The 148thPreakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course is set for Saturday, May 20. The second leg of the Triple Crown has a purse of $1.5 million, with the winner’s share at $900,000. US Racing will profile all the contenders. The post-position draw is Monday, May 15. Profiles will be updated with odds and post positions following the draw.
By US Racing Staff
Red Route One, winner of the Bath House Row Stakes at Oaklawn Park, is among the new shooters set for the middle jewel of the Triple Crown.
The chestnut son of Gun Runner is owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC and trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. The longtime owner-trainer team also plans to send out Disarm, who ran fourth in the Kentucky Derby (G1), and is also a son of Gun Runner.
A well-timed closing run produced a head victory in the 1 1/8-mile Bath House Row on April 22 and gave the colt an all-fees paid berth in the Preakness.
This could be a new shooter with a shot – he ran second in the Southwest (G3) and the Rebel (G2) before finishing sixth in the Arkansas Derby (G1).
There was disappointment after the Arkansas Derby, but Red Route One came through in the Bath House Row and showed that the Preakness distance of 1 3-16 miles could be just right.
“He ran straight through the wire. He still gallops out so huge. It feels like there’s more there,’’ Asmussen said after the race. “Maybe the victory, maybe the winning … Joel (Rosario) gave him a dream trip.”
Hopefully, there’s a little more there than in the past two running of the Preakness. Ron Winchell and Asmussen looked on in 2022 as their Epicenter finished second behind Early Voting (yet another son of Gun Runner) and in 2021, when Midnight Bourbon ran second to Rombauer.
2023 Preakness Entries: Red Route One
Post position: 5
Odds: 10-1
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds. LLC (Ron Winchell)
Career record: 9-2-2-1
Career earnings: $631,575
Best Equibase speed figure: 102
Pedigree: Gun Runner-Red House, by Tapit
Color: Chestnut
Running Style: Closer
Notes: Asmussen is a two-time Preakness winner, with the filly Rachel Alexandra in 2009 and with two-time Horse of the Year Curlin in 2007 … Red Route One Worked 5 furlongs in 1:01.20 at Churchill Downs on May 7 … Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year, was owned by Winchell and trained by Asmussen … Both of Asmussen’s Preakness contenders resemble Gun Runner in appearance. Both are chestnuts, and Amussen says: “Disarm carries more weight. Red Route One might be a little taller but doesn’t carry as much mass. They are very much Gun Runner’s personality. Both of them let you know that they are men and will talk to you a little bit. They are extremely sound horses that look beautiful on the racetrack.”
2023 Preakness Stakes Post Positions and Odds
| PP | Horse | Odds | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | National Treasure | 4-1 | John Velazquez | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 2 | Chase The Chaos | 50-1 | Sheldon Russell | Ed Moger Jr. |
| 3 | Mage | 8-5 | Javier Castellano | Gustavo Delgado |
| 4 | Coffeewithchris | 20-1 | Jaime Rodriguez | John E. Salzman Jr. |
| 5 | Red Route One | 10-1 | Joel Rosario | Steven M. Asmussen |
| 6 | Perform | 15-1 | Feargal Lynch | Claude R. McGaughey III |
| 7 | Blazing Sevens | 6-1 | Irad Ortiz Jr. | Chad C. Brown |
| 8 | First Mission | 5-2 | Luis Saez | Brad H. Cox |
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
