Preakness notes: Trainer didn't like jockey's ride on Good Magic

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Spectators avoid puddles as they walk through the muddy infield during 2018 Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course.

(Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)

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A muddy Horacio Karamanos walks back to the jockey’s room after ridding Team Tim in the third race during Preakness day 2018 at Pimlico Race Course.

(Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun)

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Horses spring from the starting gate during the 143rd Preakness Stakes. Justify (second from right) captured the second leg of the Triple Crown. (Jerry Jackson / Baltimore Sun)

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Justify leads in the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (Jen Rynda / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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A couple crosses the track just before the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore. (Joshua McKerrow / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Jordan Barry and another attendee wrestle in the mud in the infield during the 143rd Preakness. (Leeann Adams / Baltimore Sun)

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Justify (7) leads the pack through the fog, into the first turn during the running of the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. Justify has a chance to take the Triple Crown with the win.

(Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)

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Giada De Laurentiis on the red carpet at the 143rd Preakness at Pimlico Race Course.

(Kim Hairston / Baltimore Sun)

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Post Malone performs at Preakness InfieldFest on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (Ulysses Munoz / Baltimore Sun)

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Caitlin Cawly of Worcester, MA poses for a photo in the grandstand during the 143rd Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (Jen Rynda / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Responding to the crowd’s urges, Ryan Bradshaw of Columbia dives into the mud pit during 2018 Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course.

(Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)

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The traditional First Call song is played through horns before a race at the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore. (Joshua McKerrow, Baltimore Sun M / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Frank Sabella, left, of Alexandria, Misty Mastracco of Alexandria, Charlie Courtney of Lutherville, Alan Parker of Philadelphia and Marguerite and Karl Buer, right, of Raleigh, NC poses for a photo in the grandstand before the 143rd Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (Jen Rynda / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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A race fan takes a nap in the infield during the 143rd Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (Jen Rynda / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Art Mallory, of Washington, heads to the grandstands for the start of the 8th race of the day on Preakness Saturday. (Jerry Jackson / Baltimore Sun)

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A worker rakes the muddy track before the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore.

(Joshua McKerrow / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Christina Guarino of Philadelphia uses bags to cover her feet while in the infield during the 143rd Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (Jen Rynda / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Laura Hull, left, of Winston-Salem, N.C. who is attending her first Preakness, cheers during the third race on Preakness day 2018 at Pimlico Race Course.

(Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun)

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Charles Williams of Annapolis helps Rachel Rowe of Hagerstown, who wears pumps through the muddy infield during 2018 Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course.

(Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)

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Bugler Bethann Dixon of Stony Beach, MD pauses to take a selfie in the corner of the winner’s circle during 2018 Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course.

(Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)

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Matt Lowe of Des Moines, Iowa poses for a photo during the 143rd Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (Jen Rynda / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Spectators watch Justify lead the pack in the first turn during the running of the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

(Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)

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Justify is draped with “Black-eyed Susan blanket” as his jockey, Mike E. Smith, pats him after winning the race.

(Kim Hairston / Baltimore Sun)

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Karl Buer of Raleigh, NC poses for a photo in the grandstand before the 143rd Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (Jen Rynda / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Andrew McGreevy, center, of Philadelphia and Eric Book, right, of Harrisburg react to a race during the 143rd Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (Jen Rynda / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Ricardo Santana Jr. pumps his fist at the sky in victory after riding Switzerland to first place in the Maryland Sprint Stakes, the 10th race at the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore. (Joshua McKerrow / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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A visitor to the infield goes down in the mud between races at the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore. (Joshua McKerrow / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Quip’s face is covered in mud after the 143rd Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. (Jen Rynda / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Horses charge from the gate at the start of the James W. Murphy Stakes, the 5th race of the day. (Jerry Jackson / Baltimore Sun)

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Justify holds the lead in the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore. (Joshua McKerrow / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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pJockey Manuel Franco gives the thumb up after winning the 117th Running of the Maker’s Mark Dixie Stakes, the 7th race on Preakness day 2018 at Pimlico Race Course.

(Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun)

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A visitor to the infield carefully makes her way through the mud between races at the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore. (Joshua McKerrow, Baltimore Sun M / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Well dressed visitors to the infield carefully pick their way through the mud at the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore. (Joshua McKerrow / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Mike E. Smith and Ax Man are surrounded by photographers after winning the Sir Barton Stakes, the 12th race in the 143rd Preakness Stakes at Pimlico in Baltimore. (Joshua McKerrow / Baltimore Sun Media Group)

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Fans in the Turfside Terrace cheer on Ultra Brat as he wins the Gallorette Staes, the only turf race of the day. The jockey was Jose Ortiz. (Jerry Jackson / Baltimore Sun)

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Justify in the lead near the end of the 2018 Preakness Stakes.

(Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun)

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Casey Siddons, of Silver Springs, wears his wife’s brand new fascinator while waiting for her to return from the ladies room on Preakness day 2018 at Pimlico Race Course. His wife Sarah bought the fascinator especially for Preakness this year.

(Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun)

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Ne-Yo on the red carpet at the 143rd Preakness at Pimlico Race Course.

(Kim Hairston / Baltimore Sun)

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Kelli Woolsey from Chicago is attending her first Preakness but has attended Kentucky Derby four times. “Some people like baseball parks, I like, horsetracks.”

(Kim Hairston / Baltimore Sun)

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Post Malone performs at Preakness InfieldFest on Saturday, May 19, 2018. (Ulysses Munoz / Baltimore Sun)

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Attendees navigate a wet and muddy infield at Pimlico Race Course for the 143rd Preakness Stakes. (Leeann Adams / Baltimore Sun)

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Brian Buscemi and his sister Kristyn Buscemi of Charlotte, NC react after winning their bets on Tap Daddy and Coltandmississippi during 2018 Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course.

(Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)

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Emily Pence of Baltimore stands in line to enter the gates during 2018 Preakness Day at Pimlico Race Course.

(Karl Merton Ferron / Baltimore Sun)

By John CherwaSpecial Contributor

May 19, 2018 7:10 PM PT

Reporting from Baltimore —

Good Magic’s trainer, Chad Brown, was very unhappy with the ride that jockey Jose Ortiz gave the colt in Saturday’s 143rd Preakness Stakes. Good Magic finished fourth.

Ortiz, who earlier this week said he wanted to press the pace, took the horse to the lead. Brown, who didn’t arrive until Friday, must not have heard about that.

“I did not want the horse on the lead,” Brown said after the race. “I’m disappointed with the trip. The post didn’t help. We were inside [Justify] the whole way. Unfortunately, our horse took the worst of it being on the fence and getting pressed the whole way.”

Good Magic was in the No. 5 post and Justify in No. 7.

“You guys asked me all week what I wanted to do — sit off the pace and follow [Justify] around the track,” Brown continued. “And he’s following us around.”

Ortiz didn’t blame the ride but the horse.

“I tried to take back a little but the pace wasn’t too fast. He was relaxed but Mike was just sitting chilly on his horse,” Ortiz said of Mike Smith, Justify’s jockey. “We were going very easy. I made my run the same time he did, but I didn’t have the horse underneath me.”

Ritvo assesses year at Santa Anita

It was exactly a year ago when it became public that the Stronach Group was sending its fix-it guy, Tim Ritvo, to Santa Anita to try to improve the race track. There has been a learning curve, but Ritvo said Saturday on Preakness Day that he’s good with the progress.

“We’re bullish on Santa Anita,” he said. “It should be the gem of the West Coast.”

“It’s like an old ocean liner. I think we’re trying to turn the ship around and get it going and we’re in the process of turning it around..”

Unlike his revitalization jobs at Gulfstream in Florida and Laurel in Maryland, Ritvo has found he needs the cooperation of others, some of which can seem entrenched.

“I’m getting a lot better vibes,” Ritvo said. “The TOC [Thoroughbred Owners of California] is cooperating a little bit. I’m learning about the racing commission in a highly regulatory environment. There are a bunch of different industry interests. I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

When he arrived at Santa Anita, he identified short fields as the top thing he needed to fix. He’s seeing positive signs in that area.

“Even now, after the Santa Anita Derby, field size has been good,” he said. “[Saturday’s] card is excellent. It’s one of the only cards in the country that’s on the grass. We saw a big increase [Friday] and we’ll probably see a good bump [Saturday].”

Another Baffert win

Ax Man, at one point thought to be a Kentucky Derby possibility, had no trouble putting away a reduced field of six competitors to win the $100,000 Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico. The Bob Baffert trainee took the early lead and cruised around the track in the 1 1/16 mile race to win by an unhurried 6 3/4 lengths.

sports@latimes.com

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