Confidence Game Out, Coffeewithchris In Preakness

Changes to the entries box for next week’s 148th GI Preakness S. continue, as Derby participant Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}) is out of the second leg of the Triple Crown and local runner Coffeewithchris (Ride On Curlin) is in, 1/ST Racing confirmed in a release Saturday.

“He trained all right this morning,” said Confidence Game’s trainer, Keith Desormeaux. “He’s just not 100 percent. He’s got something aggravating him in the right front shoulder area. We’re going to send him to Dr. [Larry] Bramlage [at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital] and let him do full diagnostics and let him advise us on how to proceed. He’s good, but he’s not Preakness perfect.”

After he was scratched from Saturday’s Long Branch S. at Monmouth, Coffeewithchris’s connections alerted Pimlico officials Saturday morning that the Maryland bred is being pointed towards a Preakness start. Jaime Rodriguez will have the mount.

“Our plan was to run in the Preakness.,” said the gelding’s trainer, John Salzman Jr. “We were hoping to win the Tesio. The biggest thing is coming up with the money sometimes. I’m a poor working guy. Thirty thousand is a lot of money. I looked at the Long Branch. It wasn’t an easy spot. If it was an easy spot, I might have gone on to the Long Branch. I worked it out to come up with the funds to take a chance. I don’t get to take a chance very often.”

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