Baffert’s Concert Tour Joins Derby Winner Medina Spirit in Preakness Stakes

BALTIMORE, MD – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said Tuesday morning that the time was right for Gary and Mary West’s Concert Tour to jump onto the Triple Crown trail in the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico Race Course.

“We figure, this is the race,” Baffert said by phone from Santa Anita. “The Derby is run. A lot of horses, they went through a lot to get here.  He’s sort of a fresh horse. In the Rebel, he looked so good.”

Concert Tour, who captured the March 13 Rebel (G2) at Oaklawn by 4 ¼ lengths, was withdrawn from consideration for last Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (G1) after finishing third as the 3-10 favorite in the Arkansas Derby (G1) on April 10. Baffert made the decision to point the son of Street Sense to the Preakness instead and he confirmed this week that the colt will indeed compete in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Concert Tour is scheduled to clash with stablemate Medina Spirit, who gave Baffert his record seventh Kentucky Derby success with a gutsy front-running victory at Churchill Downs.

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will ride Concert Tour for the first time in the Preakness.

Since the Arkansas Derby, Concert Tour has worked twice at Churchill Downs. Baffert watched him breeze five furlongs in 1:00.60 Sunday morning and decided he should stay on course for the Preakness. Concert Tour will work again this weekend before shipping to Baltimore early next week.

Baffert said that he made changes in strategy after Medina Spirit was second as the favorite in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 3. Putting the colt on the lead in the Derby led to his triumph. Meanwhile, he’s had to fine-tune his approach with Concert Tour.

“We’re getting to know these horses,” Baffert said. “He’s lightly raced, but we’ve learned a lot about him. So we make adjustments and here we are.

“We know what we need to do, just like Medina Spirit. You get beat and you figure it out,” he added. “You learn more from your losses: what a horse likes, what he doesn’t like. Did I have him ready? I make notes and figure out what’s wrong. Three weeks just wasn’t enough to really feel comfortable to go in there and Gary We­­­st really didn’t feel comfortable running in the Derby after a race like that.” 

Baffert said he spoke with Gary West after Concert Tour’s Sunday morning workout and they decided to continue with the plan to run at Pimlico.  

“He asked me, ‘Did he work well enough to run in the Preakness?’” Baffert said. “I said, ‘Yes, he did. He worked well.’”

Once that question was answered, the Wests did not hesitate to make plans for the Preakness. 

“That’s why they are in the business and that’s why they want to try for it,” Baffert said. “If you can run in the Preakness and win the Preakness, it’s a very exciting race.”

Concert Tour entered the Arkansas Derby unbeaten in three starts and a top candidate to be among the Kentucky Derby favorites. He faltered, though, forcing to Baffert to change his schedule. 

“We’ll find out. Let’s see how good he is,” Baffert said. “Maybe he’s good or maybe not as good as we thought he was. We’re going to find out next week.” 

Zedan Racing’s Medina Spirit could resume training Wednesday at Churchill Downs as the 3-year-old colt prepares for the Preakness Stakes. Medina Spirit had his third scheduled walk day Tuesday after his 12-1 upset Derby victory.

Jimmy Barnes, Baffert’s top assistant who is overseeing the training of Medina Spirit and the stable’s other horses at Churchill Downs, said Concert Tour returned to the track Tuesday morning after a day off following Sunday’s five-furlong workout.

“Concert Tour jogged. Medina walked again today. We’ll talk to Bob and see if he wants to go another day or jog him tomorrow or something,” Barnes said. “Everyone is very healthy. I couldn’t be happier with them.”

Preakness under Consideration for Keepmeinmind

Trainer Robertino Diodoro told Maryland Jockey Club racing officials that Keepmeinmind, the seventh-place finisher in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (G1), is being considered for a run in the May 15 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico.

 Keepmeinmind trailed the 19-horse Derby field for three-quarters of a mile before making a very wide drive to finish seventh.

The son of Laoban, who is owned by Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith and Spendthrift Farm LLC, finished third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland before capturing the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs. The Kentucky-bred colt is winless in three starts this year.

Essential Quality to Skip 146^th Preakness Stakes

Trainer Brad Cox confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Godolphin’s Essential Quality, the fourth-place finisher and beaten favorite in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (G1), has been removed from consideration for the May 15 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico.

Cox said via text that no decision has been made on the 2020 Eclipse champion’s next start.

Decisions on the Preakness status of Juddmonte Farms’ Kentucky Derby runner-up Mandaloun and Shortleaf Stable’s Caddo River are still pending. Caddo River, the Arkansas Derby (G1) runner-up who was taken out of Derby consideration after spiking a temperature, returned to the worktab at Churchill Downs Monday with a half-mile breeze in 48.80 seconds.

Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Midnight Bourbon, who finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), had another scheduled walk day at Churchill Downs Tuesday morning. Trainer Steve Asmussen said all was well with the Tiznow colt but that no final decision on the May 15 Preakness (G1) at Pimlico could be made until after Midnight Bourbon resumes training.

King Fury Out of Middle Jewel of Triple Crown

Trainer Kenny McPeek took Lexington (G3) winner King Fury out of consideration for the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico, reporting Tuesday that the temperature that had knocked him out of the Kentucky Derby (G1) has flared back up.

“There’s no way to make the Preakness,” he said. “It’s a no-brainer.”

McPeek said that King Fury had a “significant cough” Tuesday morning.

King Fury, who earned his way into the Kentucky Derby with an impressive victory in the Lexington at Keeneland, was withdrawn from the Run for the Roses the day before the race.