Preakness Decisions Hang on Justify's Return to Track

Like many in the racing community, trainer Tom Amoss is interested to see how unbeaten Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Justify looks once he returns to the track.

Amoss' charge Lone Sailor—eighth in the Kentucky Derby—returned to the track at Churchill Downs May 9 for a 1 1/2-mile gallop and is among those whose status for the May 19 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course hinges in part on Justify, who has been treated for a bruised heel following his 2 1/2-length victory in the first leg of the Triple Crown.

As of Tuesday, the only confirmed horses slated to face Justify in the Preakness are graded stakes winner Quip and the D. Wayne Lukas-trained pair of Bravazo—sixth in the Kentucky Derby—and Sporting Chance. In addition to Lone Sailor, Kentucky Derby runner-up Good Magic, the champion 2-year-old male of 2017, is also under consideration for the middle classic. Trainer Dallas Stewart said Wednesday he is still keeping the Preakness option on the table for Givemeaminit, although the conditioner is leaning toward the June 9 Woody Stephens Stakes (G2).

"We'll kind of wait and see—see how our horse trains. And I don't think it's any secret we're also looking to see what Justify plans on doing," Amoss said of Lone Sailor possibly heading to Baltimore. "And I'm not in that boat by myself. I think a lot of trainers are interested in how he's doing and whether he's actually going to run in the Preakness or not."

The Preakness remains the plan for Justify, who walked the shedrow for a fourth straight day Wednesday at Churchill and is scheduled to go to the track to gallop Thursday, according to trainer Bob Baffert. Baffert has been fielding his share of inquiries regarding the son of Scat Daddy after videos posted on social media the morning after Justify's Kentucky Derby win showed him appearing to favor his left hind as Baffert led him out and showed him off to a crowd of onlookers.

Baffert said the colt was treated for a minor skin ailment known as "scratches," which was irritated when he walked Justify on the gravel in front of the barn. Dr. Mary Scollay, equine medical director for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, said Wednesday that commission veterinarians saw no evidence of a skin ailment during an examination of Justify Tuesday, but added the colt was moving completely sound after receiving treatment for a bruised heel.

"We inspected the horse yesterday, watched him travel, and he looked fine," Scollay said. "At the time of our inspection, there was no evidence of skin disease. Could it have been there and cleared up with treatment? It's possible.

"They made a revision to the shoe on the hind foot. He got treated with an anti-inflammatory on Monday and when we looked at him yesterday, it had been 24 hours since he had received any medication, so we were quite confident that what we were seeing was an accurate representation of what was going on with him. We turned him in a tight circle in each direction. There was no evidence of reluctance to move or favoring the leg. He jogged like a show horse. If we were to see him and he looked like that in pre-race exam, we would have been perfectly satisfied with him."

Baffert said Wednesday that his team got on top of the treatment for the skin ailment immediately and "didn't give it a chance." He also said the heel bruise was a consequence of traveling over a sloppy track in the Kentucky Derby.

"When he goes to the track (Thursday), he'll be good. He's fine," Baffert said. "When I brought him out (Sunday), he looked fine. I just wanted to show him off. I was so proud of him. And when he turned on that gravel … I almost didn't take him out there … and when he turned, that's when it bit him and he flinched. I had to go catch a plane, so I told my staff to get on it.

"I knew it was something from the track. A lot of times from the wet track, a lot of them will burn their heels. But if you get on it right away, it's preventative. Because if it's irritating them, that's when the 'scratches' come on. So we jumped on it right away, and he just got better and better. Yesterday he was 100%, and today he was jumping out of his skin. I almost took him to the track today."

Baffert is slated to return to Louisville this weekend to oversee Justify in his final preparations for the Preakness. Owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners, and Starlight Racing, Justify is scheduled to ship to Baltimore May 16.

"We feel really good about it," Baffert said. "We deal with these kind of things on a daily basis. It's too bad it happened. I brought him out just trying to show him to the world because he was dragging me around the barn. But once we get him out there tomorrow, it will be fine."