I remember as if it were yesterday. Rule appeared to be taking command at the top of the stretch in the Florida Derby only to fade to third. After he gave up the lead the first horse to go by was Pleasant Prince. Ice Box was also in hot pursuit  and he lunged forward to take the Grade 1 race by a nose. The next race for Ice Box was the Kentucky Derby where he would finish second.

Pleasant Prince, short of earnings, would race two more times before the Run for the Roses of which he was ultimately kept out. He finished off the board in the Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland and third in the Derby Trial. His connections will now try and annex the second jewel of the Triple Crown; the Preakness Stakes.

Owner Ken Ramsey was dead set on making the Kentucky Derby.  He told the Blood-Horse, “The Derby is a special race. I could win three Dubai World Cups and that might mean more internationally, but not to me. I’m getting kind of long in the tooth and I’ve got Derby fever something bad.”. He also said that his research via the internet proved horses could win the Derby Trial and then the Kentucky Derby. The last one to do so was Tim Tam in 1958. The only thing that Mr. Ramsey forgets is that this is a different era and a different type of thoroughbred. They aren’t built for that type of racing anymore. After failing to make the Derby the Preakness is the next best thing.

The Was Ward trainee has raced six times this year. His best finishes were in the Florida Derby and Derby trial, but neither race should warrant serious consideration for the Preakness Stakes. He is clearly a horse who needs rest. The son of Indy King could grow into a nice older horse, but it appears that his future career will be sacrificed in favor of attempting to win a leg of the Triple Crown no matter how slim the chances.

Pleasant Prince had his final work for the Preakness today. He fired off five furlongs in :59 seconds at Keeneland. That is an encouraging move under jockey Julien Leparoux. I find myself wondering why he failed to fire in the Bluegrass, yet the connections still train him over the surface.

Pleasant Prince will board a plane headed to Baltimore, MD on Wednesday. Then on Saturday he will be an also ran once again. It’s a shame. With a little patience he could be one of the best.