"You can ruin a horse running him in the Derby if he's not ready for it. I'm in it to win and he didn't show me enough to convince me he can win the race. And it has nothing to do with having another one in there. I would have done it if he were my only starter."Preachinatthebar's defection opens the door for Song of the Sword to get in the race. The son of Unbridled's Song is currently stabled at Keeneland following his third-place finish in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (gr. II).
After watching Mike Pegram's Preachinatthebar work five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 Thursday morning, trainer Bob Baffert said the son of Silver Charm will not run in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I).Baffert said he didn't feel the colt is good enough right now to win a race as demanding as the Derby. "He worked OK, but he's not as aggressive as he was," Baffert said. "You've got to be doing fantastic to win the Derby and he's not doing fantastic right now. Physically he's fine, but he's not showing me what I need to see. I talked to Mike, and he asked me if he can he win, I told him I don't feel that confident about the situation. So, we agreed, let's not risk hurting him just for the sake of running.