Brown Makes it a Double With Risk Taking in Preakness

In a late change of plans, the well-named Risk Taking  will be entered for the May 15 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, trainer Chad Brown said May 7.

Rather than run around one turn going 1 1/8 miles in the $200,000 Peter Pan Stakes (G3) Saturday at Belmont Park, for which he was the morning-line favorite, Risk Taking will join his Klaravich Stables' stablemate Crowded Trade  in pursuit of a cool $1 million in the 1 3/16-mile Preakness.

Baltimore native Seth Klarman is the proprietor of Klaravich Stables, which was the co-owner of Brown's 2017 Preakness winner Cloud Computing  .

"After a couple of lengthy discussions with Mr. Klarman, we feel that this horse is better around two turns. That, along with the defections, it just seemed like a good opportunity to take a chance with the horse," Brown said. "I know he is the morning-line favorite for the Peter Pan and we are giving that up, but the reward is, if we are able to get lucky in this race and have him run the race of his life and potentially win or be right there, it's a huge purse.

"Along with that, it's a little better for him around two turns with the extra distance. Of course, it's a tougher race, but it just came down to a risk-and-reward situation and getting the opportunity to try him around two turns."

The Preakness will be Risk Taking's first start since he disappointed as the 2-1 favorite in the April 3 Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack, where he finished a well-beaten seventh of nine horses. Prior to the Wood, he broke his maiden Dec. 13 and won the Feb. 6 Withers Stakes (G3), both at 1 1/8 miles. 

"Our optimism is really based on being able to confidently draw a line through the Wood," Brown said. "If we do that, and if he was to move forward off his previous two races, another step forward, finishing strong at a mile and three-sixteenths, it could potentially put him in the trifecta or maybe better."

Jose Ortiz will ride the son of Medaglia d'Oro   in the Preakness. Javier Castellano has the call on Crowded Trade, a son of More Than Ready   who has been on course for the Preakness since finishing third in the Wood Memorial off a runner-up finish in the Gotham Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct.

Although Crowded Trade had enough qualifying points to make it into the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), Brown opted to skip the 1 1/4-mile classic and wait for the Preakness.

"We specifically sat out the Derby to try to give him a little bit more time in between starts and try a slightly shorter distance than the Derby," Brown said. "As of right now, we're still following that thought process to give it a try."

Brown plans to work Risk Taking and Crowded Trade Saturday morning at Belmont Park.