BALTIMORE, Md. – Tami Bobo and Tristan De Meric’s Simplification, who finished fourth in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (G1), arrived at historic Pimlico Race Course before dawn Tuesday to begin preparations for the 147th running of the Preakness Stakes (G1) May 21.
Simplification, the first of the Preakness runners to be bedded down in the Preakness Stakes Barn, stepped off the van at 5 a.m. following an 11-hour ride from Churchill Downs. Jesus ‘Chino’ Prado, the longtime assistant to trainer Antonio Sano, was at the track to oversee the colt’s move into Stall 26. Prada said the overnight trip from Kentucky went smoothly and that Simplification handled it well.
“Our horse feels good,” Prada said. “My doctor here checked the horse, and he was perfect. I think everything is good with Simplification.”
Prada said that the bay son of Not This Time would have a quiet first day in Baltimore. He was scheduled to walk the shedrow for 50 minutes in mid-afternoon. Simplification will walk in the morning and the afternoon on Wednesday and go out to the track for the first time at approximately 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
“That first day he will go out with the pony and walk and jog with my exercise rider so he can get to know the track,” Prada said.
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez will ride Simplification for the first time in the 1 3/16-mile Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown. Velazquez, the leading money-winning rider in North American racing history, replaces Jose Ortiz, who has a commitment to ride Early Voting for trainer Chad Brown. In 11 appearances in the Preakness, Velazquez, 50, has a record of 0-3-1. His top finishes were seconds aboard Derby winners, Animal Kingdom (2011) and Authentic (2020), as well his runner-up placing on Itsmyluckyday in 2013.
Prada watched the Derby in Florida. Simplification and Ortiz started from Post 13 and were wide throughout the 1 ¼-mile race. They passed a half-dozen horses in the final half-mile and ended up 3 ½ lengths behind the longshot winner, Rich Strike.
Simplification’s Pre-Derby Works
| Track | Date | Course | Distance | Time | Note | Rank |
| Gulfstream Park | 4/29/2022 | Dirt | 5F | 1:00.44 | Breezing | 1/10 |
| Gulfstream Park | 4/22/2022 | Dirt | 5F | 59.42 | Breezing | 4/17 |
| Gulfstream Park | 4/15/2022 | Dirt | 5F | 1:01.83 | Breezing | 4/6 |
| Gulfstream Park | 3/26/2022 | Dirt | 5F | 59.91 | Breezing | 2/31 |
| Gulfstream Park | 3/19/2022 | Dirt | 5F | 1:01.81 | Breezing | 15/28 |
“I think that the race was very good,” Prada said. “The positions were a little bit wide but the jockey did a good job in a race with 20 horses. It was an amazing race and I think he ran very well. I think we’ve got more of a chance here because the field will probably be nine to 10 horses and because of the track. The track here has a longer stretch. It’s more like Gulfstream Park.”
Simplification made the first seven starts of his career at Gulfstream Park and compiled a record of 3-1-2. He won the Mucho Macho Man on Jan. 1, before finishing second in the Feb. 5 Holy Bull (G3), winning the March 5 Fountain of Youth (G2), and checking in third as the 2-1 favorite in the April 2 Florida Derby (G1).
Trainer Bonus Returns for Preakness Weekend
For a sixth straight year, the Maryland Jockey Club is offering bonus money totaling $100,000 to trainers who run a minimum of five horses in the 15 Thoroughbred stakes races during Preakness weekend, May 20 and 21, at historic Pimlico Race Course.
Points are accumulated for finishing first (10 points), second (seven), third (five), fourth (three) and having a starter (one) in the 15 Thoroughbred stakes, led by the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, May 21.
Sunrise at Old Hilltop Tours
Sunrise at Old Hilltop, one of the most popular events leading up to the Preakness Stakes (G1), will be making its return to historic Pimlico Race Course this year.
Admission is free to the Sunrise at Old Hilltop Tours, which run on a first-come, first-served basis between 6 and 9 a.m. from Tuesday, May 17 through Friday, May 20. Patrons can sign up at the registration tent on the track apron.
In addition to watching the sun come up over the second-oldest Thoroughbred racetrack in the country, opened in 1870, the tours offer a glimpse of what goes on behind the scenes at one of the world’s biggest sporting events. Fans will watch horses work out on the track before getting a chance to see them up close, meet and greet horsemen and learn some of the history behind the Preakness. Click to make your reservations.
Preakness Live!
1/ST EXPERIENCE, curators of world-class entertainment and hometown hospitality for Preakness 147, announces a collaboration with Baltimore’s own Kevin Liles, CEO and Chairman of 300 Entertainment and Elektra Music Group, to launch Preakness LIVE Culinary, Art & Music Festival as part of an expanded Preakness entertainment and cultural celebration set to take place on Black-Eyed Susan Day, Friday, May 20. The festival is just one part of 1/ST’s new long-term campaign, Baltimore 1/ST, kicking off this year. Click for tickets.
Maryland Jockey Club Press Release/Edited
Photo of Simplification with Jesus ‘Chino’ Prado by Maryland Jockey Club
