Trainer Todd Pletcher’s Dance City, who could be the “wiseguy horse” for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico, drilled a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 1/5, working in company, over a “good” track yesterday at Churchill Downs. He sizzled through fractions of :11 4/5, :23 1/5, :34 4/5 and :46 3/5, galloping out six furlongs in 1:14 1/5.
Last out, in the April 16 Arkansas Derby, Dance City contested the pace and held on gamely in the stretch, outfinishing Sway Away to get third. The Arkansas Derby has turned out to be a “key” race, as runner-up Nehro was second again in the Kentucky Derby and Alternation, who rallied for fifth, came back to win Saturday’s Peter Pan at Belmont Park.
Sources say Dance City has been bet down to 6-1 in some British bookmaking shops.
At Belmont yesterday, King Congie, third last out in the April 16 Blue Grass over Keeneland Polytrack, breezed five furlongs around the “dogs” in 1:04 3/5.