Gayego will take another shot at heavy favorite Big Brown

BALTIMORE — In the immediate aftermath of his impressive Kentucky Derby victory 11 days ago, none of Big Brown’s 19 opponents were eager to take him on again in the Preakness.

Now, there is one.

Trainer Paulo Lobo confirmed Tuesday that Arkansas Derby winner Gayego, who finished a troubled 17th in Louisville, will be at Pimlico Race Course for Saturday’s second leg of the Triple Crown.

Lobo, who is based in California, said Gayego galloped 11⁄4 miles at Hollywood Park Tuesday morning and is scheduled to arrive here this afternoon following a cross-country flight with another Preakness contender, Yankee Bravo.

“He’s an extremely good shipper,” Lobo said. “He came back very well. He’s been eating everything, and he’s feeling happy.”

Lobo said Gayego, the Derby’s sixth betting choice at 18-1, lost all chance after breaking slowly and being caught in traffic early. The Gilded Time colt had finished first or second in each of his first five career starts.

This will mark the sixth time since Derby horses began running in the Preakness in 1918 that only two Derby starters went on to Baltimore. The last time came in 1980, when Codex defeated Derby-winning filly Genuine Risk, giving Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas his first win in a Triple Crown race.

Recapturetheglory, fifth in the Derby, was being considered for a Preakness return, but was withdrawn over the weekend after developing a fever. It hasn’t been since Citation in 1948 when a Derby winner faced none of his Kentucky opponents in the Preakness.

Adding Gayego brings the prospective Preakness field to 13, led by Big Brown, who is expected to be the biggest favorite in race history. Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus lost at odds of 1-5 in 2000.

The flight carrying Big Brown and Churchill Downs-based Preakness contenders Racecar Rhapsody and Tres Borrachos is scheduled to land in Baltimore at 5:30 p.m. today. The three horses are expected to arrive at Pimlico around 6:30.

Big Brown’s trainer, Rick Dutrow, is expected to attend today’s nationally televised post-position draw, which begins at 5 p.m. at the ESPN Zone in downtown’s Inner Harbor.

“If our horse can just get over the two-week thing and basically go out there and run the way he has been running,” Dutrow said, “he’s going to be tough to beat.”

Three Preakness horses had timed workouts on Tuesday. Giant Moon, trained by Rick Schosberg, was clocked in a bullet :47.77 for four furlongs at Belmont Park. On Monday night, Giant Moon was named champion 2-year-old male of 2007 at the New York Thoroughbred Breeders’ annual awards dinner.

“It looks like he’s fine,” Schosberg said. “He cooled out in good order, and he’s biting and playing and acting like himself after the work, so I’m not too worried about him.”

Stevil, trained by Hall of Famer Nick Zito, went a half-mile in :47.80 at Churchill Downs. The work ranked sixth of 61 horses at the distance.

“It was pretty nice, and he galloped out real nice,” Zito said. “He’s a very consistent horse, and hopefully, he’ll run well Saturday.”

Also working at Churchill was Tres Borrachos, who was timed in :50.40 for trainer Beau Greely. California-based jockey Tyler Baze, who will ride on Saturday, flew in for the breeze.