He recently breezed five furlongs in :59 4/5 at Santa Anita on 28th April, which is his second workout since his last race.
"Knock on wood, the horse came out of the breeze in good order," said Wolf, co-founder of Starlight Racing.
On Sunday, Muth had a smooth run at Santa Anita, completing six furlongs in just 1 minute and 12.4 seconds. As a result, it is anticipated that Muth will be among the top picks for the Preakness race.
The partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Bob Masterson, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, and Tom Ryan has set the imagination racing.
It's noteworthy that many of these owners clinched the Preakness last year with National Treasure, which happened to be Baffert's eighth Preakness win. This year, at the age of 4, National Treasure achieved another milestone by adding the Gr.1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes to its name.