Owendale, Signalman Top Preakness Workers

[Wandering Eyes]

Owendale (Into Mischief), Signalman (General Quarters) and Warrior’s Charge (Munnings) topped Saturday morning’s work tab at Churchill Downs as the trio prepare for the second jewel in the Triple Crown May 18. Rupp Racing’s Owendale, who was the first Preakness contender to breeze at 5:30 a.m. Saturday, negotiated five furlongs in a bullet :59.20–the fastest of 31 at the distance. Trained by Brad Cox, Keeneland’s GIII Lexington S. winner completed fractions of :12.40, :24 and :46.80 (video), galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.20, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols. Shortly afterward, Owendale’s stablemate, Ten Strike Racing and Madaket Stables’ Warrior’s Charge, worked five furlongs in 1:00.80, with internal fractions of :12.60, :24.60 and :48.60 before a six-furlong gallop out in 1:13.20, according to Nichols. Warrior’s Charge would have to be supplemented for $150,000 to contest the Preakness.

“The track was really good this morning,” said Cox. “I think both horses ready to roll. Owendale has been doing phenomenal following the Lexington. He has that built in foundation from the race that will suit him well in the Preakness.

As for Warrior’s Charge, winner of an Oaklawn allowance Apr. 12, he added, “Warrior’s Charge should be able to handle the extra distance and is showing us he’s on an upward trend. That’s why we decided to supplement him. He didn’t run in any of the Derby preps, so he had some time to develop and grow into himself.”

Later in the morning at Churchill, Tommie Lewis, Steve Crabtree, Dean Demaree, David Bernsen, Jim Chambers and Magdalena Racing’s Signalman–with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard–breezed a half-mile in :47.60 (video), while in company with Indian Counselor (Payntor), who negotiated the distance in :48.

“He hadn’t run in six weeks, so we needed a nice [work] in company,” explained trainer Kenny McPeek. “He’s going to be running a mile and three-sixteenths with six weeks between races. It was a nice maintenance breeze. [Indian Counselor] is a good, solid horse, too. He stalked off the side of him and finished up good. Nice work.”

Hernandez Jr., who will ride Signalman next Saturday, added, “He went along like we wanted him to and finished up well and went on and galloped out.”

Peter Redekop B.C. Ltd.’s Anothertwistafate (Scat Daddy) breezed six furlongs in a bullet 1:14.20 Saturday at Golden Gate Fields. Wright said the colt galloped out a mile in 1:40. The move was his final breeze ahead of Saturday’s Preakness. Accompanied by jockey Juan Hernandez, Anothertwistafate was recording his second breeze over the Albany, California oval’s synthetic surface since finishing second behind Owendale in the Lexington S. last month.

“It was a good work for us,” affirmed trainer Blaine Wright. “We broke him off behind horses, let him just cruise up to them at the quarter pole. He outworked them very easy and galloped out nice and strong. We’re right where we want to be, I hope.”

Anothertwistafate, who earned an automatic berth in the Preakness with his win in the Feb. 16 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate, finished second by a neck in the GIII Sunland Derby Mar. 24 before running in the Lexington.

“He’s the type of horse that when you work him a half [mile] he works six furlongs,” Wright explained. “He always gets a lot out of his breezes and gallops. He’s a big, long-striding horse. This will be five weeks between races, so I sent him out going a mile. We got a pretty good, stout work into him. Now all we have to do, hopefully, is travel.”

Jockey Jose Ortiz will ride Anothertwistafate in the Preakness.

The dark bay, who will ship to Pimlico Tuesday, will be the first Triple Crown starter for Wright, 44, a leading trainer at Emerald Downs in his home state of Washington. Wright maintains a year-round stable at Golden Gate Fields.

 

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