Papa Clem, who finished fourth in the Derby and is trained by Gary Stute, will be at Pimlico. Stute announced that his horse is in the Preakness for sure and that he expects to be a contender.
"I looked at the charts this morning, and I was only beaten [by] a nose and a head for second," Stute said.
"To be honest, Baffert's horse [Pioneerof the Nile] came over and bumped me. If it were a normal race, there might have been an inquiry. With any luck, we could have been second."
Freisan Fire, who looked like a Derby contender but finished 18th, has an uncertain Preakness future. Cindy Jones, wife of trainer Larry Jones, said Sunday morning that the horse will need to recover from an injury that occurred in the Derby. Early in the race, he grabbed a quarter, which is the term for when the back foot strikes the back of one of the front hooves.
"He looks almost like he has a floor burn, like when basketball players dive on the floor and take the skin off," Cindy Jones said. "He was bleeding pretty good front left. He also had a big piece of black [leg] wrap under his horseshoe. It wouldn't come out. We had to pull the nails out to get it out."
It was hard, though, for anyone to focus on anything else besides the incredible tale of Mine That Bird and his owners, especially because it kept getting better Sunday morning. Blach informed reporters that Allen and Woolley had been childhood buddies but left the origins of their friendship vague when reporters asked about it.
"I don't know if we're allowed to tell that story," Blach said.
After he was pressed a bit, Allen sheepishly acknowledged that he and Woolley became close only after Woolley came to his defense in a bar fight more than 25 years ago.
"I started a fight, and he helped me out," Allen said, with a grin as big as his bagel-size belt buckle.
Did the two of you win?
"We wound up on top," Allen said. "But it took us awhile."
PREAKNESS May 16, Pimlico Race Course
Post time: approximately 6:18 p.m.
TV: 4:30 p.m., chs. 11, 4
preakness events
May 13
* Sunrise at Old Hilltop, 6 a.m.-9 a.m., Pimlico apron
* Preakness Draw, 5-5:30 p.m. Stakes barn, invitation only, HRTV and ESPN360
May 14
* Sunrise at Old Hilltop 6 a.m.-9 a.m.
* Preakness Alibi Breakfast, 9:30 a.m., Terrace Dining Room, invitation only
May 15
* Sunrise at Old Hilltop, 6 a.m.-9 a.m.
* Preakness Celebration Parade, 8:30 p.m., from Baltimore Convention Center down Pratt Street
* $50,000 Jockey Challenge, races 3, 5, 7, 9; first race 12:15 p.m.
* Jockey autograph session, 11-11:30 a.m., first floor grandstand
* DRF handicapping seminar, 11:30 a.m.-noon, first-floor grandstand
* Book signing session, noon-2 p.m., first-floor grandstand
* Black-Eyed Susan Day, first post 12:15 p.m.; Race 12
May 16
* Preakness Day and InfieldFest; gates open, 8 a.m., first race at 10:15 a.m.
TV
* HRTV and ESPN360:
May 15, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.;
May 16, 11:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
* Chs. 11 and 4: May 16, national coverage, 4:30 p.m.- approximately 6:45 p.m.
* Ch. 11: May 16, local coverage, 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m., approximately 6:45 p.m.-8 p.m.
