Abiding Star Gets All Clear for Preakness

Abiding Star will take his shot at the Preakness Stakes (gr. I).

Connections of the dual stakes-winning Uncle Mo   colt, who is based at Parx Racing, were relieved to get the all-clear May 17 when an equine herpesvirus quarantine at the Pennsylvania track, in place since April 1, was lifted. Abiding Star, the winner of five straight races, will ship to Pimlico Race Course the morning of May 19. J.D. Acosta has the mount in the May 21 Preakness.

"I felt quite confident that was going to happen, but hey, stranger things have gone on," trainer Ned Allard said of the lifted quarantine. "So often you take chances with horses that haven't really done anything that special but won one or two races, but this horse has got a lot of confidence in himself. He's coming off a string of good races, winning races, and I'm sure his confidence level is about as high as it's going to get. Now you need the talent, never mind the confidence."

After winning the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park March 12, Allard and breeder Gilbert Campbell of Stonehedge Farm supplemented Abiding Star as a $6,000 late nomination to the Triple Crown. They planned to run in the April 9 Federico Tesio with a "Win and You're In" berth to the Preakness on the line, but got caught in the quarantine and had to stay at Parx instead.

There, Abiding Star won an April 12 allowance going a mile and 70 yards by 8 3/4 lengths against three others, and took the Parx Derby wire-to-wire at the same distance to beat four rivals by 1 3/4 lengths. He has won five races in a row, but will face his greatest challenge to date against the likes of undefeated Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Nyquist, and Derby runner-up Exaggerator.

"If the only horses that ran were (odds of) 8-5, racing would be a little boring," Allard said. "We're going to take our chances and see if he can face the monsters."

Pimlico will isolate Abiding Star and another Allard trainee, Maryland Sprint Stakes (gr. III) contender Always Sunshine, in temporary stalls on the backstretch of the racetrack, far from the stakes barns that house the other Preakness and undercard stakes contenders. Although neither horse showed signs of illness during the quarantine, as a safety precaution they will also be required to train at 5:00 a.m. ET, before other horses are on the racetrack.

With 100% rain forecast for May 21, Preakness Day, Allard said he's not concerned about the weather.

"That doesn't hurt our chances; both horses have run very well on off racetracks, so that shouldn't hinder them," he remarked. "Always Sunshine is doing awfully good, too, so it should be a fun weekend."