By Steve Sherack
BALTIMORE, Md. – With a fair amount of rain predicted in the forecast, the top two finishers from the GI Kentucky Derby got down to business early Tuesday morning ahead of this weekend's GI Preakness S. at Pimlico.
Nyquist (Uncle Mo) began to get tacked up in Stall 24 in Stakes Barn D as the clouds continued to roll in just before 6 a.m. The unbeaten champion jogged the wrong way to the wire while accompanied by assistant trainer Jack Sisterson via horseback, then turned in a strong one-mile gallop, gliding nicely over the surface beneath regular exercise rider Jonny Garcia while conditioner Doug O'Neill looked on from the press box porch.
“Looks like we beat the rain,” Sisterson said with a smile while Nyquist jogged back along the outer rail.
A small group enjoying a Sunrise at Old Hilltop tour, welcomed to the barn area by a gregarious outrider, were able to get up close with Nyquist as he made his way through the fairly quiet Pimlico backstretch. Some fans even posed for pictures with the Derby winner, while keeping a safe distance, of course, while the Reddam Racing colorbearer was getting cleaned up following his morning exercise.
“The lead-up and the preparation for these races is almost as fun as the actual race itself,” O'Neill said to the press back at the hospitality tent later in the morning. “When you've got an amazing horse like Nyquist–just watching him gallop is really special and you realize that you're part of a once in a lifetime type of horse.”
He continued, “I realize how unbelievably blessed I am. It's an amazing privilege for me to be a voice of Nyquist and to be able to share him with everyone. Hopefully, he can carry on the torch from [Triple Crown winner] American Pharoah.”
With the NTRA's Joan Lawrence Tweeting out that the Derby second-place finisher Exaggerator (Curlin)–the only other Preakness runner on the grounds slated to train Tuesday–would be heading out at 7:40 a.m., light rain began to fall as temperatures hovered in an unseasonably cool 55 degrees.
The striking dark bay stood quietly while briefly taking in his surroundings after being led onto the track by trainer Keith Desormeaux as artist Sam Robinson took cover from the rain while painting the tranquil morning scene on the apron.
Exaggerator galloped with good energy for 1 1/2 miles ahead of Round 5 with Nyquist Saturday.
With more precipitation in the cards for Wednesday, O'Neill announced that Nyquist would jog two miles at 6 a.m. Exaggerator is expected to train later in the morning and Collected (City Zip), Fellowship (Awesome of Course), Laoban (Uncle Mo) and Uncle Lino (Uncle Mo) will likely be in action as well after arriving Tuesday.
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