Out for a Swim

- Despite the pouring rain at Pimlico, where up to 2 inches of rain are predicted for today and this evening, Greeley’s Galaxy went out and zipped 3 furlongs in :34.87 just a day before the Preakness. Hmmm. On the other hand, Giacomo stayed dry, and trainer John Sheriffs explains.

"He had a good gallop yesterday….So we didn't need to go to the track today."

"I just want to make sure that I don't over train," he said. "The main thing is I don't want to take the race away from him. I always like to think that a horse has 'live legs.' I don't want his legs tired. Like when you have a strong workout, it takes a couple of days for your body to recover, so I think it's the same thing with a horse. I thought he looked real good. I thought he handled the surface. It's similar to Churchill Downs." [Bloodhorse]

So I guess Sheriffs wouldn't work a horse in :34.87 the day before a race. Both of GG’s post-Derby works have been in the slop, which he apparently relishes; that may raise the question of whether those works, which were significantly better than those before the Derby, were in fact aided by the wet track. He has a Tomlinson mud number of 347, which is not nearly tops in the field.