BALTIMORE, May 16 (UPI) -- Rain fell throughout much of the day at Pimlico Race Course Friday, but a top track official predicted conditions would be excellent for Saturday's Preakness ? the second leg of the Triple Crown.
Pimlico senior vice president John Passero guaranteed there would be a fast track for the race as long as the rain did not continue unabated into Saturday morning.
"If the rain ends tonight, the track will be fast," said Passero, who is in charge of track facilities.
Passero said there was just a thin layer of muck on the track because of the work done by crews on the surface Thursday night. The workers rolled and floated the track twice, using 10,000-pound steamrollers and three-ton floats.
The rain had subsided a bit by early Friday evening and overcast skies and temperatures in the 60s were expected by post time.
Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide, meanwhile, arrived at Pimlico fashionably late.
Trainer Barclay Tagg, who wanted to keep his horse home in New York's Belmont Park as late as possible, orginally planned on bringing Funny Cide here early Saturday morning. But he reconsidered, in part due to the weather, and Funny Cide was in the Pimlico barn Friday afternoon.
"He seems fine to me," Tagg said of the sport's newest sensation. "I don't know how it will be at 6 p.m. (Saturday), but we'll wait and see."
Tagg did not seem overly concerned with the possibility of a sloppy track on Saturday. Funny Cide ran well on a sloppy track in the Wood Memorial, when he finished behind Empire Maker.
The ninth post in the field of 10 could work to Funny Cide's advantage since there might be less of a chance of flying mud in his direction early in the race.
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030516-074436-7755r
Pimlico senior vice president John Passero guaranteed there would be a fast track for the race as long as the rain did not continue unabated into Saturday morning.
"If the rain ends tonight, the track will be fast," said Passero, who is in charge of track facilities.
Passero said there was just a thin layer of muck on the track because of the work done by crews on the surface Thursday night. The workers rolled and floated the track twice, using 10,000-pound steamrollers and three-ton floats.
The rain had subsided a bit by early Friday evening and overcast skies and temperatures in the 60s were expected by post time.
Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide, meanwhile, arrived at Pimlico fashionably late.
Trainer Barclay Tagg, who wanted to keep his horse home in New York's Belmont Park as late as possible, orginally planned on bringing Funny Cide here early Saturday morning. But he reconsidered, in part due to the weather, and Funny Cide was in the Pimlico barn Friday afternoon.
"He seems fine to me," Tagg said of the sport's newest sensation. "I don't know how it will be at 6 p.m. (Saturday), but we'll wait and see."
Tagg did not seem overly concerned with the possibility of a sloppy track on Saturday. Funny Cide ran well on a sloppy track in the Wood Memorial, when he finished behind Empire Maker.
The ninth post in the field of 10 could work to Funny Cide's advantage since there might be less of a chance of flying mud in his direction early in the race.
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030516-074436-7755r
