Pegasus Not Bullet-Proof

“Ichi” in Japanese is No. 1, “ni” is No. 2. So Fusa-ichi Pegasus was unofficially Fusa-ni Pegasus Saturday at Pimlico.

The first favorite to win the Kentucky Derby in 21 years and the shortest-priced favorite to run in the Preakness since Spectacular Bid in 1979, Fusaichi Pegasus saw his Triple Crown hopes dashed in the dampness and chill of Baltimore, where 98,304 gathered in 59-degree weather for the coldest Preakness in 50 years. At his Kentucky farm, they called Fusaichi Pegasus “Superman” before he ever ran a race, but he was not faster than a speeding bullet this time. Not faster than Red Bullet, that is, who won the Preakness much the way Fusaichi Pegasus won the Derby.

Ridden by Jerry Bailey, Red Bullet split horses nearing the turn for home and hit the wire 3 3/4 lengths better than the Derby winner. Thus Affirmed’s status as the last Triple Crown champion--in 1978--is safe for another year.

Neil Drysdale, who trains Fusaichi Pegasus, said that the wet, slick Pimlico surface was the undoing of his colt, who would slide when he should have surged. That said, it may be that Red Bullet, who avenged his only loss--a second-place finish to Fusaichi Pegasus in the Wood Memorial--can beat Drysdale’s horse on any surface. The Wood was an aberration for Red Bullet because he was drained by an early speed duel. The gentlemanly thing to do is have the two square off in the Belmont Stakes, the final Triple Crown race, on June 10. Late Saturday, neither Drysdale nor Joe Orseno, the trainer of Red Bullet, was saying that that showdown wouldn’t happen.

The Wood was run on a wet, fast track, the Preakness on a strip labeled good, but to Drysdale there was a significant difference. “I have a big, long-striding horse,” he said. “He’s very talented, but obviously he can’t handle a surface that’s muddy, or wet, or drying out like Pimlico was. It was very courageous of my horse just to finish second. I’m disappointed for the horse more than I’m disappointed for myself. [A Triple Crown] would have been good for racing, but that’s racing. The other horse won fairly handily. We would have preferred a fast track, but you can’t take anything away from the winner.”

Red Bullet, bred and owned by Frank Stronach--the owner of Santa Anita and six other tracks--got five weeks off after the Wood, skipping the Derby as Stronach’s Touch Gold had in 1997. Touch Gold didn’t win the Preakness--he was fourth after having much trouble--but rained on Silver Charm’s Triple Crown parade with an upset victory in the Belmont.

Red Bullet, a son of Unbridled and the mud-loving Cargo, a Caro mare, lost 16 pounds running in the Wood, which ended his win streak at three races.

“You have to applaud them [Stronach and Orseno],” Bailey said after winning his second Preakness and fifth Triple Crown race. “Not too many people would have done what they did.”

Bailey bounced around for most of the winter and spring, ricocheting from one 3-year-old to another, and seeming to always zig when he should have zagged. Before Saturday, he had ridden Red Bullet once, for an allowance win at Gulfstream Park in February, but he gave up on Stronach’s chestnut colt to ride Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Anees and later War Chant in California. Alex Solis rode Red Bullet in his Gotham win, and chased the pace with the colt in the Wood, but the door opened a second time for Bailey because Orseno wanted the same jockey for the Preakness and the Belmont, and Solis was committed to ride Aptitude, the runner-up in the Derby, in the Belmont.

The second choice in the eight-horse field, Red Bullet paid $14.40 to win. He is the first non-Derby horse to win the Preakness since Deputed Testamony in 1983. In a time of 1:56 for 1 3/16 miles, he earned $650,000 of the $1-million purse. Fusaichi Pegasus, who went off at 3-10, finished a head in front of Impeachment, who was also third in the Derby. After the first three, the order of finish was Captain Steve, Snuck In, Hugh Hefner, High Yield and Hal’s Hope.

The last three across the line were the pace-setters. Hugh Hefner was in front after a 23 1/5 opening quarter; High Yield was ahead through a 46 3/5 half-mile, and Hugh Hefner was in first again as six furlongs were clicked off in 1:11 1/5.

Fusaichi Pegasus, led over to the saddling area from the Pimlico backstretch, half a mile from where the other Preakness horses trained, was on his best behavior. Breaking from the No. 7 stall, he was pinched back by Captain Steve and Hal’s Hope, but by the run down the backside, he was fifth, only six lengths from the lead. Red Bullet was even farther back, in seventh place, more than seven lengths behind.

Fusaichi Pegasus and Red Bullet made their moves together, as the field approached the far turn.

“We pushed the button at the same time, but Red Bullet had a bigger button,” said Kent Desormeaux, riding Fusaichi Pegasus.

As Red Bullet neared the quarter pole, Bailey was able to find a hole on the outside, between Fusaichi Pegasus and Snuck In, ridden by Cash Asmussen.

“I wiggled my way through,” Bailey said. “I was able to take the gap instead of Cash. He didn’t have enough horse left to make it. When Fusaichi Pegasus couldn’t beat us to the quarter pole, I thought we had a chance.”

At the eighth pole, Red Bullet had cleared the field by a length, and Fusaichi Pegasus was third, a head behind High Yield, who was about to back up badly.

“The track was a little greasy,” Desormeaux said. “It might have made a difference.”

The confidence had oozed out of Drysdale even earlier.

“When a horse comes off the bit and doesn’t respond, then you know you’re in trouble,” he said.

Beaten in his debut, at Hollywood Park in December, Fusaichi Pegasus had won five in a row.

“He’s a good horse,” Orseno said, “but after the Wood, I had wanted the opportunity to try him with the right trip. Five weeks between races can be tricky; sometimes you might wind up with a short horse after that. But there were no setbacks. A lot of people said we were all running for second money in this race, but I never believed that.”

Just a week before, Stronach, Orseno--and, ironically, Desormeaux--had teamed with Golden Missile to win the Pimlico Special, the track’s premier race for older horses.

“It’s been a terrific month,” Orseno said. “I’m not going to need an airplane to go home.”