Baffert Bypasses Preakness with Crude Velocity; Silent Tactic Back on Track
Bob Baffert announced Friday morning that undefeated Crude Velocity would skip the May 16 Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park, citing concerns about rushing the colt into two-turn competition. The Hall of Fame trainer revealed his decision during Steve Byk’s “At the Races” radio show.
The Pat Day Mile winner, who dominated the Grade 2 contest on the Kentucky Derby undercard, would likely have been favored in a Preakness field already missing Derby champion Golden Tempo. Despite holding a record eight Preakness victories, Baffert prioritized the horse’s long-term development.
“I would love to be there but going a mile and three-sixteenths, two turns for the first time coming off those big speed figures wouldn’t be right,” Baffert explained.
Future Campaign Takes Shape
Baffert mapped out an ambitious schedule for the 3-for-3 colt, who has competed exclusively around one turn. The Grade 1 Woody Stephens at seven furlongs on June 6 at Saratoga emerged as the likely target, though Baffert didn’t completely rule out Churchill Downs’ Grade 3 Matt Winn Stakes on June 7 as a two-turn test at 1 1/16 miles.
“This horse needs to run in Grade 1s,” Baffert stated, adding that the Grade 1 Haskell on July 18 at Monmouth Park “is a race that’s very important to me.” The trainer has captured the Haskell nine times.
Looking further ahead, Baffert expressed interest in campaigning Crude Velocity at four, identifying the $20 million Saudi Cup in mid-February as “a bucket-list race.”
Silent Tactic Shows Progress
Mark Casse’s Silent Tactic kept his Preakness hopes alive with a half-mile work in :48.80 at Churchill Downs on Friday. The Grade 1 Arkansas Derby runner-up, scratched from the Kentucky Derby with a bruised foot, moved closer to a Preakness start with the solid breeze.
“If he didn’t work well today I would have said we’re not going, but he worked well enough it is still a possibility,” Casse assessed. “There’s a much greater possibility today than there was yesterday.”
Silent Tactic compiled an impressive Oaklawn Park campaign, finishing second in the Smarty Jones Stakes, winning the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes, then losing by a nose to Class President in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes and four lengths to Renegade in the Arkansas Derby. Renegade validated that form with his Kentucky Derby runner-up finish.
Field Dynamics Shift
Crude Velocity’s withdrawal triggered a reshuffling of the Preakness hierarchy. Corona de Oro jumped from third also-eligible into the field, leapfrogging Smoovin Saturday and Pretty Boy Miah through the complex qualification system.
The defection allowed Robusta to qualify under the provision guaranteeing spots to the seven horses with the highest graded stakes earnings. Corona de Oro secured entry through superior non-restricted stakes earnings compared to Smoovin Saturday and Pretty Boy Miah, despite the latter two holding higher lifetime earnings.
As of Friday morning, 16 horses remained under consideration for the 14-horse field, with two potential also-eligible spots. Entries close Monday with post positions assigned the same day.
Automatic Qualifiers Set
Three horses secured guaranteed Preakness berths through different paths. Taj Mahal (Federico Tesio Stakes) and Crupper (Bathhouse Row Stakes) earned automatic entry through prep race victories. Ocelli, despite remaining winless, qualified via his third-place Derby finish under the rule stating no horse earning Derby purse money can be denied Preakness entry.
Weekend Work Schedule
Final preparations continued for potential starters. Great White, who flipped behind the gate before the Derby start, faced a critical workout with trainer John Ennis considering personally supervising Saturday’s breeze to assess the colt’s readiness.
Express Kid completed five furlongs from the gate in 1:00.71 at Lone Star Park on Thursday. The Springboard Mile winner hasn’t raced since losing by a nose to Pavlovian in February’s Sunland Derby.
Jockey Change
Rafael Bejarano secured the mount on Robusta for the Preakness, replacing Cristian Torres who rode the colt to 14th in the Kentucky Derby.
