Always Dreaming Gallops Within Himself at Pimlico

Exercise rider Nick Bush was pleased for two reasons as he hopped off Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Always Dreaming.

The serene atmosphere of early mornings at Pimlico Race Course have suited the Bodemeister   colt well, so while his gallops leading up to the May 20 Preakness Stakes (G1) have been significantly different than his training up to the Derby, he's still showing enthusiasm and strength under Bush in the mornings.

His gallop one time around the Pimlico main track May 14 was another spin within himself, unlike those unruly gallops at Churchill Downs, but Bush still felt that oomph.

"Leading up to the Derby, he was a little more on it, because it's Churchill Downs and there's more traffic. Here it's more quiet," Bush said of the nearly empty track Always Dreaming encountered at 6 a.m. "But he still feels the same. He still feels good and he still feels (powerful). So I think the tank is filling back up.

"Today we went around there and he was pulling on me like he wanted to go farther."

Trainer Todd Pletcher was also happy with the training session, and reiterated the importance of the tranquility he's experiencing at Pimlico six days ahead of the Preakness.

"We got the quiet environment that we were looking for here and he's settled in very well," Pletcher said. "Each gallop day has been progressively better. He's showed us everything we'd hoped he'd show. He has good energy, good appetite, (he's) moving good, and in good shape today. He's checking off those boxes."

Pletcher said Always Dreaming will continue to gallop into the Preakness, with some schooling sessions mixed in.

"We'll stretch his gallops out a little, like we did this morning," Pletcher said.  "We're not going to do anything too exciting. We'll continue on that path—just some routine gallops and we'll paddock school him sometime this week."

The dark bay colt also went through a bit of schooling Sunday. He went to the gate at Pimlico, and by all accounts handled himself like a professional.

"He went into the gate like a champ—like an older horse," Bush said. "Nothing bothered him. He stood in there with the gate closed and the gate open like it was nothing."

Pletcher is also happy with how Always Dreaming has physically come out of the Derby.

"I don't think he (lost much weight after the Derby)," Pletcher said. "He's kind of a slenderly made horse to begin with, so one of the things we've been conscious of throughout the winter and spring is trying to keep some condition on him, and he's allowed us to do that through now. A mile-and-40-yard race, two mile-and-an-eighth races, a mile-and-a-quarter race—as that campaign starts to build up, you're always concerned that you want them to hold that condition, and he's done that very well."