The two possible Preakness contenders in the Churchill Downs barn of trainer Steve Asmussen turned in easy half-mile works over a sloppy and sealed track on Monday.
Grade III Iroquois winner Astrology covered the distance in :51.60 just after the track opened for training at 6 a.m. Nehro, the runner-up to Animal Kingdom in the Kentucky Derby, breezed a short time later and was timed in :50.80 for his half-mile.
Astrology, considered a definite starter in the Preakness, completed his work in fractional times of :14.40, :27.40 and :39.40 and galloped out 5 furlongs in 1:06.20.
"He went over the track very well, very handy," Asmussen said. "There were concerns about an awfully wet race track this morning, but he handled it well and went over it well."
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Nehro, who continues to be listed as "possible" for the Preakness, was timed in :12.80, :25.40 and :37.80, and galloped out 5 furlongs in 1:05.20.
Asmussen said a decision on a Preakness run would be made on Tuesday. The flights that will carry horses from Churchill Downs to Baltimore for Saturday's race at Pimlico leave Wednesday.
"He's done a lot over a short period of time," Asmussen said. "I think you're trying to evaluate the runs, the races themselves and how he's doing, while also trying to weigh the opportunity that is ahead of you."
Midnight Interlude
Midnight Interlude worked a brisk 3 furlongs in :35.60 after the morning renovation break over a sloppy track.
"After what I saw today, we are going to the Preakness," trainer Bob Baffert said of the 16th-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby. "I feel pretty good about him. I think he is better now than he was before the Derby. He never really ran in the Derby; he just laid a big goose egg."
Concealed Identity
Concealed Identity, the Federico Tesio Stakes winner is "80-20" to run in Saturday's Preakness, said Linda Gaudet, who owns the son of 2004 Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones.
With the defection of Ruler On Ice on Monday morning, Concealed Identity moved into the prospective Preakness field, which is limited to 14 horses.
"We're very realistic. We're shooting for the stars, but other than the horses from the Derby — the 1-2-3-4 finishers that are coming — we're on the same page with the other horses," said Gaudet, the wife of trainer Eddie Gaudet. "Is he a superstar? Probably not, but he's a nice little horse."
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