Sway Away Gets His Chance in Preakness

Sway Away’s inability to draw into the Derby will be a blessing in disguise for the May 21 Preakness Stakes (gr. I) at Pimlico Race Course. The son of Afleet Alex will be rested and ready for his chance at the second leg of the Triple Crown. He will have his final Preakness work May 14 at Churchill Downs before shipping to Baltimore May 18.

Sway Away had a very sharp work at Churchill one week before the Derby, breezing six furlongs in 1:11 3/5.

“I didn’t see anyone work 1:11 that week. It was a strong work,” Bonde said.

Sway Away will enter the Preakness off a fourth-place finish in the April 16 Arkansas Derby (gr. I) at Oaklawn Park. With Pat Valenzuela aboard, he made a big move on the turn to take a narrow lead entering the stretch.

The bay colt flattened out in the final furlong, beaten 3 1/4 lengths by Archarcharch. In his previous start, Sway Away was sixth in the Rebel Stakes (gr. II), also at Oaklawn.

“A lot of people felt like the rider moved too soon on him (in the Arkansas Derby),” Bonde said. “I don't know. (Valenzuela) felt that the horse kind of beat himself. He is still kind of green; he looks around, and maybe that caught up with him.

“He’s still maturing. We were kind of playing catch-up with him all winter after we gave him some time off after Del Mar.”

In fact, after finishing second in the Aug. 8 Best Pal Stakes (gr. II) at Del Mar last summer, Sway Away did not return until making his 3-year-old debut in the Feb. 20 San Vicente Stakes (gr. II), in which he made a big late move to miss by a half-length to The Factor. In that race he was ridden by Garrett Gomez, who will be reunited with Sway Away in the Preakness.

Bonde is hoping Sway Away will make the same kind of move he made in the Arkansas Derby, only with better results.

“I think he’s a one-run kind of horse,” Bonde said. “I don’t want him to be too far back, but he has that big kick and wants to finish. The rider and him have to have the right timing.”





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