Baltimore won't have to relive another Preakness on Saturday without the Kentucky Derby winner after all this year.
Although connections for Mine That Bird were initially hesitant about participating in the $1 million Preakness on May 16, trainer Chip Woolley Jr. told the Maryland Jockey Club on Monday that his 3-year-old gelding would run in the race at Pimlico Race Course.
The sigh of relief from Old Hilltop was almost audible.
"I think it would've taken a lot of shine off of it," marketing expert John Maroon of Maroon PR said Monday shortly after Mine That Bird committed to the 134th Preakness. "The allure of the potential Triple Crown for your casual race fan is a big deal. From a marketing perspective, and making it a newsworthy story, having the Kentucky Derby winner there is vital."
History supports that sentiment.
In 1996 - the last time the Preakness ran without the Derby winner - Pimlico had an on-site attendance of 85,122. That was the race's lowest attendance figure in 20 years. The in-state, total handle that year was $6.74 million, the smallest handle in the past 21 years.
There was a similar, precipitous drop-off in 1985, when Spend a Buck bypassed Baltimore after winning in Kentucky.
A career-ending injury took Kentucky Derby-winning Grindstone out of the 1996 Preakness. Shock might have been the reason Mine That Bird's connections declined to make a quick commitment after Saturday's historic upset at Churchill Downs.
Woolley told jockey club officials he wanted to see Mine That Bird two days after his spectacular sprint in the Louisville mud. Sometime after the colt jogged a mile on the still-sloppy track, plans were made to ship him to Baltimore early next week.
Saying he felt no obligation to run in the Preakness, Woolley nevertheless acknowledged the pull of the Triple Crown.
"It is good for the sport," he said. "You cannot have a Triple Crown winner without having the Derby winner in the Preakness. That played into our decision, but the horse looks super. I have never been to Baltimore, but it looks like I won't be able to say that in a few days."
Mine That Bird, a 50-1 long shot in Louisville, will get considerably better odds in Baltimore. But Pimlico won't set those odds until the post-position draw May 13. The Preakness is limited to 14 horses.
