Quiet, please

by William Nack

Posted: Fri May 15, 1998

The complexion of Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, the second leg of the Triple Crown, changed dramatically in the last week with the loss of two quality horses from the field, Indian Charlie and Halory Hunter—the third- and fourth-place finishers in the May 2 Kentucky Derby—and the sudden addition of one other major contender: the stretch-running Victory Gallop, the second-place finisher in the Derby.

When Halory Hunter suffered a medial condylar fracture of the left front fetlock on Tuesday morning, the Preakness lost a stretch-running colt who would have been a factor in a race in which the pace was expected to be fast from the outset. And on the same day, when trainer Bob Baffert made the surprising announcement that Indian Charlie was out—the colt had lost too much weight in his Derby exertions, Baffert said, and he was giving him a chance to recuperate—the Preakness lost a speedy bay who had been expected to give Baffert's Kentucky Derby winner, Real Quiet, perhaps his most searching competition in the Preakness.

Stretch-running Victory Gallop had been a doubtful starter until Indian Charlie and Halory Hunter departed and trainer D. Wayne Lukas, obviously in order to assure a fast early pace for his stretch-running Cape Town, entered a sprinter named Baquero in the Preakness. Baffert has been crowing all week that Real Quiet has trained superbly since winning the Derby and is looking and acting like he will run even better at Pimlico than he did at Churchill Downs. Baffert's only concern is that the colt has the outside post position, No. 11, and will get hung up wide on the first turn.

Expect Baquero to lead heading into the far turn, with Real Quiet chasing him on the turn for home. A real horse race will unfold through the stretch, with Real Quiet once again holding off Victory Gallop down the lane to win it.