Big Brown to run in Preakness horse race
BALTIMORE, United States (AFP) — Undefeated Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown will have no rival horses from his Triple Crown triumph when he races in Saturday's 133rd Preakness - a situation that hasn't happened in 60 years.
Recapturetheglory has pulled out with a fever and sore right front toe. He finished fifth in last week's Run For The Roses but Lara Van Deren, the horse's assistant trainer, said the colt had a temperature of 102 Saturday.
"He just wasn't acting right. He was backing up against the gate in the stall and he never does that," Van Deren said.
The last time no Derby challenger other than the winner raced at the Preakness was in 1948 when Citation swept the Triple Crown.
"The racehorse comes first," co-owner Ronnie Lamarque said. "He had a slight temperature plus a slight pulse in his right front toe. We are electing to give this horse some time and let him regroup."
Despite losing the only expected rival of Big Brown from the 20-horse Derby lineup, the Preakness field remained at 12.
Macho Again, the Derby Trial winner, booked his spot Saturday for the 1 3/16ths of a mile race, the second jewel in the US horse racing Triple Crown.
"We know Big Brown is there but we feel we can compete with those other horses," Macho Again trainer Dallas Stewart said. "We have an excellent shot of beating a lot of horses in the race. It is a good field but we feel we fit."
Big Brown improved his career record to 4-0 with a 4 3/4-length victory last week in the 134th Kentucky Derby, becoming the first Derby winner from the outside post since Clyde Van Dusen in 1929.
The Derby victory was marred by the euthanizing of runner-up Eight Belles, which suffered two broken ankles in the race.
Now Big Brown will try to take another step toward becoming the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 by capturing the shortest of the showdowns here at Pimlico.
The last Triple Crown race, the Belmont Stakes, will be three weeks later.
"One horse is not going to scare everybody," Stewart said. "If Big Brown does not perform, you have a chance to win the Preakness."
Unbeaten colt Harlem Rocker, the Withers stakes winner trained by Todd Pletcher, could also join the lineup.
