POST-POSITION DRAW QUOTES FOR 151ST PREAKNESS STAKES (G1)

SATURDAY, MAY 16 @ LAUREL PARK

$2,000,000

Trainer Brittany Russell (Taj Mahal, Post 1, 5-1): “It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but it is what it is. He’s a good gate horse and we’ll just have to play it as it unfolds.”

“You know it’s funny. I said to myself the only spot I was hoping not to be was the rail. It’s OK. It’s all good. When I saw that [5-1 odds] I thought, ‘Cool, he’s getting some respect.’ That’s nice to see.”

“He’s great. He was good this morning. We just have a couple more days to get through. We’ll just keep it simple and keep him happy.”

Jockey Sheldon Russell (Taj Mahal, Post 1, 5-1): “To be fair, he’s a good gate horse. He’s classy in there. He doesn’t mess around so I’m not really worried with him being the first one in there. He broke so sharp last time. If he were to do the same thing again, he’d put me in a great spot. We’ve just got to hold that spot until we get to the bend but we’ve got a longer run this time. He’s going to have to overcome a few things but good horses overcome things. He’s come out of the last race good, he’s trained good, so we’re excited.”

Trainer Whit Beckman (Ocelli, Post 2, 6-1): “I'm perfect with that. I think our most effective running style dictates sitting back off the pace so being in the two-hole, we can just kind of break and save some ground going into that first turn, and kind of let the race develop in front of us. In the Derby, we had to cut over quite a bit [from Post17] just to get to the first turn.”

Trainer Donnie Von Hemel (Crupper, Post 3, 30-1): “Well, we should get a short trip around there, shouldn’t we? There are a lot of horses that have shown speed in there, and I know we were forwardly placed last time, also. I don’t know if we’re as fast as some of them are. We’ll just have to try to get away good and leave it up to [jockey Junior Alvarado], I think. For a Preakness, that’s a lot of horses.”

Trainer Danny Gargan (Talkin, Post 5, 20-1): “I'm pleased with the post-position draw. Obviously, you never want the one-hole, and you never want to be in the 13 or 14 or 12. I'm real pleased. I wanted to be somewhere in that realm. I like that Jose Ortiz and Irad are next to each other, so I think they'll get a good break.”

Trainer Steve Asmussen (Chip Honcho, Post 6, 5-1): “When the 13 was like first and the 14 went away, I [thought] ‘I can live with any of the rest.’ It was six, 10, 11 the last three. But six is perfect. [Assistant trainers] Darren [Fleming], Scott [Blasi] and I had talked about it today, with it being at Laurel, where would you want? I said, ‘5 through 7.’ So got the 6. That’s perfect.”

Trainer Todd Fincher (The Hell We Did, Post 7, 15-1): “It’s a good spot, right in the middle. It gives us a chance to check the pace out and see if we want to be a part of it or close to it or what. I like it.”

“It’s going to be a great race. I think the could be some upcoming stars in there. You just don’t know, they’re still young horses. I think it’s going to be an outstanding betting race.”

Trainer Chad Brown (Iron Honor, Post 9, 9-2): “I like the horse, I like the spot for him but based on his last start [seventh in the Wood Memorial], I was surprised he was made the morning line favorite. But, I am not surprised that he fits in this race.”

“[Post 9 is] fine. Right in the middle, we should not have any excuse from there.”

Trainer Riley Mott (Incredibolt, Post 12, 5-1): “I hope we run the way they like us in the odds. Anytime you are in a Triple Crown race and you have odds of 5-1, it is a great opportunity. We are going to look to try and get the job done.”

“I would imagine [Post 12] will be fine. The horse has shown he can be fairly tactical at times.”

Trainer John Ennis (Great White, Post 13, 15-1): “It’s not the best, but we will be fine.”

Trainer Jeremiah Englehart (Pretty Boy Miah, Post 14, 15-1): “It wasn't really what we wanted but, hey, that's why it's horse racing. Our horse has good tactical speed, so hopefully we break cleanly and are able to get away from there and get out early to get a good position.”

“I kind of thought that we should be able to clear a few of those horses that are directly towards our inside, and get good position from there. Today is Monday. We’ve got another five days to analyze everything.”